The first T20I match between India and Bangladesh played on November 3 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi was a huge milestone in the 20-over format. It was the 1000th T20I match, a proof that the new format that was started in 2003 has stood the Test of time.
The first-ever T20I match was played between New Zealand and Australia in 2005 and since then, the format has gone onto become the most favored for viewers and players as well. 2007 saw ICC hold the first-ever World Cup in T20Is in South Africa, which was won by India. Then came the franchise-based cricket tournaments with IPL starting in 2008 and other countries following suit.
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This has taken the fans and players to 1000 T20I matches and has led to Team COC picking eleven all-time best players in the format. These players have stellar records in the format and have played a big role in their team’s many amazing wins.
Here is the Team COC presented All-Time T20I XI:
The openers of this all-time XI will be India’s Rohit Sharma and Australian Aaron Finch. Finch holds the record for the highest score in a T20 International with 172 against Zimbabwe and is the only batsman with two scores of 150 or more in T20Is and has a strike rate of 157.30.
On the other hand, Rohit Sharma has the most centuries (4) and most runs (2452) in the international format at the moment of writing this article. He has also played the most number of games for India in the format as well. He has remodeled how openers go about their work in the format, giving himself a few balls to set and then blasting off from there.
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Next comes in Virat Kohli at no.3 who has an impressive 2450 runs in 98 T20I matches with 22 half-centuries with a best of 90* and a strike rate of 135.28. He has made chasing down any total into an art form and is the second-highest run-getter in the format after Rohit Sharma.
In at no.4 comes the no.1 ranked batsman in the T20Is, Pakistan’s Babar Azam, who has 1349 runs in 34 T20I matches with 11 fifties to his name. Azam and Kohli have made batting in the slam-bang format, a view for sore eyes.
Glenn Maxwell and Brendon McCullum make up the middle order of the batting lineup. Maxwell has three tons in the format internationally with 7 fifties. The Australian hard-hitter has 81 sixes to his name and a total of 1576 runs. He can turn the game on its head singlehandedly and can bowl a couple of overs of off-spin.
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Brendon McCullum is a legend of 20-over format and has a stellar record in international cricket as well. With 2140 runs in 71 matches and 2 centuries and 13 fifties to boot for, ‘BAZ’ as he is known, carved out a niche for himself in the format with his aggressive and attacking batting and innovative shots. He is also the captain and wicketkeeper of the COC all-time T20I XI.
Shakib-Al-Hasan and Imran Tahir are the two genuine spinners in the team with Hasan being the premier all-rounder as well. The Bangladeshi player has 1567 runs and 92 wickets in the format, both at impressive averages and numbers. He is also a capable leader in the team. Imran Tahir has 63 wickets in 38 matches with two 5-wicket hauls and kilometers of distance ran in celebrations. A talented and experienced leg-spinner, Tahir has the plan of bowling in the format down to details.
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Umar Gul was the first successful fast bowler this format saw and was the first to pick a five-wicket haul. He has 85 wickets in 60 matches with the best of 5/6, two times. His economy of 7.19 is amazing and had it not for injuries and loss of form, Gul might have been more successful than he was.
Lasith Malinga has the most wickets in the format- 106 and is the only bowler with over 100 wickets in all the three formats of the game. The slinger has written the manual on death overs bowling in T20Is, which has been followed by almost every new bowler in international cricket.
The last, but not the least, is Jasprit Bumrah, who is regarded as Malinga’s protégé. Bumrah is still young in his career but has 51 wickets in 42 matches with a best of 3/13. His most valuable property lies in bowling death overs with pinpoint yorkers and slower balls which the batsmen find difficult to hit.
COC’s All-Time T20I XI:
Rohit Sharma (IND), Aaron Finch (AUS), Virat Kohli (IND), Babar Azam (PAK), Glenn Maxwell (AUS), Brendon McCullum (NZ-C&WK), Shakib-Al-Hasan (BAN), Umar Gul (PAK), Lasith Malinga (SL), Imran Tahir (SA), Jasprit Bumrah (IND)
