Nepal holds the record for the highest team total in T20I cricket.
The T20 format has brought a new dimension to the game of cricket and discarded the old pattern of the classical game. Teams look for boundaries on all 120 balls in the game while batting. No score feels safe or small in this game format. It has created a huge fan base, who love seeing big goals scored.
Nepal recently broke the record for the highest T20I total at the 2023 Asian Games. Nepal became the first team to score more than 300 runs in a T20I game. Nepal hit 314/3 in 20 overs against Mongolia in the 2023 Asian Games, which is the highest total ever in the history of T20I cricket. The ICC has granted 104 nations international status in T20I cricket. But which team holds the record for the highest team total in the T20I format among Test nations? Let's find out.
Top 10 team totals by nations participating in T20I Test cricket:
10. Australia – 248/6 in 20 Overs vs England in 2013:
Former Australian captain Aaron Finch played a memorable knock against England at Southampton in 2013. Aaron Finch scored 156 runs off 63 balls, which included 11 fours and 14 sixes, the then highest individual score in the format before Finch broke his, and helped Australia reach the second highest total in T20I cricket. Australia scored 248 runs in 20 overs for the loss of 6 wickets. Australian all-rounder Shane Watson (37 runs off 16 balls) also played a brilliant role in the middle order.
9. New Zealand – 254/5 in 20 Overs vs Scotland in 2021:
In 2022, New Zealand took huge advantage of Scotland's inexperienced bowling line-up and smashed their highest ever T20I score. New Zealand registered 254 runs in 20 overs in Edinburgh. Mark Chapman (83) and Michael Bracewell (61*) did their best to take the Kiwis over 250. New Zealand hit 18 sixes in their innings. Scotland posted 152 runs in reply and lost the game by 102 runs.
8. West Indies – 258/5 in 20 Overs vs South Africa in 2023:
West Indies posted their highest T20I total against South Africa at Centurion in 2023. Johnson Charles' splendid hundred destroyed the South African bowling line-up on a flat track at Supersport Park. Johnson Charles scored 118 runs off 46 balls with 11 fours and 11 sixes in his innings. West Indies failed to defend their total of 258 runs while South Africa successfully chased down the total.
7. South Africa – 259/5 in 18.3 Overs vs West Indies in 2023:
Quinton De Kock's century and Reeza Hendricks' fifty (68) helped South Africa create history and record their most successful chase ever in the T20I format. De Kock (100) and Reeza Hendricks put on a superb opening stand of 152 runs in just 11 overs to give South Africa a magnificent start. The Proteas middle order then kept things under control and continued with the momentum to score 259 runs in just 18.3 overs. At the start of the innings, West Indies scored 258, their highest T20I total.
6. India – 260/5 in 20 Overs vs Sri Lanka in 2017:
Indian fans will vividly remember this game when Rohit Sharma broke several batting records with his stunning knock of 118 runs, which came in just 43 balls. Rohit and KL Rahul's opening partnership of 165 runs helped India reach their highest T20I total in 2017 against Sri Lanka. India registered 260 runs in 20 overs. Rohit Sharma's 35-ball century helped India win by a huge margin of 88 runs.
5. Sri Lanka – 260/5 in 20 Overs vs Kenya in 2007:
Sri Lanka was the first team to surpass the 250-run mark in T20I cricket. Sri Lanka recorded a massive total of 260 runs in 20 overs against Kenya in the 2007 ICC T20 World Cup in South Africa. Sri Lanka also recorded their biggest margin of victory in T20I cricket as Kenya were eliminated by just 88 runs. Sri Lanka won the game by 172 runs at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. Sanath Jayasuriya (88) and Mahela Jayawardene (65) played good innings.
4. Australia – 263/3 in 20 Overs vs Sri Lanka vs in 2016:
It was during this time that Australia promoted all-rounder Glenn Maxwell to open the innings in the T20I format. Maxwell helped Australia surpass Sri Lanka's 9-year-old record for highest team total in a T20I innings. Glenn Maxwell managed 145 runs off 65 balls with 14 fours and 9 sixes as Australia posted a total of 263 runs. Australia won the game by 88 runs.
3. England – 267/3 vs West Indies 2023:
Phil Salt and Liam Livingstone's attack on the West Indies bowlers helped England post a massive total of 267 runs in 20 overs in December 2023. Opener Phil Salt played a blistering knock of 119 runs in 57 balls and hit seven fours and 10 sixes in his innings, which resulted in England posting their highest T20I total. Liam Livingstone contributed 54 runs off 21 balls with 4 fours and 4 sixes. England won the game by 75 runs.
2. Afghanistan – 278/3 Ireland, Dehradun, 2019:
Afghanistan previously held the record for the highest ever T20I total among all Test participating nations. Afghanistan recorded a total of 278 runs for the loss of just 3 wickets against Ireland in Dehradun. Hazratullah Zazai played an excellent knock of 162 runs in just 62 balls. Hazratullah Zazai hit 11 fours and 16 sixes in his innings. Ireland posted 194 replies and lost the game by 84 runs.
1. India – 297/6 vs Bangladesh, Hyderabad, 2024
On October 12, 2024, India smashed their highest ever total in T20I cricket – 297/6 against Bangladesh in the third match of the three-match T20I series.
India broke Afghanistan's record by setting the highest ever T20I cricket team total among Test participating nations. They missed out on scoring 300 by just three runs. Sanju Samson (111 off 47 balls) and Suryakumar Yadav (75 off 35 balls) were India's highest scorers in this game.
(All statistics current as of October 12, 2024)
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