Usually, people think T20 cricket favors batsmen, but the T20 World Cup 2024 showed how important bowlers are. The pitches in the USA and the Caribbean were tough for batsmen, making it hard for them to score.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored the most runs (281) in the tournament, followed by Indian captain Rohit Sharma (257).
The 2024 T20 World Cup perfectly showcased a balanced game between batting and bowling.
Here are the top 5 batting performances of the 2024 T20 World Cup:
1. Rohit Sharma- 92 vs Australia
In a cricket match, scoring 92 runs from 41 balls with a high strike rate of 224.39, including seven boundaries and eight sixes against a top team’s bowling, makes this innings remarkable.
India’s captain played aggressively against Australia in St Lucia. Even after losing Virat Kohli’s wicket early, Rohit Sharma continued attacking, hitting the ball all over the field. The highlight was when he hit four sixes off Mitchell Starc in one over.
Rohit’s performance helped India reach 205 runs for five wickets in 20 overs, leading them to win by 24 runs.
ALSO READ: Let’s take a look at 5 of Virat Kohli best T20I performances over the years.
2. Sherfane Rutherford- 68* vs New Zealand
In a match against New Zealand in Guyana, the West Indies were struggling with a score of 112 for 9 after 18 overs. In the final two overs, Rutherford played exceptionally well, scoring 19 runs in the penultimate over and 18 runs in the last over. He helped the West Indies reach a total of 149 runs. Rutherford, who hit six big sixes, ended unbeaten on 68 runs from 39 balls. His performance led West Indies to a 13-run victory, and he was named Player of the Match.
3. Nicholas Pooran- 98 vs Afghanistan
The West Indies wicketkeeper-batsman is known for his aggressive batting style. He scored a crucial 98 runs against Afghanistan in St Lucia, helping his team win the match.
He achieved this with a strike rate of 184.91, hitting six boundaries and eight sixes. The Afghan bowlers, including Fazalhaq Farooqi, Rashid Khan, and Naveen-ul-Haq, struggled against Pooran’s powerful hitting.
Pooran’s innings of 98 was the highest score by any player in the 2024 T20 World Cup.
ALSO READ: Here are the top five bowling performances of the 2024 T20 World Cup.
4. Rahmanullah Gurbaz- 80 against New Zealand
In the T20 World Cup 2024, Gurbaz scored the most runs and impressed everyone with his consistent batting. In a tough match against New Zealand in Guyana, he played a calm and mature innings, scoring 80 runs from 56 balls. He hit five fours and five sixes. Gurbaz partnered well with Ibrahim Zadran, scoring 103 runs for the first wicket and put New Zealand under pressure. Despite a challenging pitch where no other batsman scored more than 45 runs, Gurbaz handled bowlers like Trent Boult and Mitchell Santner comfortably. Afghanistan won the match easily by 84 runs.
5. Phil Salt- 87* vs West Indies
On a good batting field in St Lucia, the home team scored 180 runs, losing four wickets in 20 overs.
England needed to chase 181 runs to stay in contention for the semi-finals.
Phil Salt played aggressively against the West Indies bowlers. He started strong and kept pressure on the hosts. He and skipper Jos Buttler scored 67 runs together for the first wicket. After losing Moeen Ali quickly, Salt partnered with Jonny Bairstow, adding 97 runs. England won with 15 balls left.
Salt’s unbeaten 87 runs from 47 balls, with five sixes and seven boundaries, led England to victory.
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