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Former Pakistan skipper Babar Azam entered the elite list of cricketers with 10,000+ T20 runs during his latest outing at the Pakistan Super League (PSL). He became the fastest cricketer to achieve the feat and also the 13th batter to cross the 10k mark in the shortest format.
Azam completed 10,000 runs during the sixth match of the ongoing PSL between Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi, which was hosted by the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Wednesday, February 21.
The Peshawar Zalmi captain was just six runs shy of the feat when he and his side took on the Karachi Kings. While he celebrated the achievement with a magnificent 51-ball 72, his knock went in vain as the Kings handed them a seven-wicket defeat.
Speaking of the 10,000 T20 runs club, former West Indies cricketer Chris Gayle was the first to achieve the milestone. He had also been the fastest to do so before Babar Azam surpassed him to script a new record and move to the top of the list.
On that note, let us look at the five fastest batters to reach 10,000 T20 runs.
#5 Aaron Finch- 327 innings
Former Australian skipper and Melbourne Renegades player Aaron Finch played his final season of the Big Bash League this year and put an end to his career in professional cricket. He completed 10,000 T20 runs in the 2021-22 edition of the tournament, achieving the feat in 327 innings.
Finch became just the second Australian cricketer to achieve the feat during his side’s match against the Perth Scorchers. Signing off after the 2023-24 edition, Finch finished with 11,458 runs to his name, with an average of 33.60 and a strike rate of 138.16.
Finch smashed 68 runs in the 17th match of BBL 2021-22 between the Renegades and the Scorchers to make the milestone even more special. He finished his career with eight centuries and 77 half-centuries in T20 cricket.
Notably, Finch also has the second-highest individual score of 172 in T20s and is followed by Gayle, who has the highest individual score of 175* in the format.
#4 David Warner- 303 innings
In a list that now includes 13 players with 10,000 runs to their name, David Warner became the fourth player to do so during the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) while leading the Sunrisers Hyderabad against the Chennai Super Kings. Needing 40 runs to achieve the career milestone, Warner smashed a half-century in the match and became the first Australian cricketer to cross the 10,000-run mark. Warner did so in his 303rd innings, which currently is the fourth fastest among all 13 batters.
Warner recently announced his retirement from Test cricket and One Day Internationals but continues to amaze the viewers in the shortest format. He’s currently part of the Australian squad that is touring New Zealand for the T20I series and will be seen representing the Delhi Capitals at the IPL 2024 soon.
Having played 369 innings of 370 matches, Warner has a total of 12065 runs under his belt at an average of 37.12 and a strike rate of 140.17. He has scored eight centuries and 101 half-centuries in the format, with his best score being an unbeaten 135.
#3 Virat Kohli- 299 innings
Former Indian skipper and one of the greats of the sport across all formats, Virat Kohli is the third in the list, having achieved the feat in 299 innings (314 matches). He completed 10,000 runs in T20 cricket on September 26, 2021, while leading the Royal Challengers Bangalore against Mumbai Indians. With that, Kohli also became the first Indian to score 10,000 or more runs in the format and the second fastest after Chris Gayle. With Babar Azam scripting a new record, Kohli has now become the third-fastest cricketer to reach the milestone.
Leading RCB against MI, Kohli was just 13 runs short of the milestone and he celebrated the feat in style by notching up a magnificent half-century off 42 deliveries. Currently, Kohli is sixth in the list of batters with most runs in T20s.
In 359 innings of the 376 matches that he has played so far, Kohli has racked up 11994 runs and will look to cross the 12000-run mark in RCB’s campaign opener at the IPL 2024. The 35-year-old boasts an average of 41.21 and a strike rate of 133.42. He has hit 91 fifties and eight hundreds so far, with his personal best being an unbeaten 122.
#2 Chris Gayle- 285 innings
One of the finest cricketers to have played for the West Indies, Chris Gayle scripted history by becoming the first player to achieve the feat in 285 innings. He had been holding the record since 2017 before Babar recently dethroned him. Gayle achieved the feat in the 2017 edition of the Indian Premier League while representing the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Gayle was on 9997 runs when he walked out to bat, and successfully achieved the feat in what was his 285th game in the format.
Gayle has played a whopping 463 T20 matches, and currently has the most number of runs (14562) in the format. His best knock came during RCB’s match against the Pune Warriors India in 2013, as he notched up 175*(66) to help his side script a magnificent and memorable win.
#1 Babar Azam- 271 innings
Peshawar Zalmi captain Babar Azam, in the sixth game of PSL 2024, completed 10,000 runs in T20 cricket. He became only the second Pakistani batter after Shoaib Malik to achieve the feat and also became the fastest batter to do so, out of the 13 who have crossed the 10K mark.
Having played 271 innings in 281 T20 matches, Babar currently has 10066 runs to his name with an average of 43.95 and a strike rate of 128.90. Babar’s highest individual score of 122 in the shortest format came during Pakistan’s tour of South Africa.
In the third T20I of the series, Babar played a captain’s knock and notched up 122 runs off just 59 deliveries to help his side chase the target of 204 runs successfully. Babar has been in terrific form with the bat and has proved his mettle across all formats time and again.
