India break Pakistan’s record for most T20I wins in a calendar year

The Indian cricket team have registered 27 victories in 2022 so far, the current record for most T20I wins in a calendar year.

India have lost just nine of their 36 completed T20Is in the current calendar year, with one game ending in no result. The Rohit Sharma-led side won seven of the eight bilateral series played. 

They picked up series wins against West Indies (3-0), Sri Lanka (3-0), Ireland (2-0) and England (2-1), West Indies (4-1) along with victories over South Africa (2-1) and Australia (2-1). The bilateral series against South Africa in June 2022 ended in a 2-2 stalemate.

The Pakistan cricket team are next in the list, having registered 20 victories in 2021.

Under the captaincy of Babar Azam, the Men in Green registered bilateral series wins against South Africa (home and away), West Indies (home and away) and Bangladesh (away).

They also won the opening game of their three-match T20I series in England. Pakistan, however, went on to lose the series 2-1.

With 2021 being the year of the T20 World Cup, perhaps Pakistan’s most significant result was a 10-wicket victory over rivals India in their group stage matchup in the tournament.

After restricting India to 151/7 in the first innings, half-centuries from Mohammad Rizwan (79) and Azam (68) inspired Pakistan to their biggest-ever win in terms of wickets over India in limited-overs cricket.

Over the course of the tournament, Pakistan also won against New Zealand, Afghanistan, Namibia and Scotland.

Pakistan’s 17 T20I wins in 2018 is second on the list for most T20I wins in a calendar year.

Prior to 2021, 2018 was a memorable year for the Men in Green in 20-overs cricket, as they lost just two games in the entire calendar year. Additionally, they registered series whitewashes against West Indies (3-0), Australia (3-0), New Zealand (3-0, in UAE) and Scotland (2-0).

In 2021, Uganda won 11 of the 16 games between September 11 and October 22. After a narrow one-run defeat to Kenya, Uganda went on a five-game winning spree in November.

Australia’s 2010 T20I team became the first to register 10 or more wins in a calendar year. Six of those victories came in the 2010 T20 World Cup, where they finished as runners-up to England.

Most T20I wins in a calendar year

(*) ongoing record

Author: William Paul

Featured photo: SURJEET YADAV / AFP