The Black Caps have always been an underappreciated power in global cricket, not taking home the coveted World Cup title yet. But the list of their legends is long, and they keep on coming, some of them even being of the bests in the history of cricket, especially in terms of batting.
The T20Is, which is the shortest format of cricket, are very demanding in terms of scoring quickly by hitting the ball over the boundary and enforcing the victory with the bat. New Zealand cricket has often been underrated and even less spoken of, but here are some of the most prolific run-scorers in the T20 International matches for the country.
5) Ross Taylor – 1,909 runs
Ross Taylor, the most illustrious batsman of New Zealand history, was always there as a rock to lean on in all the formats of the game. But then again, his performance during the ultra-short format of the game was often overlooked too. Since his debut in 2006, Taylor has managed to gather 1,909 runs through his 102 T20I matches that he played at an average of 26.15. He maintained a respectable strike rate of 122.37 and had a top score of 63. He scored seven fifties during his T20I career while hitting 121 fours and 71 sixes.
Apart from the T20I matches, he participated in the Indian Premier League as well, where he played for Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Delhi Daredevils, thus spreading his luminosity onto the T20 franchise circuit.
4) Glenn Phillips – 1,929 runs
The 28-year-old Glenn Phillips, whose name is relatively new to the New Zealand cricket scene, is known for his incredible physical agility on the field that some might call superhuman. But he is as brilliant with the bat as he is with the ball. With 1,929 T20I runs from 83 matches, Phillips gets the 4th position in the list.
Phillips has a batting average of 31.11 and a striking rate of 140.59, which is the highest among the players in this list. His aggressive batting style has resulted in two centuries and ten fifties, and he has also hit 138 boundaries and 91 sixes.
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3) Brendon McCullum – 2,140 runs
Brendon McCullum, the present England coach, was an unflinching and violent hitter of the ball in the shortest version of the game. A batter of great caliber, he changed the very nature of the batting by applying aggression. During his T20I career, McCullum produced 2,140 runs in 71 matches with a splendid average of 35.66, combined with a powerful strike rate of 136.21. He scored two centuries and 13 half-centuries, plus 199 fours and 91 sixes.
A wildcat naturally, Roaring McCullum leaving his mark on New Zealand cricket in different ways, especially through his flying high and daring styles of batting.
2) Kane Williamson – 2,575 runs
Kane Williamson, who transferred his duties to the younger ones by quitting T20I cricket on Sunday, November 2, is a giant in New Zealand’s cricket history, primarily because of his brilliant work in the shortest version. The primitive man played 93 matches, scored 2,575 runs at the rate of 33.44 and with the power play being 123.08 he figures in the average all of which are rather impressive.
He might be the only one who never managed to score a ton in T20Is, but his 18 fifties are the testimonies to his remarkable batting consistency. Besides having 240+ fours and 50+ sixes, Williamson proved that although he is the one known for being calm and composed, yet he can easily change the pace and mingle with the given situation whenever he deems it necessary.
1) Martin Guptill – 3,531 runs
The T20I highest run-scorer for New Zealand is Martin Guptill, a player recognized in the history of cricket for his great batting skills. Guptill has scored 3,531 runs in 122 matches, a difference of almost 1,000 runs from Kane Williamson, even though the latter has played fewer innings.
His average is 31.81 and his strike rate is 135.70. He has scored 2 centuries and 20 half-centuries, along with more than 300 boundaries and 173 sixes; thus Guptill’s right-handed opener style was at the same time so elegant and powerful that he became one of New Zealand’s most reliable and deadly players.
