The 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will be held in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8. The tournament will feature 55 matches played across eight venues. Five venues will be in India, while three will be in Sri Lanka. A total of 20 teams will take part in the tournament. Scotland recently replaced Bangladesh after Bangladesh withdrew from the event.

The 20 teams have been divided into four groups, with five teams in each group. India and Pakistan are placed in Group A. Australia and Sri Lanka are in Group B. England and West Indies are part of Group C, while New Zealand and South Africa are in Group D. After the group stage, the tournament will move into the Super 8 round, followed by the knockout matches.

Over the nine editions of the Men’s T20 World Cup played so far, batters have delivered many outstanding performances. As the new edition approaches, we take a look back at the five highest individual scores in the history of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

Also read -Top 5 bowlers with the best bowling figures in men’s T20 World Cup history ft. Sam Curran

1. Brendon McCullum (123 off 58) vs Bangladesh – 2012

Former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum holds the record for the highest individual score in Men’s T20 World Cup history. He scored 123 runs off 58 balls against Bangladesh at Pallekele in the 2012 tournament.

New Zealand were sent in to bat and scored 191 for 3 in 20 overs. Bangladesh were later restricted to 132 for 8, and New Zealand won the match by 59 runs. Batting at number three, McCullum hit 11 fours and seven sixes. He was dismissed on the final ball of the innings.

2. Chris Gayle (117 off 57) vs South Africa – 2007

West Indies legend Chris Gayle scored 117 runs off 57 balls against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2007. This was the first match of the Men’s T20 World Cup.

West Indies scored 205 for 6 after batting first. Gayle opened the innings and hit seven fours and ten sixes. He added 145 runs for the first wicket with Devon Smith. However, South Africa chased the target and won the match.

3. Alex Hales (116 off 64) vs Sri Lanka – 2014*

England batter Alex Hales played a match-winning knock against Sri Lanka in Chattogram during the 2014 T20 World Cup. He remained unbeaten on 116 runs from 64 balls.

England chased a target of 190 runs and won the match by six wickets. Hales hit 11 fours and six sixes. He shared a 150-run partnership with Eoin Morgan to guide England to victory.

4. Ahmed Shehzad (111 off 62) vs Bangladesh – 2014*

Pakistan batter Ahmed Shehzad scored an unbeaten 111 runs off 62 balls against Bangladesh in Mirpur during the 2014 T20 World Cup.

Pakistan batted first and scored 190 for 5. Bangladesh were restricted to 140 for 7, and Pakistan won by 50 runs. Shehzad opened the innings and hit ten fours and five sixes.

5. Rilee Rossouw (109 off 56) vs Bangladesh – 2022

South Africa batter Rilee Rossouw scored 109 runs off 56 balls against Bangladesh in Sydney in the 2022 T20 World Cup.

South Africa scored 205 for 5 after batting first. Bangladesh were bowled out for 101, and South Africa won the match by 104 runs. Rossouw batted at number three and hit seven fours and eight sixes.

England team head coach Brendon McCullum was unexpectedly at the focal point on Day 1 of the fifth and final test match of the Ashes series at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Cameras caught him cheekily checking the answers to a crossword puzzle in the dressing room, creating a lighthearted moment in an otherwise tense Test match.

The funny incident happened during the 39th over of England’s innings. After a shaky start that saw England lose three early wickets for 57 runs, Joe Root and Harry Brook were rebuilding the innings at the crease. Off the field, McCullum looked relaxed as he flipped through his crossword booklet before sneaking a look at the answer page.

Commentators were quick to notice the moment on live television and could not resist a joke. One quipped that McCullum should be careful about checking answers on national TV. The clip quickly spread on social media, with fans sharing memes and poking fun at the England coach in good spirit.

Rain Interrupts Play as Root and Brook Anchor England’s Innings

Finally, despite the early setbacks, England showed some control with the bat. Root and Brook looked calm and confident, dealing effortlessly with the Australian bowlers. At Tea, England managed to get 211/3, the pair stitching an undefeated 154-run partnership that gave the visitors much-needed stability.

Watch the video here

Brendon McCullum is looking for the answers while doing a crossword puzzle.😂😄

(🎥- 7Cricket) pic.twitter.com/VitDDR3Qo7

— Cricket Sangrah (@CricketSangrah) January 4, 2026

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Just as England started to build momentum, the weather intervened. Poor light forced the umpires to monitor conditions late in the session, which led to an early Tea break at the ground. Soon after, rain arrived and play was stopped completely.

Although the grounds staff worked hard to get the game going again, conditions did not improve. No further play was possible after Tea, and Day 1 ended early. Even so, England will take confidence from the strong partnership, finding some solid answers on the field in a series where consistency has been hard to come by.

The former England captain, Michael Vaughan, requested caution post England’s overwhelming Ashes 2025/26 victory at the Melbourne Cricket Ground as they head into the fifth and final game of the series at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). The former captain underlined that ending the series on a clinical note would be crucial for captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum.

England responded strongly at the MCG as the game was played on a bowling-friendly surface, which produced 36 wickets, all failing to pace. He felt that the last win was more like a lottery and believes that this team and the management would need to show progress in winning a hard-fought contest.

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“I think it's a massive game for England [in Sydney]. It's nice to win a game of cricket, but let's be honest, it was a complete lottery in Melbourne. It wasn't a proper game of Test match cricket. For the future and for this management in particular, they need to win a strong game of cricket here. That's not a two-dayer.” Vaughan expressed in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Michael Vaughan gives England new goal for Sydney Test

England’s Melbourne win was their first Test victory in Australia since 2011, bringing an end to a wait of over 5000 days. Under McCullum, they have now played 45 Tests, winning 25 and losing 17. Vaughan stresses the New Year’s Test could prove to be decisive in their leadership set-up for the future.

“For this management to carry on, the likes of Ben and Baz - I'm pretty sure they will carry on - but I think they need a good week for that to be absolutely rock solid. There's a huge appetite within the group to keep [McCullum] on. But fundamentally, if they get pummeled in Sydney, there needs to be some honest conversations.” Vaughan added.

“I think chopping and changing is not necessarily the right thing for English cricket. Whatever happens at the end of this tour, they've got to accept that they got a lot of things wrong. If they're going to be so stubborn as to think that they were a bit unlucky, or that things didn't quite go the way they wanted.” The former England captain concluded.

The England team’s terrible Ashes 2025–26 performance has brought the coach Brendon McCullum into the limelight. There is a lot of speculation regarding the future of the much-discussed ‘Bazball’ playing style. The series was lost in just 11 days, and with the score at 0-3 and two Tests left, the team led by Ben Stokes has been completely outclassed in all areas by Australia.

Monty Panesar brings up Ravi Shastri as the one who can help England solve the Australian problem

Meanwhile, the dust has not settled yet, and the former England player Monty Panesar has put a rather surprising but at the same time very attractive name on the table: Ravi Shastri. During his conversation with journalist Ravi Bisht on YouTube, Panesar insisted that Shastri's acknowledged ability to defeat Australia was what made him a perfect choice to pull England out of their present predicament.

“You have to question who clearly knows how to beat Australia,” said Panesar. “What are the ways to mentally, physically, and tactically exploit their strengths? I think Ravi Shastri must be the next head coach of England.”

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The credentials of Shastri are tough to overlook. He was the captain behind the two famous Test series wins in Australia during India’s heydays, 2018–19 and again in 2020–21, while he was the India head coach. The latter victory, which was attained in spite of injuries and the notorious 36 all out in Adelaide, has been described as one of India’s greatest overseas accomplishments.

Bazball is at a turning point as McCullum faces the consequence of the Ashes collapse

McCullum, the England and Wales Cricket Board’s choice in 2022, first made the Test team of England a different character. Together with Stokes, he took the team to 10 victories in their first 11 matches, bringing back faith and combativeness. But the victory has now turned to a draw. England has been unable to win high-profile series against Australia and India and has lost 16 of the last 33 Tests.

McCullum has, however, been criticized, and has still kept saying he is not the one to decide about his future. He is under contract until the 2027 ODI World Cup, and he keeps insisting he is still motivated, calling the England role “a pretty good gig.”

With the Ashes already lost and the pressure mounting, the ECB is faced with a crucial decision. The choice between continuing with the Bazball approach or seeking a tough tactician like Shastri could determine the course of England's red-ball cricket for many years.

The England Cricket Board (ECB) is looking for verification of their opening batter Ben Duckett’s video where he was seen drunk and unable to find his way back to the team hotel during the squad’s three-day break to Noosa between the second and third Ashes 2025/26 Test. The video has emerged on X, just hours after men’s managing director, Rob Key, confirmed that there would be an investigation.

They will look to check the behavior of the players, especially including Ben Duckett, into the trip to the Sunshine Coast resort town, which followed an eight-wicket lose in Brisbane that put them 2-0 down in the series. The plan for the break in Noosa beach, which the ECB called a holiday, was organized by head coach Brendon McCullum in advance, to make the players freshen up.

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England went on to put their best bowling in the first innings and batting in the second innings of the Adelaide Test. Still, they succumbed to an 82-run defeat to see the home side retaining the urn in the five-matches as the lose the Ashes in record 11 days.

ECB to investigate Ben Duckett’s drunk video

Duckett, who was decent with the bat in the home series against India in the longest format, couldn’t get the same touch back since that time, having not scored a single international half-century in the entire ODI and T20I series against New Zealand, followed by this Ashes 2025/26 trip.

“We have high expectations for behaviour, accepting that players are often under intense levels of scrutiny, with established processes that we follow when conduct falls below expectations. We also support players that need assistance. We will not comment further at this stage while we establish the facts.” Key spoke in the ECB statement.

The 31-year-old Duckett has managed only 97 runs in this series at an average of 16.16 with a top score of 29. He also had the tough Ashes for the Lions squad in 2017-18. During that period, he was sent home with a fine and suspension by the ECB for pouring a drink over James Anderson in the Avenue Bar in Perth.

Team India’s new ODI skipper Shubman Gill had a disappointing start to his 50-over captaincy tenure as his side fell to a seven-wicket defeat against Australia in the opening match of the ODI series at Perth’s Optus Stadium on Sunday, October 19. With this result, the 26-year-old joined a rare list of prominent cricketers who began their captaincy careers in all three formats with losses.

Captaining a national side is never an easy task, the pressure, expectations, and tactical responsibilities can often be overwhelming at the start. While many skippers endure initial hiccups, only a handful have experienced defeats in their first game across Tests, ODIs, and T20Is.

Here’s a look at five star players who lost their first match as captain in all formats.

1. Shubman Gill

Gill’s ODI captaincy debut against Australia did not go as planned, as India stumbled to a modest 136/9 in a rain-affected encounter before the hosts chased the target comfortably under DLS conditions.

Earlier this year, Gill’s first Test as captain came in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 opener at Headingley, where England chased down 371 to clinch victory. Before that, he had led a young Indian T20I side in Zimbabwe in 2024. Despite India being firm favorites after reducing the hosts to 115/9, the team collapsed to 102 all out, with Gill’s 31 off 29 being the top score.

2. Virat Kohli

One of the most accomplished modern-day captains, Virat Kohli also endured defeats in his first games as skipper in every format. His Test captaincy debut came in the 2014-15 Adelaide Test against Australia, where he scored centuries in both innings but couldn’t prevent a narrow loss. In ODIs, his first outing as captain was during a 2013 tri-series match against Sri Lanka in the West Indies, where India suffered a 161-run defeat.

In T20Is, Kohli’s first match as skipper came against England in Kanpur, where India managed 147/7. England chased down the total with ease to win by seven wickets.

3. Shaun Pollock

The South African legend became the first captain to experience this unfortunate streak. Pollock’s ODI captaincy debut came against Pakistan during the 2000 Coca-Cola Cup in Sharjah, where South Africa were bundled out for 101 in pursuit of 169. His Test leadership began in Sri Lanka, where the hosts won by an innings and 15 runs thanks to Muttiah Muralitharan’s 13-wicket haul.

In T20Is, Pollock led just once, a rain-shortened match against West Indies in Port Elizabeth, where South Africa were restricted to 58/8 in 13 overs and eventually lost by five wickets.

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4. Stephen Fleming

Regarded as one of New Zealand’s finest captains, Stephen Fleming too began his leadership career with defeats across all formats. His first Test as captain in 1997 against England at Christchurch ended in a four-wicket loss after the visitors chased down 307. His first ODI as skipper, also at the same venue against Sri Lanka, saw the Blackcaps post 201/9 before the visitors chased it down comfortably.

Fleming also captained in the first-ever T20I in history, played against Australia in 2005 at Eden Park. New Zealand lost that game by 44 runs following a blistering performance from Ricky Ponting.

5. Brendon McCullum

Another Kiwi great, Brendon McCullum, who later revolutionized New Zealand’s approach to cricket, also endured a poor start in all three formats. His first T20I as captain came against England at Eden Park, where New Zealand fell short by 32 runs while chasing 185. In ODIs, McCullum’s captaincy debut in 2009 against India ended in a heavy defeat, as Sachin Tendulkar’s 163 powered the visitors to 392/4. Despite McCullum’s brisk 71, the Kiwis were bowled out for 334.

In Tests, McCullum led for the first time during the 2013 South Africa tour, where New Zealand suffered a crushing innings defeat after being dismissed for just 45 in the first innings.

While these initial setbacks might have been forgettable, each of these cricketers went on to leave a strong legacy in their own right. Leadership in international cricket often begins with tough lessons, and for players like Shubman Gill, these early challenges could serve as the foundation for future success.

South Africa faced the wrath of Phil Salt on September 12, during a T20I match at Old Trafford, Manchester. During the match, Salt scored a stunning 141 not out against 60 deliveries with the help of a staggering number of 15 boundaries and 8 over-boundaries. There are very few batters in world cricket now, especially as an opener, who can match the level of intensity of the England opener. A few years back, there was an opener named Brendon McCullum, who was known for his swashbuckling batting. After retiringfrom international cricket, McCullum got a job as England's head coach. Since then, England's batting approach has changed largely. Through training, Salt definitely absorbed some inputs from the former New Zealand opener. But who has better stats in international standards, Salt or McCullum, whose numbers are more exciting to see? Let's explore. 

Phil Salt:

The 29-year-old opener has been operating as a limited-overs cricketer for England. For Three Lions, the batter has played 33 One Day International matches and 45 T20 International games. Because of his style of smashing the ball, Salt's T20I stats are more attractive than his ODI performance. Unbeaten 141, which he played against South Africa in Manchester. He is one of the leading batters of ODI and T20I cricket who has possessed well over a hundred strike rate.

Phil Salt – ODI Stats

Brendon McCullum:

He was an all-format cricketer for New Zealand. As Salt plays only ODIs and T20Is, the discussion about McCullum's Test career may sound inappropriate. Throughout his career, the keeper-batter played 260 ODIs and 71 T20Is to score 6083 and 2140 runs, respectively. His T20I batting average, 35.66, is more than his ODI batting average. He also became the second man, after Chris Gayle, to score a T20I century in Christchurch in 2009-10.

Brendon McCullum – ODI Statistics

England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler recently highlighted how data is transforming T20 cricket, using Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter Tim David as a prime example. Speaking on the 'For The Love Of Cricket' podcast, Buttler explained that although David may never win the Orange Cap, his value lies in his impactful cameos. “Someone like Tim David had an exceptional season with RCB. He’s never going to be an Orange Cap winner. But the impact in those 10 balls he faces—these are the sort of things. How data has affected T20 cricket,” Buttler said.

David was signed by RCB in the IPL 2025 mega auction for ₹3 crore and went on to score 187 runs from nine innings. While the total may appear modest, his average of 62.33 and explosive strike rate of 185.14 proved crucial for the franchise. His ability to finish games and play high-impact roles in limited deliveries shows how data now evaluates players beyond traditional milestones like runs or wickets.

During the same conversation, RCB analyst Freddie Wilde spoke about the behind-the-scenes contributions of Dinesh Karthik. Acting as batting coach and mentor, Karthik also made real-time fielding adjustments, similar to a football manager’s style. “In one game against Chennai, he moved the third man fractionally finer, and the ball pretty much went to that guy the next ball,” Wilde recalled. He credited RCB captain Rajat Patidar’s openness to tactical tweaks as a key factor in their success.

Watch the video here

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Buttler, McCullum, and the instinct-over-data philosophy

Jos Buttler also shed light on how England Test coach Brendon McCullum uses a different approach—relying less on analytics. “Baz is a really clever coach... He’s more of a feel coach. He likes to create a vibe and an atmosphere,” Buttler said. Freddie Wilde echoed the sentiment, saying McCullum prefers players to go out with an “uncluttered mind” and use their instincts.

Currently, England is leading India 2-1 in a gripping five-match Test series at home, and the debate over instinct versus data continues to shape the modern game.

Jofra Archer is expected to make his long-awaited comeback for England in the third Test against India this week at Lord’s. England’s head coach, Brendon McCullum, has asked for a pitch with good pace, bounce and movement to help the fast bowlers. Archer, who is 30 now, was with the team at Edgbaston last week but didn’t play in England’s heavy 336-run loss to India. With the series tied at 1-1, McCullum hinted that they will freshen up the bowling attack, making room for Archer to return.

Jofra Archer set for Test return at Lord’s

“He will definitely be available for selection,” McCullum said. “Our fast bowlers have played two Tests in a row with little rest before we head to Lord’s. We’ll see how things settle, but Jofra is looking fit, strong and ready to play.” Lord’s is a special place for Archer. It’s where he made his memorable Test debut in the 2019 Ashes, taking five wickets and delivering that famous bouncer that forced Australia’s Steve Smith to retire with concussion.

But Archer has been out of Test cricket for four years because of elbow and back injuries. Since his last Test in 2021, he has mostly played limited-overs cricket and only managed one first-class match for Sussex this season. “We all know what he can do in Tests,” McCullum said. “We hope that when he gets his chance, he can find that form again and maybe do even better.”

BRENDON MCCULLUM CONFIRMS JOFRA ARCHER IS BACK IN CALCULATION FOR THE LORD'S TEST. pic.twitter.com/0sblL41Flg

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) July 7, 2025

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England will also have to decide which bowler to rest if Archer comes in. Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue have all bowled two tough Tests and looked tired in the last match, where India’s Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj bowled much better. India have also confirmed that their star bowler Jasprit Bumrah will definitely return for the Lord’s Test, making it even tougher for England.