T20I openers with best strike rate in powerplay overs

With the emergence of T20 cricket as the dominant and attractive format of the game, the batters have been imparted the license to take risks and score quick runs for the team. The start of an innings is crucial for any side and often dictates the proceedings in a match. The openers are entrusted with scoring at a brisk pace, taking leverage of the field restrictions. Here are the most destructive opening batters in the powerplay overs in T20Is.

Evin Lewis (West Indies) – 152.53

West Indies opening batter Evin Lewis is another batter in the long list of power-hitting monsters from the country. The southpaw is known to smash the bowlers with absolute disdain, especially at the start of the innings. Lewis makes up for his lack of foot movement with tremendous hand-eye coordination. The Trinidadian has scored 1423 runs for the national team in T20Is, striking at 155.51. He is often severe on the bowlers in the powerplay and strikes at 152.53 during the first six overs.

Jos Buttler (England) – 155.65

It is near impossible to compile a T20I list without the inclusion of Jos Buttler. The English batter is one of the cleanest strikers of the white ball and has been one of the mainstays in the English T20I squad. The recently appointed English skipper is not shy of throwing the kitchen sink at the bowler in the nascent stages of his innings. His blitz with the bat at the top of the order has often been the catalyst for England’s success in the shortest form of the game. Buttler is renowned for going big against the bowlers from the get-go, and his strike rate of 155.65 during the field restrictions is a testament to that.

Colin Munro (New Zealand) – 160.55

Colin Munro, just like his structure suggests, is an expert in brutalizing bowlers to all corners of the ground. The Kiwi opener has been one of the most underrated T20 players, as his numbers are proof of his incredible exploits in the shortest form of the game. The southpaw is one of only four cricketers to have registered more than two centuries in T20Is. He has amassed 1724 for the Blackcaps at an astonishing strike rate of 156.44. He is supremely adept at dispatching the new ball bowlers and smashes them at a blistering strike rate of 160.55 in the first six overs.