HOBART: Star Australia opener David Warner surpassed England batter Jos Buttler in the list of most runs scored by a batter in T20Is after playing a blistering knock against West Indies at Bellerive Oval in his 100TH T20I on Friday.
The southpaw played a marvellous knock of 70 runs from just 36 balls which was laced with 12 fours and a six. Warner was awarded the Player of the Match for his match-winning performance in the first T20I of the three-match series. He is the only player to have fifty-plus scores in his 100th Test, ODI and T20I and also to win a ‘Player of the Match’ in all of them.
Experienced opener became Australia’s first player from the nation to make 100 appearances in all formats of cricket following his inclusion in Australia’s playing XI for the first T20I clash against West Indies on Friday. Besides Virat Kohli and New Zealand’s Ross Taylor, he is the only third player to have played 100 games across all three formats.
Warner has scored 2964 runs in the 100 matches he has played in the shortest format of the game so far at an average of 33.30 and a strike rate of 142.22 with one ton and 25 fifties in his career. Now he is the eighth-highest run-scorer in T20Is.
On the other hand, Buttler has scored 2927 runs in the 114 matches he has played in the T20Is at an average of 34.84 and a strike rate of 144.61 with one century and 22 half-centuries so far.
The top five players in this list are Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from India, Babar Azam from Pakistan, Martin Guptill from New Zealand and Paul Sterling from Ireland.
Kohli is leading the run-tally as the right-hand batter has scored 4037 runs so far in the 117 matches he has played so far in his career at an outstanding average of 51.75 and at a strike rate of 138.15 with one hundred and 37 fifties against his name.
The Men in Blue skipper Rohit Sharma is second in the list. The Mumbai-born cricketer has scored 3974 runs so far in the 151 matches he has played so far in his career at an average of 31.75 and a strike rate of 139.97 with five centuries and 29 half-centuries.
Former Pakistan skipper Babar Azam comes on third number. The 29-year-old has scored 3698 runs in the 109 matches he has played so far in his career at a magnificent average of 41.55 and a strike rate of 129.12 with three hundreds and 33 fifties against his name.
New Zealand veteran batter Martin Guptill is fourth in the list. The right-hand batter has scored 3531 runs in the 122 games he has played for his country. He has scored runs at an average of 31.81 and a strike rate of 135.70 with two centuries and 20 half-centuries to his name.
On the fifth number comes the right-hand batter from Ireland, Paul Sterling. The 33-year-old cricketer has scored 3438 runs in the 13 matches he has played so far for his national side. He has scored these runs at an average of 28.18 and a strike rate of 135.72 with 23 fifties and a ton.
In the match on Friday, with help of Warner’s fifty and cameos from Josh Inglis (39 in 25 balls, with five fours and a six) and Tim David (37* in 17 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes, Australia made 213/7 in their 20 overs. Andre Russell (3/42) was the pick of the bowlers for WI.
In the chase, Brandon King (53 in 37 balls, seven fours and a six) and Johnson Charles (42 in 25 balls, with six fours and a six) started well with a 89-run opening stand. But wickets fell regularly and despite Jason Holder’s 34* in 15 balls, with three fours and two sixes, WI fell 11 runs short, finishing at 202/8 in their 20 overs. Adam Zampa (3/26) was the pick of the bowlers for Australia. (ANI)
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