Nicholas Pooran completes 2,000 T20I runs with career-best 98: Stats
Nicholas Pooran scripted history by becoming the first West Indies batter to complete 2,000 T20I runs. He accomplished the milestone with a career-best 98 against Afghanistan in Match 40 of the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup in St Lucia. The southpaw scored 98 off 53 balls as WI posted 218/5 while batting first. He hit six fours and eight sixes. Here are his stats.
A stunning knock from Pooran
Pooran arrived at number three after Brandon King's early departure. He joined forces with Johnson Charles (43) and the duo added 80 runs in no time. Pooran also recorded a 64-run stand with Rovman Powell (26). His efforts powered WI to the highest score of the ongoing event (218/5). The dasher, who got run out in the last over, missed out on a ton.
2,000 T20I runs for Pooran
Pooran made his T20I debut against Pakistan back in September 2016. Standing in his 92nd T20I game, Pooran has raced to 2,011 runs as he averages 26.81. His strike rate is 135.97. The batter recently went past Chris Gayle (1,899) as WI's highest run-getter in the format. Pooran's tally now includes 12 fifties as the 98* against Afghanistan is now his career-best score.
Only player with this feat
1,169 of Pooran's T20I runs have come at home at 31.59. No other batter owns even 900 T20I runs in the Caribbean Islands. He has 575 runs at 27.38 in away games and 265 runs at 15.70 in neutral games. This was his maiden outing against Afghanistan. He could have become the second WI player after Gayle (twice) to hit a T20 WC hundred.
500 T20 sixes for Pooran
Pooran also overtook Gayle (124) to become the WI batter with the most T20I sixes. The former now has 128 maximums. The southpaw also became the sixth batter to accomplish 500 T20 sixes (502). He joined Gayle (1,056), Kieron Pollard (860), Andre Russell (686), Colin Munro (548), and Rohit Sharma (514). Pooran hit the third-joint-most sixes in a T20 WC innings (8).
Maiden fifty in T20 WCs
This was Pooran's maiden fifty in T20 WCs. Playing his 12th game at the event, the dashing wicketkeeper-batter has now raced to 292 runs at a strike rate of 136.44. He has raced to 164 runs in the ongoing competition. Though he also featured in the 2021 and 2022 editions of the mega competition, he struggled big time with the bat.
Highest powerplay total in T20 WCs
The game saw WI record the highest powerplay total in T20 WCs (92/1). They went past Ireland's 91/1 against the Netherlands in the 2014 edition. Overall, this is the fourth-highest powerplay total in T20I history and the second-highest for WI. In 2021, they posted 98/4 against Sri Lanka.
Highest T20 WC total for WI
The 218/5 against Afghanistan is now WI's highest total in the T20 WC. It is also the highest score of the ongoing event as Rovman Powell's men went past Australia's 201/7 against England and Sri Lanka's 201/6 against Netherlands. No other team owns a 200-plus score at the competition. Overall, this is the fifth-highest total in the competition's history.
Unwanted record for Azmatullah Omarzai
Pooran hit Azmatullah Omarzai for three sixes and two fours in the fifth over. As the pacer also conceded 10 extra runs, he bowled the joint-most expensive over in T20 WC history (36 runs). He joined Stuart Broad on this unwanted list as the latter was smashed for six successive sixes by Yuvraj Singh in the 2007 edition.
