Top 3 batsmen with the most T20I runs in a calendar year
With the lower-ranked teams playing many T20I games this year, players from these nations feature prominently in 2019’s list of top T20I run-getters. Ireland’s Paul Stirling leads the chart with 748 runs in 20 matches.
He is followed by another Irishman, big-hitting all-rounder Kevin O’Brien, who has 729 runs from 23 matches at a strike rate of 155.43 with one hundred and three fifties. Netherlands’ Max O'Dowd completes the top three list; he amassed 702 runs in 24 games at a strike rate of 120.82 with six fifties.
Among leading cricketing nations, Indian skipper Virat Kohli has had the best year with 466 runs in 10 matches at a strike rate of 147.93. Kohli hit five fifties in the year.
Further, Rohit Sharma totaled 396 runs in 14 games at a strike rate of 138.46 with four half-centuries. Also, Pakistan’s Babar Azam scored 374 runs in 10 matches at a strike rate of 136.99, while also scoring four fifties.
Here, we take a closer look at the top three batsmen with most T20I runs in a calendar year.
#3 Virat Kohli (641 runs in 2016)
Indian skipper Virat Kohli had a memorable T20I run in 2016. He scored 641 runs in 15 matches at a strike rate of 140.26 and a stupendous average of 106.83.
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Kohli notched up half-centuries in seven of the 13 innings he played in the year, and was not out as many as seven times.
Kohli began the year with a hat-trick of fifties during the T20I series in Australia. He slammed an unbeaten 90 from 55 at Adelaide, 59 not out from 33 at Melbourne, and 50 from 36 at Sydney. India chased down 198 to blank Australia 3-0 despite Shane Watson’s brilliant, unbeaten 124 from 71 balls.
Kohli registered three half-centuries in the World T20 at home even as India bowed out in the semis. After an unbeaten 55 from 37 in the Super 10 clash against Pakistan at Kolkata, he smashed an unbeaten 82 from 51 balls against Australia at Mohali to put India in the semis.
In the semi-final clash against West Indies at Mumbai, Kohli again stood out with a blazing 89 not out from 47 balls. However, Lendl Simmons’ unbeaten 82 from 51 put Windies in the final as they gunned down 193 with ease.