In its history of 19 years, T20 cricket has seen immense growth in every aspect of the game. With different T20 leagues all over the world and a number of international games, T20 cricket has surpassed Tests and ODIs in terms of popularity. Throughout the years, we saw some big records getting made or broken in the shortest format of the game, with one of the most popular being for the most successful Run Chases in T20Is.
T20 cricket is known for its high-scoring matches and last-over thrillers, which made it popular among the fans. There have also been some matches where we saw some brilliant run chases that are now etched in the history of the game. In the following article, we will discuss the five highest successful run chases in T20 internationals.
Five Highest Run Chases in T20Is
230/8 by England against South Africa in 2016
The fifth spot in the list belongs to the highest successful run chase in the T20 World Cup which was achieved by two-time champions England in a match against South Africa during the 2016 edition at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on 18th March 2016. With the help of quickfire half-centuries by Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock and JP Duminy, the Proteas posted a mammoth 229/4 on the board. In reply, England also had a fiery start with Jason Roy smashing 43 runs off just 16 balls. After that, Joe Root took charge and played a match-winning knock of 83 runs off 44 balls. The match went down to the last over and England eventually ended up chasing a big total in 19.4 overs with just two wickets in hand.
236/6 by West Indies against South Africa in 2015
The Star batting lineup of the West Indies stunned South Africa in front of their home crowd by chasing one of the highest totals in T20Is at Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg on 11th January 2015. Batting first, skipper Faf du Plessis smashed 119 runs off just 56 balls as South Africa posted 231 runs for the loss of seven wickets. In reply, Chris Gayle (90 off 41) and Marlon Samuels (60 off 39) took the charge to take Windies closer to the target. In the end, Daren Sammy smashed 20 not out off just seven balls as West Indies chased the target in 19.2 overs losing 6 wickets.
246/4 by Bulgaria against Serbia in 2022
The third spot in the list goes to an associate nation Bulgaria who chased a mammoth target of 243 runs against Serbia at National Sports Academy, Sofia on 26th June, 2022. Batting first, Leslie Dunbar’s 117-run knock in 50 balls guided Serbia to a total of 242 for the loss of 4 wickets. In reply Saim Hussain (71 off 24) and Kevin D’Souza (66 off 27) took the charge for Bulgaria as they successfully chased the winning target in 19.4 overs losing four wickets.
245/5 by Australia against New Zealand in 2018
Australia finds themselves on the second spot in the list for chasing a target of 244 runs against New Zealand at Eden Park, Auckland on 16th February. Martin Guptill’s 105-run knock off 54 balls along with Colin Munro’s 76 runs off 33 balls, laid the foundation for the Kiwis’ total of 243/6 after 20 overs. In reply, David Warner (59 off 24) and D’Arcy Short (76 off 44) also gave a firing start to the Aussies while chasing a big total. After that, Glenn Maxwell and Aaron Finch also played quickfire knocks as Australia chased the target with seven balls to spare, losing four wickets.
259/4 by South Africa against West Indies in 2023
The highest successful run chase in T20Is belongs to South Africa which they achieved against West Indies at SuperSport Park, Centurion on March 26, 2023. Johnson Charles’ fiery knock of 118 runs off 46 balls guided the Windies to a mammoth total of 258/5 in their 20 overs. Romario Shepherd also gave finishing touches with a quickfire 41 not out of just 11 balls. For the Proteas, Quinton de Kock also replied with a 44-ball ton along with his opening partner Reeza Hendricks who scored 68 off 28 balls. At last Aiden Markram (38 off 21) and Heinrich Klaasen (16 off 7) finished things off as South Africa etched their name in history by chasing a target in 18.5 overs losing four wickets.