STATS: The records that tumbled in England’s victory over New Zealand
England beat New Zealand by the barest of 76-run margins to level their T20 series at 2-2 with one game to play and broke a whole stack of the men’s team records along the way. Here’s a list. Everyone loves lists.
England’s highest T20I total: 241/3 v New Zealand, Napier, today
Previous best: 230/8 v South Africa, Mumbai, 2016
Today’s effort is neither as significant nor as funny as the truly bonkers successful run-chase against South Africa in the last World T20, but it is undeniably bigger. That’s just maths.
England’s highest T20I partnership: 182, Dawid Malan & Eoin Morgan v New Zealand, Napier, today
Previous best: 159, Ravi Bopara & Alex Hales v West Indies, Trent Bridge, 2012
A lot of people will describe today as a good one for England given their impressive victory and whatnot, but is any day on which Ravi Bopara and Alex Hales are struck from the record books a good one? No. No it is not. Shame on Malan, shame on Morgan.
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England’s fastest T20I 50: 21 balls, Eoin Morgan v New Zealand, Napier, today
Previous best: 22 balls, Jos Buttler v Australia, Edgbaston, 2018
A lot of people will describe today as a good one for England given their impressive victory and whatnot, but is any day on which Jos Buttler is struck from the record books a good one? No. No it is not. Shame on Morgan.
England’s fastest T20I 100: 48 balls, Dawid Malan v New Zealand, Napier, today
Previous best: 60 balls, Alex Hales v Sri Lanka, Chittagong, 2014
A lot of people will desc… okay, that’s enough of that. Only one rival for Malan to overhaul and he’s done it easily. By 12 balls. That’s two whole overs. Ten per cent of a T20 innings. Twelve per cent of a Hundred innings. That’s a landslide. Hales must now live with the ignominy of having scored England’s slowest ever T20I century. Technically this was already true, of course.
Highest T20I partnership for a non-opening pair: 182, Dawid Malan & Eoin Morgan v New Zealand, Napier, today
Previous best: 166, Mahela Jayawardene & Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) v West Indies, Bridgetown, 2010
Is that a thing? Highest partnership by a non-opening pair? Absolutely not. But there it is, we’ve put it here anyway just because we can. Have absolutely no recollection of the Jayawardene-Sangakkara partnership that has been knocked off this most convoluted of perches, but bet it was real pretty.
Most 50+ scores in first nine T20Is: 6, Dawid Malan, England
Previous best: No idea tbh
Haven’t checked this one. Must be true, though, surely. And if it isn’t then someone on Twitter will correct it for us soon enough. Thanks in advance, hivemind!
Highest T20I score by an England captain: 91, Eoin Morgan v New Zealand, Napier, today
Previous best: 80*, Eoin Morgan v New Zealand, Hamilton, 2018
Only the ninth half-century by an England captain in T20Is, which seems pretty low really. Morgan extends his lead over Paul Collingwood to 6-3 in this particular contest. One must never say never, but seems unlikely Collingwood will catch him now. The highest T20I score by a non-Morgan, non-Collingwood England captain is a 46 from Jos Buttler against the Aussies last year. Below that trio things very quickly get very silly: Andrew Strauss (33), Michael Vaughan (27), Alastair Cook (26), Stuart Broad (18*), Graeme Swann (0*), James Tredwell (DNB).
Most sixes in a T20I innings by an England batsman: 7, Eoin Morgan v New Zealand, Napier, today
Tied with: Ravi Bopara v Australia, 2014; Eoin Morgan v India, 2014; Eoin Morgan v Australia, 2015; Jason Roy v India, 2018
Should England worry about the apparent mental block that prevents Morgan hitting an eighth six in an innings?
