Carrying a bat is a fascinating phenomenon that happens rarely in international cricket. And it’s even more unusual to witness a batter carry their bat in a T20I innings.
Nowadays, in T20I cricket, batters put a low price on their wicket and come out all guns blazing, scoring runs at a faster pace. Opening batters are at the forefront of this attack.
However, there have been a handful of instances of opening batters remaining unbeaten at the end of an innings with the other 10 batters back in the dugout. (For a detailed explanation, head to our dedicated guide on carrying the bat here.)
Here, we’ll look at the batters who carried their bat in a T20I innings.
1. Chris Gayle (West Indies): 63* (50) vs Sri Lanka | 2009
The Universe Boss Chris Gayle became the first opening batter to carry the bat in a completed T20I innings. This first-ever instance unfolded in the 2009 T20 World Cup semi-final between Sri Lanka and the West Indies.
Chasing a target of 159 runs, no batter from the Windies went past 10 runs other than Gayle. 4 batters were out on ducks, with Sri Lanka bundling the Windies out for 101 runs.
The Caribbean team had a shaky start as they lost 3 wickets in the first over, pushing them deep back in the chase. Gayle tried to stitch partnerships with other batters, but wickets kept falling at regular intervals.
In the end, Chris Gayle was left stranded on 63 runs off 50 balls, with the next best score being 9 by Denesh Ramdin.
2. Richmond Baaleri (Ghana): 56* (56) vs Botswana | 2023
After a gap of 14 years, T20I cricket logged the second instance of a batter carrying the bat through an innings. Ghana’s opener, Richmond Baaleri, remained not out on 56 runs, while his team got all out on 115.
Ghana were chasing a target of 154 runs set by Botswana in the second match of the Africa Cricket Association Cup in December 2023. Baaleri, along with his opening partner Alex Osei, built a 47-run partnership for the first wicket in 8.5 overs.
But it all started going downhill after Osei’s dismissal, with no significant support from the other end for Baaleri. Eventually, Botswana bowled out Ghana for 115 runs and won the match by 38 runs.
3. Litton Das (Bangladesh): 54* (49) vs Afghanistan | 2024
The third instance came in the 2024 T20 World Cup match between Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Batting first, Afghanistan mustered a below-par 115 runs on the board.
It was a must-win game for the Afghan Atlans to qualify for the semi-final. They kept Bangladeshi batters in check with their disciplined bowling attack, racking up wickets at crucial stages.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s opener, Litton Das, fought a lone battle, scoring 54 not out off 49 balls. He didn’t get an able support from the other end, as Afghanistan wrapped up Bangladesh for 105 runs.
