With the changing nature of T20I cricket, it’s pretty common to see a batter whizz past the century mark in a match. But it’s quite rare to see two batters do it in a single innings.
It’s a bit impossible to think of something like that, given the limited resources at hand in T20Is, isn’t it? But there have been a few instances when a pair of batters made bowler’s lives hell.
They not only scored runs but brought up their three-figure marks in some style. Here we’ll look at the instances of two batters scoring centuries in a single T20I innings.
1. Sabawoon Davizi (115*) and Dylan Steyn (106) | Czech Republic vs Bulgaria, 2022
Sabawoon Davizi and Dylan Steyn became the first duo to smash hundreds in a T20I innings. The Czechs didn’t spare any Bulgarian bowlers in their batting exploits.
The pair opened for the Czech Republic in a Valletta Cup match against Bulgaria and stitched a 220-run stand. Steyn fell for 106 in 55 balls, while Davizi remained unbeaten on 115 in 59 balls.
The duos rumbling propelled the Czech Republic’s total 258 runs, which they defended by 88 runs.
2. Lachlan Yamamoto-Lake (134*) and Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming (109*) | Japan vs China, 2024
The Japanese players are taking T20I cricket by storm and in some dominant way. They displayed their prowess against China in the 2024 East Asia Cup.
After winning the toss, Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming decided to have a bat first. He opened along with Lachlan Yamamoto-Lake and forged an unbroken partnership of 258 runs.
This was the first-ever instance of a pair recording a 250+ run partnership for any wicket in T20Is. On the individual front, Yamamoto-Lake amassed 134 runs in 68 balls, while Kadawoki-Fleming scored 109 in 53.
In response, the Chinese batters didn’t have any answer to this onslaught and got bowled out for 78 runs.
3. Sanju Samson (109*) and Tilak Varma (120*) | India vs South Africa, 2024
The pair of Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma became the first from a Test-playing nation to achieve this feat. Batting first on a flatter Wanderers deck, the duo treated South African bowlers with disdain.
Samson scored an unbeaten 109 after bagging two ducks in the previous two matches. Varma, on the other hand, was fresh off his maiden T20I in the last match. He smashed 120 not out in 47 balls to become just the fifth batter to score consecutive T20I hundreds.
The pair put together 210 runs for the second wicket, which was the first-ever instance of batters scoring a 200-run stand for the said wicket. India ended up with 283 runs, which were more than enough to defeat South Africa by 135 runs.
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