Romanian batsman Taranjeet Singh has the highest strike rate in T20 Internationals at 176.44.
T20 cricket is the most popular format of the sport and is played almost all over the globe. Because of its short nature compared to ODI and Test cricket, people find it easier to get behind this format and it also packs for more action and punches compared to the longer formats.
As a result, the T20 format has led to more and more countries in Europe, North America, and the Middle East becoming active participants in cricket. With exposure and time, the sport will only witness further growth as there’s plenty of potential.
As such, it isn’t surprising to see most of the names in the list of top 10 players with the highest strike rate in T20 are from these associate countries as matches held between them can often be erratic and a bit of a mismatch.
While you might expect names like West Indies’ Chris Gayle and Andre Russell and Australia’s Glenn Maxwell, from the full ICC member nations, only India’s Suryakumar Yadav and Jimmy Neesham are included in this list of players with the highest career strike rate at the time of writing. It must also be mentioned that only cricketers who have played more than 10 T20Is have been included here.
Without further ado, let’s dive deeper:
Highest strike rate in T20 Internationals: Top 10 list
| Player | Nation | Career Span | Matches | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | 100s | 50s |
| Taranjeet Singh | Romania | 2021 – present | 19 | 704 | 41.41 | 176.44 | 1 | 5 |
| Zeeshan Kukikhel | Hungary | 2021 – present | 11 | 498 | 45.27 | 175.97 | 1 | 3 |
| Suryakumar Yadav | India | 2021 – present | 23 | 672 | 37.33 | 175.45 | 1 | 5 |
| Saber Zakhil | Belgium | 2019- present | 23 | 579 | 34.05 | 174.39 | 1 | 2 |
| Sarfaraz Ali | Bahrain | 2019- present | 17 | 569 | 35.56 | 168.34 | 0 | 4 |
| Ramesh Satheesan | Romania | 2019- present | 28 | 863 | 39.22 | 166.6 | 0 | 7 |
| Jimmy Neesham | New Zealand | 2012 – present | 45 | 559 | 24.3 | 166.36 | 0 | 0 |
| Heinrich Gericke | Malta | 2020 – present | 21 | 541 | 27.05 | 163.93 | 0 | 4 |
| Rayyan Pathan | Canada | 2021 – present | 11 | 463 | 51.44 | 161.32 | 1 | 3 |
| Ravija Sandaruwan | Kuwait | 2019- present | 19 | 655 | 38.52 | 160.14 | 1 | 4 |
Taranjeet Singh | Romania – Strike Rate: 176.44
Romania’s Taranjeet Singh holds the record for the highest batting strike rate among batsmen in international cricket. He has a jaw-dropping strike rate of 176.44!
Having played 19 matches in his career, he has scored 704 runs at an average of 41.41. In his relatively short career, the 36-year-old has already scored a century and five half-centuries and his highest score is 110.
Zeeshan Kukikhel | Hungary – Strike Rate: 175.97
26-year-old Zeeshan Kukikhel is an important asset for Hungary in T20 Internationals. The right-hander has an excellent strike rate of 175.97 after having played 11 matches in this format.
He has also amassed 498 runs at an average of 45.27 and has also scored a century. His highest score of 137 is the highest among players on this list. Kukikhel has also taken 13 wickets in his career at a bowling average of 21.84.
Suryakumar Yadav | India – Strike Rate: 175.45
One of the cleanest strikers in the white-ball formats of the game these days, Suryakumar Yadav has taken to international cricket like a fish to water. While his talent was quite apparent during his years in the Indian Premier League with Mumbai Indians, few would’ve expected him to make such an immediate and wonderful impact for Team India on the international stage.
Despite playing just a little over 20 T20Is, Suryakumar Yadav has already established himself in the starting XI and has become an indispensable asset for the team. Part of the reason is because he offers something to the side that few are capable of – his high strike rate of 175.45 makes him the most fierce batter among the top teams in the world.
He has already scored 672 runs at an average of 37.33 and his efforts in this format got rewarded with a World Number 2 rank by the ICC in T20Is. Ahead of the Asia Cup as well as the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, Suryakumar Yadav promises to be one of the most exciting talents in the sport, and the stats definitely back it up.
Saber Zakhil | Belgium – Strike Rate: 174.39
Saber Zakhil of Belgium is also very high on this list and his strike rate of 174.39 is absolutely wonderful. Like Suryakumar Yadav, Zakhil has also played 23 matches in his T20I career so far since making his debut in 2019.
He has amassed 579 runs during that period and has also scored a century. He also has a healthy average of over 34.
Sarfaraz Ali | Bahrain – Strike Rate: 168.34
Bahrain’s Sarfaraz Ali made his T20I debut in 2019. Since then, he has played 17 matches and has scored 569 runs at a strike rate of 168.34. The 40-year-old has scored four half-centuries and he has an average of 35.56.
Ali also bowls every now and then and has collected eight wickets with best figures of 2/20 in an innings.
Ramesh Satheesan | Romania – Strike Rate: 166.60
Romania is the only country on this list to have two players in the list of the highest strike rates in world cricket in Taranjeet Singh and Ramesh Satheesan. Satheesan is sixth-highest on this list after scoring 863 runs in 28 matches at a strike rate of 166.60.
He has also batted at an average of 39.22 and has scored as many as seven half-centuries. The 40-year-old has also taken 14 wickets with the ball in hand.
Jimmy Neesham | New Zealand – Strike Rate: 166.36
New Zealand all-rounder Jimmy Neesham is also on this list because of his incredible ball-striking ability. Despite playing the most matches out of anyone on this list (45), he still has a great strike rate of 166.36 and his cameos in the middle-order have been important for New Zealand cricket.
Of course, Neesham is a player who has seen it and one it all. In one of the most incredible stories ever written in cricket history, the all-rounder had to witness his country losing the final of the 2019 World Cup against England in the Super Over and due to misinterpretation of certain rules.
New Zealand came close to winning the T20 World Cup once again in UAE last year but were denied by Australia in the final. In that World Cup, Neesham had the third best strike rate after scoring 86 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 175.51.
Heinrich Gericke | Malta – Strike Rate: 163.93
Having made his debut for Malta during the pandemic period in 2020, Heinrich Gericke has made a quick impression. He has scored 541 runs in 21 matches at a strike rate of 163.93 and he has also amassed four half-centuries during this period. The 42-year-old is also an important name in European Cricket circles.
Rayyan Pathan | Canada – Strike Rate: 161.32
Canada’s Rayyan Pathan also finds himself included in this list after scoring 463 runs at a strike rate of 161.32 in 11 T20I matches in his career. Pathan has the highest score of 107 not out and he has also registered three half-centuries.
He has also played a bit of first-class and ODI cricket in his career.
Ravija Sandaruwan | Kuwait – Strike Rate: 160.14
Ravinja Sandaruwan completes the list with a batting strike rate of 160.14 in his T20I cricket career so far. Sandaruwan has amassed 655 runs in 19 matches at an average of 38.52. He has also scored a century and has four fifties to his name.
The 30-year-old has also played first-class and List A cricket and is vital in the Kuwait squad.
FAQs
Who had the highest strike rate in T20 World Cup 2021?
Pakistan’s Asif Ali had the highest strike rate after scoring 57 runs in four innings at a strike rate of 237.50 during the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 in UAE.
Which batsman has the highest strike rate in T20I for India?
Suryakumar Yadav holds the record for having the highest strike rate in T20 Internationals among Indian batsmen. In fact, even among full ICC members, he tops the list with a career batting strike rate of 175.45.
Which batter has the highest strike rate in IPL?
Among players with more than 20 innings to their name, West Indies and Kolkata Knight Riders star all-rounder Andre Russell holds the record for the highest strike rate in IPL at 181.26 after IPL 2022.
What is the highest strike rate by an Indian in a T20I innings?
The record belongs to former Indian star all-rounder Yuvraj Singh who registered one of the most unbelievable accomplishments in all of sports after he slammed six sixes in an over against England’s Stuart Broad. Yuvraj brought up his half-century in just 12 balls, which remains a T20I record. He had a strike rate of 362.50 during that innings against England at the 2007 World T20 in South Africa.
