There probably wouldn’t have been any T20 cricket without blistering batters. Electric batting combined with raining boundaries and extremely high-scoring affairs is what made T20 cricket exciting.
While a T20 World Cup is underway, we take a look into the careers of some of the best T20 batters ever.
Mahela Jayawardene
According to stats, the most decorated batter of World T20 is Mahela Jayawardene. He is the highest run-scorer in the World T20s with 1016 runs in 31 innings, averaging 39.07 with a strike rate of 134.74.
He is one of the only 6 batters to score a century in World T20 with his knock of 100 (64) against Zimbabwe in the 2010 T20 World Cup.
He scored an unbeaten 98 in the very next innings. He became the top scorer with 302 runs from 6 innings in that edition of the World T20. He was also the 2nd-highest run-scorer at home turf in 2012 with 243 runs, only 6 short of top scorer Shane Watson.
Chris Gayle
In the very first innings ever of World T20, a certain Jamaican took the game by storm with his stunning 117. He needs no introduction but every superlative is needed to describe him in this format.
Current-holder of almost every batting record in T20s, Chris Gayle has 965 runs in 31 World Cup innings to his name with an average of 40 and strike rate of 146.
He is the only batter to score two centuries in the World T20s.
Tillakaratne Dilshan
Tillakaratne Dilshan is another legendary inclusion on the list. He scored 896 runs from 34 innings with 6 half-centuries to his name. He became the highest run-scorer in the 2009 World T20 where his batting led his team to the finals. He scored 317 runs in that tournament which was a record broken by Virat Kohli in 2014.
Virat Kohli
Stats suggest that he was the best batter in the history of World T20s. He is quite short of the highest number with 777 runs to his name. But he scored those in only 16 innings averaging a staggering 86.36.
He scored 9 half-centuries which means he crossed the 50 runs mark in more than 50 per cent of his total innings.
His 319 runs in 2014 World T20 is also a record for one edition. He was also the 2nd highest run-scorer in 2016 at home with 273 runs from 5 innings.
However, the ongoing World Cup hasn't gone well for him since he has scored a mere 68 runs from 4 matches. His bat didn't laugh and India are already out of the tournament with one game to play yet.
AB De Villiers
Last but not the least, Mr. 360 AB De Villiers finds a spot on the list. You might find him nowhere near the top run-scorers in every tournament.
Yet, you will find him scoring 717 runs from 29 innings with a 143.4 strike rate. He also has 5 half-centuries to his name. He is a true game-changer of the format.
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