In the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa Sub Regional Qualifiers, Zimbabwe created history by registering the highest scores in T20Is: 344/5 against Gambia. Zimbabwe’s skipper Sikandar Raza led from the front by becoming the first-ever centurion for Zimbabwe in T20Is. Zimbabwe won this match by 290 runs and also broke the record for the biggest win margin in T20I cricket.
The match took place in Nairobi, where Zimbabwe won the toss and chose to bat first, and the decision of Raza proved to be a historic one as Zimbabwe etched its name on the records book by registering the highest score in T20I matches. Zimbabwe’s openers Brian Bennett and Tadiwanashe Marumani gave Zimbabwe a thunderous start with a 98-run opening stand in 5.4 overs.
Bennett played a 50-run inning in 26 balls, and Marumani scored 62 runs in 19 balls. Raza scored a blistering century in just 33 balls and remained not out with a score of 133 in 43 balls. Clive Madande provided a late thrust to Zimbabwe’s innings by scoring 53 runs from 17 balls.
Zimbabwe smashed 27 sixes during their inning, which is also a world record for the highest number of sixes in an inning in a T20I match. Sikandar Raza hit 15 sixes in his inning: joint third-highest in a T20I match. Raza also registered the record of joint second-fastest T20I century in his name.
In response to Zimbabwe’s world record total of 344/4, Gambia bundled out on just 54 runs, handing Zimbabwe the biggest victory by a margin of runs in T20Is.
Top 10 Highest Team Scores in T20Is
| Team | Score | Opposition | Ground | Match Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zimbabwe | 344/4 | Gambia | Nairobi (Ruaraka) | 23 Oct 2024 |
| Nepal | 314/3 | Mongolia | Hangzhou | 27 Sep 2023 |
| India | 297/6 | Bangladesh | Hyderabad | 12 Oct 2024 |
| Zimbabwe | 286/5 | Seychelles | Nairobi (Gymkhana) | 19 Oct 2024 |
| Afghanistan | 278/3 | Ireland | Dehradun | 23 Feb 2019 |
| Czech Republic | 278/4 | Turkey | Ilfov County | 30 Aug 2019 |
| Malaysia | 268/4 | Thailand | Hangzhou | 2 Oct 2023 |
| England | 267/3 | West Indies | Tarouba | 19 Dec 2023 |
| Australia | 263/3 | Sri Lanka | Pallekele | 6 Sep 2016 |
| Sri Lanka | 260/6 | Kenya | Johannesburg | 14 Sep 2007 |
| India | 260/5 | Sri Lanka | Indore | 22 Dec 2017 |
| South Africa | 259/4 | West Indies | Centurion | 26 Mar 2023 |
