4 Teams With The Lowest Totals After Playing The Complete 20 Overs Of A T20I

T20 is all smash and bam. Isn’t it? With much fewer overs compared to other longer formats of the game, and still 10 wickets in hand, the batsmen are liberated to stretch their arms and play their shots as the price on their individual wicket is decreased in this form of the game.

278/3 is currently the highest team total in a T20I, scored by Afghanistan against Ireland a couple of years ago; Turkey, with 21 runs against the Czech Republic, hold the record for the lowest T20I total in completed innings.

In between, there are few scores, few low scores, where the team couldn’t put much on the total despite playing out all the 20 overs and not getting bowled out either. These results are either because of the bust when the batsmen go for the boom or if the pitch is extremely challenging to bat on.

We look at the 4 lowest teams totals after playing all 20 overs of a T20I:

Ireland 85/8 vs West Indies, 2014

It was a rare bizarre low-scoring T20I game in Kingston where both teams just couldn’t score any runs and were more willing to throw their wickets away. West Indies batsmen threw their wickets away recklessly and could manage a total of 96/9 in their quota of 20 overs as pacer Alex Cusack returned with figures of 4/11.

What should have been a straightforward chase was made tricky when Ireland slipped to 3-22, but still the favourites to take the game. However, West Indies captain Daren Sammy titled the game in his side’s favour by snapping 3 wickets in three of his consecutive overs to leave the Irish at 6-49.

The visitors tried to scrap to the target but the home bowlers kept their leash on the scorecard. Eventually, despite batting for all 20 overs, Ireland fell agonizingly 11 runs short of West Indies’ total to complete a peculiar unsuccessful chase.

Bangladesh 85/9 vs Pakistan, 2011

In a T20I game at Dhaka in 2011, chasing 136, Bangladesh lost their top 4 for just 17 runs as Pakistan bowlers squeezed them early in the innings. It became even worse for the hosts when they slipped to 51/7, including losing senior batsman Mushfiqur Rahim their challenge was effectively over.

The rest of the innings went at snail’s pace as they could muster 85 runs for 9 wickers losing the encounter by 50 runs. Nasir Hossain was the highest scorer in Bangladesh’s innings with 35 runs; extras with 11 was the next best.

Mohammad Hafeez was awarded the Player of the Match prize for his all-round show – 25 runs and 2/11 in 4 overs with the ball.

81/8 India vs Sri Lanka, 2021

This game is of recent memory where a third-string Indian batting came up against a decent Sri Lanka spin-bowling attack on a pitch tailor-made for the home spinners. It was also the T20I series decider after both teams had won one game each.

Electing to bat first, India lost captain and senior batsman Shikhar Dhawan in the first over. Youngsters Devdutt Padikkal and Ruturaj Gaikwad tried to build a partnership. However, once Gaikwad was dismissed for the team total of 23, the slide began as Sri Lankan spinners Wanindu Hasaranga, Ramesh Mendis, and Akila Dananjaya put a stop to India’s charge.

India stumbled to 63/8 before Kuldeep Yadav’s 23 helped them reach 81 in their quota of 20 overs. There was no surprise in the chase as Sri Lanka gunned it down inside 15 overs. Hasaranga bagged 4 scalps while conceding just 9 runs and was deservedly the Players of the Match.

West Indies 79/7 vs Zimbabwe, 2010

The lowest score in a T20I innings while playing all 20 overs belong to the 2-time T20 World Champions – West Indies. But this innings occurred before they became a force to be reckoned with in T20I cricket; this innings dates back to the time T20 was into its nascent years when Shivnarine Chanderpaul opened for West Indies in a T20I and Denesh Ramdin was the captain of the side.

In a T20I in Port of Spain in 2010, West Indies were chasing 106 against Zimbabwe – a chase they were expected to complete given the decline of Zimbabwe. They even got a solid start with a 21-run opening stand, but the openers, Chanderpaul and Adrian Barath, were slow, even for the game in those days.

After just 21 runs in the powerplay, that despite the loss of a solitary wicket, West Indies batting collapsed, and lost wickets one by one. Graeme Cremer spun a web around the hosts’ batters as he returned with figures of 3/11 to pin them on the mat as the West Indies’ innings dragged but with no direction, eventually completing at 79/7 in 20 overs to attain this unlikely record in T20Is.

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