T20 World Cup – Top run-getters of every World Cup edition
The 2021 edition of the T20 World Cup will be played in the months of October and November this year in the UAE. This will be the 7th edition of the tournament. All the participating teams will be vying to snatch the most coveted prize that the T20I format of the game has to offer.
Over the years, there have been several batsmen who have mesmerized fans with the way they have wielded the willow in the T20 World Cup. In this article, let us take a look at the top run-scorers from every edition of the T20 World Cup.
2007 – Matthew Hayden (Australia)
Australian batting legend Matthew Hayden was the highest run-scorer in the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup. The left-hander scored 265 runs in 6 innings in the 2007 T20 World Cup and scored his runs at a superb average of 88.33 and a strike rate of 144.80.
Hayden also plundered 4 fifties in the tournament as well. Hayden’s rollicking exploits played a key role in Australia reaching the semi-final stages of the event.
2009 – Tillakaratne Dilshan (Sri Lanka)
Tillakaratne Dilshan bossed over the opposition in the 2009 T20 World Cup and emerged as the highest run-scorer in the tournament. The Sri Lankan right-hander played 7 innings in the competition and scored 317 runs at an average of 52.83 and an excellent strike rate of 144.74.
Dilshan struck 3 half-centuries in the competition as well. Dilshan scored a sensational 96* in the semifinal against the West Indies, helping his side to beat their opposition by 57 runs. Riding on Dilshan’s exploits, the Sri Lankan side finished as the runners up of the event.
2010 – Mahela Jayawardene
Another Sri Lankan topped the run charts in the 2010 edition of the tournament, and it is the legendary Mahela Jayawardene. The right-handed batting icon played 6 innings in the 2010 T20 World Cup and amassed 302 runs at an average of 60.40 and a superb strike rate of 159.78.
The master batsman even scored a century and a couple of fifties in the tournament as well. Jayawardene scored his century against the Zimbabwe side. Sri Lanka were knocked out of the tournament in the semifinal stage.
2012- Shane Watson
Shane Watson was the highest run-scorer in the 2012 T20 World Cup. The right-hander played 6 innings in the tournament and accumulated 249 runs at an average of close to 50 and a strike rate of 150.00. Watson scored 3 half-centuries for the kangaroos during the tournament as well. The Australian side reached the semifinal stage of the 2012 T20 World Cup, where they lost to the West Indies.
2014 – Virat Kohli
The 2014 edition of the T20 World Cup belonged to Indian batting icon Virat Kohli. The right-hander plundered 319 runs in 6 innings at a whopping average of 106.33, and scored his runs at a strike rate of close to 130.
Kohli scored 4 fifties in the tournament. Kohli’s pyrotechnics with the willow helped the MS Dhoni-led Indian side reach the summit clash of the 2014 edition of the event, where India lost to Sri Lanka.
2016 – Tamim Iqbal
Bangladesh batsman Tamim Iqbal emerged as the leading run-scorer in the 2016 edition of the T20 World Cup. Iqbal scored 295 runs in the 6 innings that he played in the competition, and scored his runs at a stunning average of 73.75, and a strike rate of 142.51.
Even though Bangladesh did not qualify for the semi-final stages of the competition, Tamim’s sensational run with the willow will be remembered for a long time. The 32-year-old struck 1 hundred and 1 fifty in the tournament.
