Batters with the firepower to explode at the T20 World Cup

We look at the batters with batting rates who can turn a game in a few balls at the T20 World Championship.

Run volume and scoring consistency are hugely important to T20 success, and players who can deliver both understandably rank high in MRF Tires’ ICC player rankings.

But in a big tournament, teams also need some of their top scores to come fast – a 40 average with a 130 batting average is only successful at elite level if fast runs are made at the other end.

And the 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is packed with such fast-paced hitters, hitters capable of taking games out of opponent’s reach in little more than the blink of an eye.

Here we go through the most explosive batters who will appear at the tournament based on their career strike rates (at the time of writing) in T20Is.

T20I strike rate: 176.81

India’s late-rising, mid-order racquet is currently in a league of its own when it comes to batting averages.

As an all-shots player, SKY has averaged a staggering 176.81 in his 34 T20I appearances.

But what makes the 32-year-old remarkable and sets him apart from most others on this list is that he manages to combine that pace with an impressively high 38.70 average.

T20I strike rate: 163.65

New Zealand’s all-rounder is one of the most destructive finishers in the world. His 635 career runs in T20Is has a batting average of 163.65 in 53 games.

And we know Neesham can deliver that power on the big stage too – it was his remarkable 27-from-11 attack that helped the Kiwis stun England in the semi-finals of the 2021 T20 World Cup.

T20I strike rate: 161.72

Next comes another New Zealander, but in a very different role. Relative newcomer Finn Allen is most often used as an aggressive opening batter, and his 469 T20I runs in 18 games to date have reached a staggering pace.

The 23-year-old looks for limits and excellence from the start and will keep an eye on quick starts for the Kiwis during the Super 12 stage.

T20I strike rate: 160.08

One of the most sought-after franchise players in the world, Tim David has embarked on an unusual path into the Australian national team with his explosive performances in the domestic leagues and for Singapore.

Interestingly, his role as a finisher in his brief Australia national team career to date has seen his batting average rise to 165.95 compared to his batting average with Singapore.

T20I strike rate: 155.51

A time in the international wilderness is over for Evin Lewis and the tall left-hander will be in the top order for the West Indies following his recall.

Lewis is averaging more than two sixes an innings and has hit more highs than he has fours for West Indies. He’ll be looking to spruce up the stands in Australia and with a T20I career strike rate of 155.51 you’d be brave to bet against him.

T20I strike rate: 152.87

South Africa have a very strong top position and Rilee Rossouw is one of several players capable of quick acceleration on the scoreboard.

The 33-year-old has only had 21 T20 caps but in those games he has hit 558 runs with an average of 37.20 and a batting average of 152.87. Those are world-class numbers in anyone’s book.

T20I strike rate: 151.16

The Proteas have another potential star of the tournament in their batting squad in Aiden Markram.

The extremely talented right-hander also had a brilliant start to his T20I career, amassing 780 runs in 26 games. That means his average is over 40, but also an impressive lick with those runs, 151.16 runs per 100 balls.

T20I strike rate: 150.40

Australia’s middle-class star has been one of the most dangerous T20 batters in the world for almost a decade.

Still, his high tally for Australia (94 T20Is) hasn’t resulted in a diminished batting average, with Maxwell still boisterous throughout his career at 150.40 runs per 100 balls.

If the hosts are to defend their title, Maxwell will certainly play a big role.

No other hitter who shows up at the tournament has a career strike rate of 150 or more, but there are a number of world stars who operate in the high 140s and can make the tournament shine.

India is in shape Hardik Pandaya is one of those standout finishers with a career batting average of 148.49 and his compatriot Dinesh Karthik (146.40) is also a low-order hitter to be feared.

South Africa’s powerful strike force has some other dangerously quick goalscorers in their midst, with Heinrich Klaase (147.61) and David Mueller (145.49) most notable.

England’s absence from the list above is a little notable given the depth in their batting squad. The current batsman from England with the highest batting rate of his career is an all-rounder Hey Ali, who has batted at 147.31 in 56 innings. And as these numbers are more commonly used in the middle order, these numbers have risen, with Moeen recording a staggering hit rate of 156.99 over the past two years.

England’s captain Jos Butler has 2377 career T20I runs for a total of 144.23 and, like Moeen, those numbers have increased over the past two years; During that time, his odds were significantly higher at 151.13 in 26 innings.