David Warner etched his name in history books by becoming the highest run-scorer for Australia in the T20 format, surpassing former captain Aaron Finch.
During Australia’s T20 World Cup campaign opener against Oman, Warner didn’t adopt the high-risk, high-reward approach and took his time to settle on the tricky surface.
Warner backed off with a score of 56(51) with six boundaries and a sole maximum. He has 3,155 runs in 104 matches to his name in the shortest format of cricket.
He surpassed Finch’s tally of 3,120, which he racked up in 103 matches at an average of 34.28 and a strike rate of 142.53.
The experienced opener took time to open up to the ball and effectively negated Oman’s threat.
He advanced down the pitch, swung his bat freely, and dispatched the ball soaring into the stands, acknowledging his 27th T20I fifty with a raised bat. His innings concluded when he mistimed a shot, falling victim to Oman’s right-arm pacer Kaleemullah, caught at long-off. This fifty propelled him past the former West Indies powerhouse Chris Gayle, elevating his tally to 111 fifties in T20 cricket, surpassing Gayle’s 110. Virat Kohli, the stalwart Indian batsman, follows closely behind with 105 fifties to his credit.
During his time at the crease, Warner formed a formidable 102-run partnership with Marcus Stoinis, enabling Australia to post a competitive total of 164/5. Stoinis, once again displaying his prowess with the bat, remained unbeaten on 67 from just 36 deliveries, featuring two fours and a remarkable six sixes. His impactful innings proved pivotal in Australia’s resurgence after a shaky start, lifting them from 50/3 in the 9th over.
Following his performance, Stoinis joined the elite club of Australian cricketers to surpass 1000 runs in T20 Internationals, becoming the eighth player to achieve this milestone. With 1,007 runs from 60 matches, he boasts an impressive average of 31.46 and a striking strike rate of 147.22.