The 2021 T20 World Cup winning team, Australia, holds many records in this format. In fact, though not in this format, they are the best team when it comes to the game of cricket. Whether you consider their white-ball record or in the red-ball format, they are the team to beat. But one of the records they are holding, which looks unbeatable, is the highest individual score in T20Is.
It is an Australian that holds the highest score by a batter in T20 cricket. In fact, three of the top four are named after Australian batters. So, in this article, we will discuss the highest individual score by an Australian batter in the history of T20 cricket.
3. Glenn Maxwell (145* runs) against Sri Lanka at Pallekele
The third highest and fourth highest overall scores came from the bat of Glenn Maxwell. He is only one of three batters with three centuries in T20I cricket. His highest score came against Sri Lanka at Pallekele. It was the first game of the two-match T20 series. Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bowl first, and Australia batted exceptionally well. They had three good partnerships and they made a huge score of 263/3 in their 20 overs.
Maxwell, who came out to open the innings, batted right through the innings and scored a brilliant century. He made 145 runs off 65 balls, with 14 fours and nine sixes. It was a mammoth total to chase and Sri Lanka could only manage to score 178/9 in their 20 overs. As a result, Australia won the match by 85 runs and Maxwell won the “Man of the Match” award.
2. Aaron Finch (156 runs) against England at Southampton
The second highest, and one of three 150+ scores by a batter, came from the bat of Aaron Finch. It was the first game of the two-match T20 series between Australia and England at Southampton. After winning the toss, England chose to bowl first, and the decision went totally wrong. Australia had two big partnerships of 114 runs and 101 runs for the second and third wicket. As a result, they made 248/6 in their 50 overs.
The real innings, however, came from Aaron Finch’s bat.He broke all records by recording the first ever 150+ score by a batter in T20Is. Finch made 156 runs off just 63 balls, with 11 fours and 14 sixes. This score remained the highest score for five years, when Finch himself broke his own record. In reply, England also batted well but only scored 209/6 in their 20 overs and lost the match by 39 runs.
1. Aaron Finch (172 runs) against Zimbabwe (Highest by any batter in T20)
Scoring 170+ runs in 20 overs is a decent total for a team in T20 cricket. But what if a batsman went on to score 170+ runs? That would be incredible, and that is what Aaron Finch has done. He is the only batter to have two 150+ scores in T201s. His highest score came against Zimbabwe at Harare. Zimbabwe won the toss and elected to bowl first in a match on July 3, 2018.But what happened next was something irreplaceable.
Australia added 223 runs for the first wicket, one of the highest ever. Among those runs, Aaron Finch himself made 172 runs alone. He made a 51-ball century and made 172 runs off 76 balls with 16 fours and 10 sixes. As a result, Australia made 229/2 in their 20 overs. In reply, Zimbabwe only scored 129/9 and lost the match by 100 runs.
List of Highest Individual T20 Score for Australia
Player | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | Against | Venue | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aaron Finch | 172 | 76 | 16 | 10 | Zimbabwe | Harare | 3 Jul 2018 |
Glenn Maxwell | 156 | 63 | 11 | 14 | England | Southampton | 29 Aug 2013 |
Aaron Finch | 145* | 65 | 14 | 9 | Sri Lanka | Pallekele | 6 Sep 2016 |
Shane Watson | 124* | 71 | 10 | 6 | India | Sydney | 31 Jan 2016 |
Glenn Maxwell | 113* | 55 | 7 | 9 | India | Bengaluru | 27 Feb 2019 |
Glenn Maxwell | 103* | 58 | 10 | 4 | England | Hobart | 7 Feb 2018 |
David Warner | 100* | 56 | 10 | 4 | Sri Lanka | Adelaide | 27 Oct 2019 |
Ricky Ponting | 98* | 55 | 8 | 5 | New Zealand | Auckland | 17 Feb 2005 |
Damien Martyn | 96 | 56 | 7 | 5 | South Africa | Brisbane | 9 Jan 2006 |
David Warner | 90* | 62 | 5 | 3 | Sri Lanka | Sydney | 26 Jan 2013 |