Which team registered the fastest run chase in men’s T20Is in terms of balls remaining?
Spain made history on Sunday, February 26, creating a new record for the fastest chase in men’s T20I in terms of balls remaining. They needed only two legal deliveries to chase down a target of 11 set by Isle of Man in the sixth T20I of the series.
In the match played at La Manga Club Bottom Ground in Cartagena, Spain elected to field first after winning the toss. They cleaned up Isle of Man for 10 in 8.4 overs, which itself is a new record for the lowest total in a men’s T20 international.
The previous lowest T20I score was Turkey’s 21 against Czech Republic in August 2019.
Chasing 11, Spain’s Awais Ahmed (12*) faced a no-ball from Joseph Burrows and then clubbed the next two deliveries for sixes to finish off the match in a jiffy. This meant they created a new world record for the fastest run chase in T20Is, with 118 balls remaining.
The previous record was held by Kenya (105 balls remaining) vs Mali, when they chased down a target of 31 in 2.3 overs in November 2022.
Isle of Man’s game of woes in T20I against Spain
Isle of Man’s innings, which lasted a mere 8.4 overs, saw six batters get dismissed for ducks, three of them being golden ducks. Three batters were dismissed for two, while the top score in the innings was four by Joseph Burrows.
Fraser Clarke faced the highest number of deliveries (12), but was among the batters who were dismissed without scoring.
For Spain, Mohammad Kamran registered figures of 4/4, Atif Mehmood claimed 4/6, and Lorne Burns 2/0. Spain did not concede a single extra during their sensational bowling performance.
The previous lowest score in men’s T20 cricket (including international and domestic) was 15 by the Sydney Thunder. The Thunder registered that total only last year against Adelaide Strikers in a Big Bash League encounter.
With the recording-breaking triumph, Spain clinched the six-match series 5-0. One of the games produced no result.