Aaron Finch completes 3,000 T20I runs: Decoding his stats
Australia captain Aaron Finch has completed 3,000 runs in T20 Internationals. The dashing batter achieved the feat during the 1st T20I against England on Sunday. Batting at number four, Finch scored 12 off seven balls (4s:0, 6:1). Although the Aussies lost the clash in Perth, Finch entered the record books during his brief stay. Here are the key stats.
Why does this story matter?
Finch, who recently retired from ODIs, has been a prolific performer in T20Is. Having opened for the majority of his career, he has been playing at number four lately. Finch is the first Australian and sixth overall player to complete 3,000 T20I runs. He has joined Rohit Sharma (3,737), Virat Kohli (3,712), Martin Guptill (3,497), Babar Azam (3,140) and Paul Stirling (3,011).
Third-fastest to 3,000 T20I runs
While Finch became the sixth player to slam 3,000 T20I runs, he is the third-fastest to get the milestone. The 35-year-old, who made his T20I debut in 2011, accomplished the feat in 98 matches. Babar and Kohli took 86 and 87 matches, respectively. The other batters in this category took over 100 matches to achieve the feat.
Finch striking big in T20Is
Finch has the best strike rate among batters with at least 2,100 runs in the format. While his career strike reads 144.36, he also has an average of 34.48. England's Jos Buttler (143.97) and Warner (142.58) follow him on the list. Indian openers Rohit (140.59) and KL Rahul (140.40) are the other batters with a 140+ strike rate in this category.
Highest score in the format
Finch has slammed the highest individual T20I score, having scored a 76-ball 172 against Zimbabwe in 2018. The third-highest score also belongs to him. He scored 156 off 63 balls against England in 2013. Hence, two of the three individual 150-plus T20I scores belong to Finch. Hazratullah Zazai is the other batter in this category, having scored a 62-ball 162* against Ireland in 2019.
Decoding his career stats
Finch is Australia's most-capped player in the format (98). Warner (94) and Glenn Maxwell (92) follow him. His tally of two T20I centuries is only second to Maxwell (3) among Australian players. While Finch has scored 1,012 T20I runs at home, he's the highest run-scorer in away (home of opposition) T20Is with 1,611 runs. He has 377 T20I runs at neutral venues.
Overall record in T20 cricket
Finch is the sixth-highest run-getter in overall T20 cricket. He has scored 10844 runs in 362 games at an average and strike rate of 33.67 and 139.76 respectively. His 172 is also the second-highest individual score in the format. Chris Gayle (175*) tops the chart.
How did 1st T20I pan out?
In the 1st T20I, England were off to a scintillating start, with Jos Buttler and Alex Hales scoring runs for fun. Although the Aussies made a comeback in middle overs, the visitors still managed to post 208/6. In reply, Warner scored 73, while Mitchell Marsh and Marcus Stoinis played handy knocks. However, the hosts narrowly fell short of the target, suffering an 8-run defeat.
