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With batters redefining the way batting is done in T20Is, we are witnessing teams reaching mammoth totals. And openers play a huge role in this, as they offer fiery starts and provide solid foundations for the upcoming batters.
Furthermore, openers have the luxury of facing the most balls and making a larger impact by accumulating significant runs. The T20 World Cup has seen the likes of Chris Gayle, David Warner, and Rohit Sharma excel while opening the innings.
In this article, we’ll look at the top 10 batters with the most runs as openers in T20 World Cup history.
Most Runs as Opener in T20 World Cup
| Player | Runs as Opener | Innings | High Score | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Gayle (WI) | 940 | 29 | 117 | 144.39 |
| David Warner (AUS) | 768 | 30 | 89* | 134.73 |
| Tillakaratne Dilshan (SL) | 766 | 26 | 96* | 122.95 |
| Rohit Sharma (IND) | 695 | 26 | 74 | 123.88 |
| Alex Hales (ENG) | 568 | 20 | 116* | 139.21 |
| Mahela Jayawardene (SL) | 532 | 12 | 100 | 140.00 |
| Gautam Gambhir (IND) | 524 | 20 | 75 | 118.01 |
| Tamim Iqbal (BAN) | 514 | 23 | 103* | 113.46 |
| Jos Buttler (ENG) | 494 | 12 | 101* | 147.90 |
| Martin Guptill (NZ) | 476 | 20 | 93 | 118.70 |
Key Insights
Chris Gayle holds the record for scoring the most runs as an opener in T20 World Cup history. The West Indies batter scored 940 runs in 29 innings at an average of 36.15 and a strike rate of 144.39, including 2 centuries and 7 fifties.
Gayle’s 9 fifty-plus scores are also the most for an opener in the tournament. And he is the only opener who has notched up 2 centuries in the T20 World Cup.
Apart from him, Ahmed Shehzad, Jos Buttler, Alex Hales, Mahela Jayawardene, and Tamim Iqbal have brought up a hundred each as openers.
117 runs scored by Gayle against South Africa in 2007 are the highest by an opener in an innings. This was also the first-ever century by a batter in the T20I format.
Matthew Hayden has the best batting average among the openers with 200+ runs in the T20 World Cup. The Australian batter accumulated 265 runs in 6 innings at an impeccable average of 88.33.
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Pakistan’s Imran Nazir has the highest batting strike among the openers with the same cutoff. He struck at a rate of 150 while amassing 300 runs in 13 innings.
62 sixes smashed by Universe Boss Gayle are the most by an opener in the T20 World Cup. He has hit only 1 maximum as a non-opener, taking his tally to 63, which is also the highest in the competition.
Read Next | Stats: Most Consecutive Fifties in T20 World Cup History
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