Most runs scored in a single over in T20Is

The Twenty 20 format has changed the world of cricket in a whole new way. From audacious shots to new bowling variations to heavy bats, there have been multiple innovations that the shortest format has birthed. The match result could sway the other way in the matter of few ball, in this case an over. Here's looking at most runs scored in a single over in T20Is.

Yuvraj Singh | Kieron Pollard - 36 runs

During the 2007 T20 World Cup Super Six match between India and England, Yuvraj Singh set the bar high for power-hitting. After exchanging some heated words with Andrew Flintoff, the left-hander unleashed his fury on Stuart Broad as he clobbered six sixes, with two landing outside the Kingsmead stadium in Durban. In the process, the southpaw also reached his half-century in just 12 balls which still remains the fastest fifty in T20I history.

After 14 years at Coolidge, West Indies captain emulated the feat when he launched Sri Lanka spinner Akila Dananjaya's sixth over all over the park. Dananjaya, who had claimed a hat-trick in the previous over, was all over the place as Pollard cleared the ropes with ease. The Windies went from 62/4 to 98/4 in the span of six balls.

Tim Siefert and Ross Taylor - 34 runs

 Chasing a target of 164 against India at Mount Maunganui, New Zealand were struggling at 17/3 when keeper Tim Seifert and veteran batsman Ross Taylor took rookie Shivam Dube to the cleaners. Seifert clubbed two sixes over deep mid-wicket, the second which was gifted away by Washington Sundar fielding at the boundary. He then scooped a boundary past the wicketkeeper before handing over the strike to Taylor, who hit Dube's no ball to the mid-wicket fence. Taylor slog swept the free-hit ball and the final ball over deep mid-wicket to make it 34 runs from the over. The impact of that one over so drastic, Dube never came back to bowl another over in that game, as rest of the Indian pacers set up a seven-run victory for India.

Jos Buttler, Luke Wright, Jonny Bairstow | Evin Lewis | George Munsey - 32 runs

 

Jos Buttler contributed to a 32-run over twice. On the first instance, he was a 22-year old rookie when he took on South African pacer Wayne Parnell all by himself. In the ninth over of a 11-over match at Edgbaston in 2012, Buttler launched Parnell over the sight screen for two gigantic hits before running a couple. Parnell then bowled back-to-back no balls as Buttler hit him for two boundaries before clearing deep mid-wicket off the second free-hit and ran a couple. Buttler was awarded Player of the Match for his innings as England won the match by 28 runs. 

In the same year, Buttler was part of the carnage during the T20 World Cup Group A game against newcomers Afghanistan. He hit Izatullah Dawlatzai to the deep mid-wicket fence off the first ball, before being dismissed LBW off the next. In walked Jonny Bairstow who cleared long-on off his first ball. Dawlatzai bowled two no-balls as Bairstow switched the strike over to Luke Wright, who smacked the pacer for three sixes with some help from a misfield at the boundary line. Wright and Bairstow ran a single off the final ball to cap off a massive over. Chasing a target of 197, Afghanistan were skittled out for 80 as England secured a win by 116 runs.

Credits: Twitter ICC

 

Indian all-rounder Stuart Binny was another unfortunate bowler to suffer the wrath of West Indie opener Evin Lewis. On a batting haven at Lauderhill in 2016, Lewis almost looked like he was competing with opening partner Johnson Charles as he clobbered Binny to five massive sixes in all directions. Binny bowled a wide off the third ball and gave a single which took the run count to 32 for the over. Charles made 100 off 49 balls as West Indies posted 245/6 and won the run fest by a margin of one run.

Scotland opener George Munsey has built up a reputation in the shortest format over the past few years and his hitting prowess was on full display during the 2019 clash against Netherlands. Batting on a flat deck in Dublin, Munsey ramped up his scoring with every passing over as he added 152/0 with partner Kyle Coetzer in just 12 overs. He was not done yet as he hit 6,4,4,6,6,6 off Max O'Dowd's 13th over. The left-hander scored an unbeaten 127 off 56 balls as Scotland posted 252/3 and won the game comfortably by 58 runs.

David Miller - 31 runs

Credits: David Miller

 

David Miller was in supreme touch when he scored an unbeaten 101 off 36 balls against Bangladesh at Potchefstroom in late 2017. The highlight of his innings came in the penultimate over of the first innings when he decimated Mohammad Saifuddin with five monstrous hits with the ball disappearing into the stands every time it reached his bat. He looked like making it six out of six when he went down on his knee expecting a fuller-length on his middle stump, but Saifuddin landed it out of his reach as Miller ran a single.

Ricky Ponting | Aaron Finch, Glenn Maxwell | Tanwir Afzal | Craig Meschede | Ryan Burl | Dan Christian - 30 runs 

 Australians have hit 30 runs in a single T20I over thrice with the first one being Ricky Ponting in the primitive days of T20 cricket back in 2005. Batting first against neighbours New Zealand at Auckland, Ponting hit pacer Daryl Tuffey's 19th over for  6,2,6,6,4,6 as the Aussies posted 214/5 and eased to a 44-run win.

The second time it happened, Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell were facing an uphill battle in the Group 2 match of the 2014 World T20 against Pakistan. Chasing a target of 192, Finch smashed a boundary off pacer Bilawal Bhatti's first ball before running a single. Maxwell, then hit 4,6,6 before a beamer from Bhatti ran away to the boundary as Maxwell swatted a boundary off the final ball. However, their scoring rate fell down in the subsequent overs as Pakistan wrapped up a 16-run win.

Hong Kong captain Tanwir Afzal put up a brave fight against Scotland while chasing 162 at Mong Kok in 2016. With the required run rate reading 15, Afzal hit Rob Taylor's 17th over for 6,2,6,6,6,4 as the score went from 86/8 to 116/8 within six balls. However, it was too late as the home team crumbled to a 37-run loss.

Credits: Twitter ICC

 

In 2019, Germany opener Craig Meschede smashed 67 off 43 balls against Denmark in the T20 World Cup European Region Final tournament in Castel. Almost half of his runs came off  Hamid Shah's 10th over when he smashed five sixes and missed out on six sixes as the third ball was a dot.

In the same year, Zimbabwe batsman Ryan Burl targeted the might of Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan when he smacked the star all-rounder for 6,4,4,6,4,6 at the Shere Bangla Stadium. Burl went from 24 off 22 balls to 54 in 28 balls by the end of the 16th over. His onslaught helped Zimbabwe post 144/7 in 18 overs as Bangladesh managed to get over the line with three wickets in hand.

Shakib went for the big runs for the second time in the fourth T20I against Australia in August, 2021. Dan Christian, who had been in and out of the Australian team, targeted the left-armer's fourth over in a tricky chase of 105 at Mirpur. The all-rounder displayed beautiful foot work as he hit Shakib three massive sixes on the leg-side before missing a slog sweep off the fourth ball. However, he connected the remaining two balls over long on and deep midwicket to reduce the equation to 60 needed from 96 balls. Australia, who had lost their maiden T20I series against Bangladesh by then, hobbled to the finish line with three wickets in hand.