Top 10 highest match aggregates in Twenty20

With the slam-bang version that Twenty20 is, you would normally expect scores to run as high as 400 – when both teams blast their way to what they consider to be match-winning totals.

At the international level, there have been a few instances of teams scoring 200 and above in 40 overs, as Australia showed in the first T20 international against England on Thursday, with Aaron Finch hitting a cracking 156.

India’s domestic Twenty20 extravaganza, the IPL, has also seen scores of 400 made at least once in each of the six seasons. This shows that, even though bowlers have become much more cunning in this format, the batsmen are still a step ahead of them.

Here is a list of the top ten highest match aggregates in Twenty20 cricket:

10. England vs India (Durban, September 2007) – 418 runs

This match will go down in Indian cricket history as one of the best ever T20 games the country has featured in.

Batting first, the Indians rattled up 218/4 in their allotted 20 overs, with middle-order batsman Yuvraj Singh making 58 – hitting three fours and seven sixes (six of which came in a single over against pacer Stuart Broad), recording the fastest-ever T20 half century in just 12 balls. Openers Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag also made fifties – the latter top scoring with 68.

In reply, England could muster only 200/6 – only Vikram Solanki managed 43 and Kevin Pietersen made 39, while Darren Maddy and Paul Collingwood contributed 29 and 28, respectively. Most English batsmen were unable to cope with Irfan Pathan’s swing, and he finished with 3/37 in his four overs as India won by 18 runs.

9. Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals (Brabourne Stadium – March 2010, IPL Season 3) – 420 runs

The second match of the third IPL season saw 420 runs being scored by both teams; yet, it was MI who finished on the winner’s podium.

Skipper Sachin Tendulkar opted to bat first, and his side were soon reeling at 70/3 in the seventh over. Jharkhand lad Saurabh Tiwary then combined with the energetic Ambati Rayudu for a 110-run stand, both scoring half-centuries as the side cruised to 218 in 20 overs.

In reply, the maverick Yusuf Pathan slammed a belligerent century in just 37 balls – he simply went berserk on the Mumbai bowlers (with the exception of the injured Harbhajan Singh), slamming nine fours and eight monstrous sixes to record the then-second fastest Twenty20 hundred. He added 107 with Paras Dogra, but even the duo’s mammoth partnership could not deny Mumbai’s last-gasp dash to a four-run win thanks to excellent death-overs bowling from Zaheer Khan and Lasith Malinga.

8. Barisal Burners vs Duronto Rajshahi (Chittagong – January 2013, BPL Season 2) – 422 runs

In the second season of the fledgling Bangladesh Premier League, 2012 finalists Barisal Burners were up against the Duronto Rajshahi at the MA Aziz Stadium in Chittagong.

Rajshahi won the toss and made first use of the wicket, and posted 213/6 in 20 overs. Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal blasted a 47-ball 66, Zimbabwean player Charles Coventry smashed 62 runs in just 25 balls, and a hard-hitting 30 from Sean Ervine pushed the side past the 200-run mark.

Barisal suffered initial jolts, but recovered through a fourth-wicket 44-run stand between former Pakistani all-rounder Azhar Mahmood (54) and Kent batsman Joe Denly (31). Despite Shafiul Islam providing a late flourish down the order, Rajshahi were not to be denied, and won by a mere four runs.

7. New Zealand vs Australia (Christchurch – February 2010) – 428 runs

The Trans-Tasman rivalry was renewed at Christchurch as Australia faced off against New Zealand in the second match of the two-game T20 International series in February 2010.

After Vettori won the toss and elected to bat first, New Zealand were struggling at 77/4 before Brendon McCullum rescued the side with a masterly century, sharing a 68-run stand first with Gareth Hopkins and then putting on 50 with brother Nathan, as the Black Caps recovered to post 214.

Australia got off to a flyer with David Warner blasting three fours and a towering six in a quick 20 from just ten balls before pacer Shane Bond dismissed him through a catch by Tim Southee. Haddin and Clarke then combined for a 73-run stand before the Kiwis hit back with a quick flurry of wickets. Any hopes of completing an easy win were dashed by a blitzkrieg from Cameron White, who smashed five fours and five sixes on the way to an unbeaten 64 in just 26 balls. Clarke was the last man to fall for 67, with the game ending in a tie.

However, New Zealand held their nerves to come up trumps in the Super Over – after Southee restricted Australia to just six runs in the over before Martin Guptill smashed the wayward Shaun Tait for a boundary to secure the win.

6. Royal Challengers vs South Australia Redbacks (Bangalore – October 2011, CLT20) – 429 runs

This game showed what Twenty20 cricket was all about – keeping your nerves calm under pressure. The Royal Challengers did just that, as they ended the league phase of the CLT20 in grand style, becoming the first IPL team to defeat an Australian side in the tournament.

Daniel Harris struck an unbeaten 108 off 61 balls and Callum Ferguson blasted 70 from just 43 balls as the Redbacks powered their way to 214/2. Wayward bowling from left-armer Sreenath Aravind was a chief factor in the final score.

In response, the Challengers lost Chris Gayle to a catch by Michael Klinger off Daniel Christian after the big Jamaican had hit three huge sixes in his 26-run knock. But Kohli and Dilshan then blew the bowling away with a punishing 100-run stand, taking the score to 165 before the Indian batsman became one of Shaun Tait’s five victims. Dilshan, Saurabh Tiwary, Mayank Agarwal and skipper Daniel Vettori all fell quickly, leaving the side tottering at 202/8.

KB Arun Karthik, the dimunitive wicket-keeper batsman, got the strike after Aravind ran a bye off the fifth ball of the last over. The very next delivery from Christian was a slower ball, and Karthik effortlessly lofted it into the stands beyond mid-wicket, triggering wild celebrations from the home team’s fans, as they progressed into the semi-finals of the CLT20. In the context of the match, that shot was extremely crucial.

5. Otago Volts vs Central Districts Stags (Dunedin – January 2006) – 439 runs

Chris Gaffaney’s 57-ball century and Nathan McCullum’s blazing 52 proved to be insufficient as the Central Districts Stags overhauled Otago Volts’ mammoth 219/4 with an over to spare at the University Oval in Dunedin.

Kiwi internationals Ross Taylor and Jamie How struck lightning-quick half centuries – Taylor’s knock coming off just 22 deliveries – before the latter rounded off the win in the company of Ewen Thompson with six wickets and an over to spare.

Michael Mason was the most accurate bowler for the Stags, Brendon Diamanti took 2/38, and Taylor also chipped in with a wicket in a very high scoring T20 game.

4. Titans vs Cape Cobras (Centurion – March 2011, Standard Bank Pro20 Series) – 446 runs

In another high-scoring game, the second semi-final of the Standard Bank Pro20 Series turned out to be a thriller in every sense of the word, as the crowd got their money’s worth of entertainment from both the teams that took the field at Supersport Park, Centurion.

Justin Kemp won the toss and put the Titans in to bat, and his decision looked to have paid off when opener Henry Davids and pinch-hitter Roelof van der Merwe were dismissed cheaply. However, Titans captain Jacques Rudolph steadied the innings with Farhaan Behardien (69 from 33 balls), before all-rounder Albie Morkel unleashed a savage assault towards the end, smashing an unbeaten 71 off just 27 balls with six fours and six sixes, as he and David Wiese (30* off 10 balls) took the Titans to a total of 222/4.

Titans pacer Andre Nel castled opener Herschelle Gibbs early in the chase, but Richard Levi and Dane Vilas kept the runs flowing with Levi smashing four sixes in his entertaining 60. Both batsmen fell in quick succession, but Owais Shah conjured a brilliant display with the bat, clubbing 64 runs in just 34 balls. Kemp’s nine-ball 17 eventually sealed the game in the Cobras’ favour.

For the Titans, Albie Morkel took 2/31 in addition to his stellar knock in the first innings, and left-arm spinner van der Merwe finished with 2/36. Neither, however, could prevent the five-wicket defeat for their side.

3. Karachi Dolphins (Whites) vs Lahore Eagles (Lahore – October 2010, Faysal Bank T20 Cup) – 451 runs

Shahid Afridi’s all-round show enabled the Karachi Dolphins (now Whites) to post a comfortable win over the Lahore Eagles in a Group D match of the Faysal Bank T20 Cup at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

Eagles captain Taufeeq Umar put the Dolphins in to bat after winning the toss, and he was left to rue his choice as opener Shahzaib Hasan compiled a majestic unbeaten 101 off just 61 balls, hitting 13 fours and three sixes in the process. Fellow opener Khalid Latif scored 55 from 37 balls as the two raised 138 runs for the first wicket.

Following this partnership, Dolphins captain Afridi blasted 48 runs off just 18 balls, and Tariq Haroon also carted four sixes to help his side reach 243/2.

Faced with a daunting target, the Eagles got off to a rapid start with Imran Farhat and Taufeeq putting on 66 for the first wicket. Farhat fell for a 36-ball 53, but the side were kept in the chase by a belligerent innings from Ali Azmat (who had earlier dropped Shahzaib in the first innings). The batsman smashed five fours and five sixes in his enterprising 69, but tight bowling from Afridi and Tanvir Ahmed restricted the Eagles to just 208, leaving the Dolphins winners by 35 runs.

2. England vs Australia (Southampton – August 2013, The Ageas Bowl) – 457 runs

Having lost the preceding Ashes series, Australia desperately needed a win to have something to cheer about after spending 200 days in misery. They got the victory in grand style in the first T20 game against a new-look English side.

Australia batted first after rival skipper Stuart Broad won the toss and elected to field. David Warner was out to a freakish dismissal, losing his bat after a wild swing at Broad, top-edging the delivery to Jos Buttler at short fine-leg for just 1. It was just as well that no one foresaw what was to happen next.

Aaron Finch, opening the innings, let loose a plethora of strokes as he tore the bowling into pieces. He smashed a six off his first ball, and that set the tone for the rest of his knock. Uniquely, he reached each of his landmarks – 50, 100 and 150 – through those huge hits.

Finch and Shaun Marsh added 114 runs for the second wicket, and the former increased the tempo in the company of Shane Watson, forging a 101-run alliance with the blond all-rounder. None of the bowlers, except Jade Dernbach, had an answer to his brutality. Dernbach removed both batsmen to finish with 3/34, and wicket-keeper Matthew Wade’s seven-ball 15 pushed Australia’s total to 248.

Left-arm seamer Mitchell Johnson, opening the bowling, was initially wayward – England opener Michael Lumb slammed him for three boundaries as 17 runs came in the first over. But having hit a six off Josh Hazlewood, Lumb was trapped LBW by Johnson, curtailing his innings at 22. Fellow opener Alex Hales fell soon after, and T20 specialists Luke Wright and Eoin Morgan also failed with the bat, leaving England reeling at 42/4.

Joe Root then took the attack to the Aussies, adding 95 with all-rounder Ravi Bopara (45) before Watson dismissed the latter with the total on 137. Jos Buttler smashed a couple of sixes, but Australia were unstoppable, and Faulkner castled Buttler with the third ball of the final over, effectively ending the game with Root stranded on 90 and England short by 39 runs.

1. Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals (Chennai – April 2010, IPL Season 3) – 469 runs

The yellow brigade dished out a clinical performance with the bat and held their nerve in crucial moments to emerge winners in a run-fest against the Rajasthan Royals at the Chepauk Stadium in the third season of the IPL.

Skipper MS Dhoni chose to bat first on a belter of a track – a fact that was justified by a blazing innings from opener Murali Vijay and a power-packed cameo from Albie Morkel. The duo added a mammoth 152 runs for the third wicket, smashing the bowlers to all parts of the ground. Even the legendary Shane Warne, captaining the Royals, had no answer to Vijay’s brilliance as the Tamil Nadu batsman stroked his way to a magnificent 127, with eight fours and 11 sixes.

At the other end, the left-handed Morkel simply went ballistic and hammered boundaries left and right, sparing no one who had the audacity to bowl to him and his partner. The South African finished with a commanding 62, scored from just 34 balls, hitting three fours and five towering sixes, as the Super Kings put up 246/5 on the board.

Rajasthan gave it their all, with Lumb and Naman Ojha adding 69 for the first wicket before Morkel sent the English opener back to the pavilion. After Yusuf Pathan fell for 4, Ojha stepped on the gas as he tonked fours and sixes at will, with Shane Watson also blasting away at the other end. They made the Super Kings bleed 97 runs off just seven overs.

But Dhoni pulled off a surprise tactic by unleashing IPL debutant Doug Bollinger on the marauding duo in the 16th over. The left-arm seamer cleaned up Watson with his first ball, and then removed Abhishek Jhunjhunwala for 7 to effectively derail the Rajasthan innings to end with figures of 2/15 in his four overs.

Rajasthan managed to make 223, eventually falling short by 23 runs with Ojha stranded on 94.