5 Highest Match Aggregates In T20Is

Quinton de Kock in action against WI in 2023 (x.com)Quinton de Kock in action against WI in 2023 (x.com)

In the high-octane world of T20I cricket, records are shattered with regularity, yet few feats capture the imagination like monumental match aggregates. Such high-scoring contests feature colossal scores that stand testament to the explosive nature of the format. 

Here at OneCricket, we look into five of the highest match aggregates recorded in T20I history.


5. Afghanistan vs Ireland - 472 runs, 2019

Afghanistan vs Ireland - 472 runs, 2019 (x)Afghanistan vs Ireland - 472 runs, 2019 (x)

In February 2019 at Dehradun’s Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, ‘hosts’ Afghanistan and the visiting Ireland team collectively amassed 472 runs in a T20I match. Batting first, Afghanistan opener Hazratullah Zazai pounded 162 of those runs from just 62 deliveries with 11 boundaries and 16 sixes. Zazai’s ferocious batting, coupled with Usman Ghani’s 48-ball 73 and a sizzling five-ball 17 from Mohammad Nabi blazed Afghanistan to a monumental 278-3 from 20 overs.

In response, Ireland made a staggering 194-6 only to fall 84 runs short of their target. Captain Paul Stirling top-scored with a 50-ball 91 during his 126-run opening partnership with Kevin O'Brien in less than 12 overs. The match aggregate was well on its way to exceed 500 runs, only for Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan to tone down the batting mayhem with a rearguard four-wicket haul.

4. Bulgaria vs Serbia - 488 runs, 2022

Hosts Bulgaria and Serbia compounded 488 runs in a single T20I game during the 2022 Sofia Twenty20 Cup at Sofia’s National Sports Academy. The visiting Serbians racked up 242-4 from 20 overs upfront after being put into bat first. Leslie Dunbar at number three launched 11 sixes in his 50-ball 117 after the 66-run opening partnership between Wintley Burton and half-centurion Alexander Dizija. Up against a massive total, hosts Bulgaria pulled off a sensational heist with six wickets and two balls to spare to record one of the highest successful run-chases in T20I history.

Saim Hussain batted with a strike-rate of nearly 300, as he clobbered seven sixes and four boundaries during his 24-ball 71. Kevin D'Souza at number four also made 66 from 27 balls to steer Bulgaria home in the final over.

3. New Zealand vs Australia - 488 runs, 2018

New Zealand vs Australia - 488 runs, 2018 (x)New Zealand vs Australia - 488 runs, 2018 (x)

In a match that lasted 38.5 overs, Antipodean rivals New Zealand and Australia collectively accrued 488 runs in the 2018 Trans-Tasman T20I game at Auckland’s Eden Park. Winning the toss and opting to bat first, Martin Guptill slapped a 49-ball ton while Colin Munro thwarted the Australian attack with a raging 33-ball 76. Their turbulent 132-run partnership at the top set up New Zealand’s monumental 244-6 at the end of their 20 overs.

As it turned out, Australian openers David Warner and D'Arcy Short matched New Zealand’s boundary barrage with a similar 121-run partnership in just 8.3 overs. Warner’s 24-ball 59 and Short’s 44-ball 76 emboldened Glenn Maxwell and Aaron Finch to shape sparkling 30s at strike-rates of over 220 as Australia pulled off a record chase with nine balls to spare.

2. West Indies vs India - 489 runs, 2016

West Indies vs India - 489 runs, 2016 (x)West Indies vs India - 489 runs, 2016 (x)

In August 2016, batting powerhouses West Indies and India put together a high-scoring thriller at Lauderhill’s Central Broward Regional Park Stadium. The foundation of the six-hitting burst was laid out by West Indies openers Johnson Charles and Evin Lewis during their 126-run partnership from 9.3 overs. Charles cracked 79 from 33 balls, while Lewis shaped a 49-ball ton to boost West Indies to 245-6.

In Indian response, Rohit Sharma went ballistic from the get-go as he exploded with 62 runs from just 28 balls, all while losing two key partners early in the run-chase. KL Rahul at number four carried the momentum and molded 110 unbeaten runs from his own end in 51 balls with 12 boundaries and five sixes. 

MS Dhoni also made 43 swift runs and took India to the brink of a historic victory, before his last-ball dismissal to Dwayne Bravo handed West Indies a one-run win. Regardless, the match encompassed 489 runs to become the largest aggregate in T20I history for nearly seven years.

1. South Africa vs West Indies - 517 runs, 2023

South Africa vs West Indies - 517 runs, 2023 (x)South Africa vs West Indies - 517 runs, 2023 (x)

The SuperSport Park in Centurion hosted T20I cricket’s biggest batting extravaganza during the West Indies tour of South Africa in March 2023. The two batting forces combined to flog 517 runs in a first-ever 500-run T20I, which also included numerous other records that continues to remain untouched to date.

West Indies batted first and levelled the South African attack with a 258-run total. Kyle Mayers blasted 51 from 27 balls while Johnson Charles carpet-bombed his way to a six-laden 118 from just 46 deliveries. Romario Shepherd also made 41* from 18 balls to add finishing touches to the West Indies innings. In response, Quinton de Kock headlined the South African chase with a 44-ball ton. Reeza Hendricks also cracked 68 from just 28 balls as the Proteas romped to victory in 18.5 overs.

Apart from aggregating the highest number of runs, the match also hallmarked T20I cricket’s biggest successful run-chase, as well as featured a world record haul of 35 sixes and 81 boundaries combined.