Who are the biggest hitters in T20?
A look at the batsmen and bowlers with the best boundary and dot-ball stats in T20 internationals
In a format in which balls available are at a premium, those who waste the fewest deliveries are obviously a huge asset. The table below offers a reminder to England (if they ever needed one) and their fans of why Kevin Pietersen was such a key player: no batsman has a lower dot-ball percentage, among those who have scored 500 runs in T20 internationals. Out of 831 balls he faced, he went runless off only 255. Off the other 576 balls, he scored 119 fours and 32 sixes, and also took 348 singles, 71 twos and six threes.
Batsman | Runs | Balls/ Dots | Average | Run rate | Dot ball % |
Kevin Pietersen | 1176 | 831/ 255 | 37.93 | 8.49 | 30.69 |
Michael Hussey | 566 | 403/ 126 | 33.29 | 8.42 | 31.27 |
Shahid Afridi | 801 | 562/ 182 | 18.20 | 8.55 | 32.38 |
Cameron White | 652 | 484/ 163 | 28.34 | 8.08 | 33.68 |
Paul Collingwood | 583 | 459/ 155 | 18.80 | 7.62 | 33.77 |
Yuvraj Singh | 601 | 400/ 139 | 31.63 | 9.01 | 34.75 |
Mahela Jayawardene | 981 | 706/ 246 | 30.65 | 8.33 | 34.84 |
Jacques Kallis | 642 | 525/ 185 | 40.12 | 7.33 | 35.24 |
Suresh Raina | 658 | 477/ 169 | 32.90 | 8.27 | 35.43 |
JP Duminy | 846 | 687/ 244 | 32.53 | 7.38 | 35.52 |
Batsman | Runs | Balls/ dots | Average | Run rate | Dot ball % |
Mohammad Hafeez | 647 | 575/ 279 | 20.21 | 6.75 | 48.52 |
Sanath Jayasuriya | 629 | 487/ 234 | 23.29 | 7.74 | 48.05 |
Graeme Smith | 982 | 770/ 340 | 31.67 | 7.65 | 44.16 |
Kamran Akmal | 778 | 619/ 271 | 25.09 | 7.54 | 43.78 |
Salman Butt | 595 | 551/ 240 | 28.33 | 6.47 | 43.56 |
Chris Gayle | 757 | 526/ 223 | 36.04 | 8.63 | 42.40 |
The list of batsmen with the highest percentage of runs in boundaries also has a few names who featured in the previous table. As mentioned earlier, it's most likely that openers will dominate this list, as there's less protection in the outfield when they are batting. However, there are a couple of non-openers who make it: Yuvraj combines a low dot-batting strike rate with a high percentage of runs in boundaries, which explains his outstanding strike rate and the fact that he is the only batsman to score 500-plus runs in T20 internationals at a strike rate of more than 150. Then there's Albie Morkel, who has scored crucial runs for South Africa down the order when there's little time to settle in. (Both Yuvraj and Morkel are among the select few who have struck more sixes than fours in Twenty20 internationals.)
Batsman | Runs | Average | Run rate | 4s/ 6s | Boundary % |
Sanath Jayasuriya | 629 | 23.29 | 7.74 | 76/ 23 | 70.27 |
Chris Gayle | 757 | 36.04 | 8.63 | 67/ 43 | 69.48 |
Shane Watson | 731 | 27.07 | 8.87 | 56/ 47 | 69.22 |
Graeme Smith | 982 | 31.67 | 7.65 | 123/ 26 | 65.99 |
David Warner | 978 | 27.16 | 8.44 | 91/ 46 | 65.44 |
Yuvraj Singh | 601 | 31.63 | 9.01 | 35/ 40 | 63.23 |
Brendon McCullum | 1443 | 36.07 | 7.96 | 139/ 57 | 62.23 |
Albie Morkel | 502 | 23.90 | 8.53 | 28/ 33 | 61.75 |
Martin Guptill | 818 | 32.72 | 7.49 | 71/ 35 | 60.39 |
Just as minimising the dot-ball percentage is key for batsmen, maximising it is crucial for bowlers, to increase the pressure on batsmen and force them into errors. Among bowlers who have bowled at least 75 overs, South Africa's Morne Morkel has the highest dot-ball percentage, of 50.29. Not surprisingly, his economy rate and average are both excellent.
Bowler | Balls | Wickets | Average | Econ rate | Dot % |
Morne Morkel | 521 | 34 | 17.26 | 6.76 | 50.29 |
Trent Johnston | 492 | 25 | 20.28 | 6.18 | 49.80 |
Shane Bond | 465 | 25 | 21.72 | 7.00 | 48.82 |
Dale Steyn | 498 | 31 | 17.87 | 6.67 | 46.99 |
Mitchell Johnson | 609 | 36 | 20.11 | 7.13 | 45.32 |
Sohail Tanvir | 459 | 21 | 25.47 | 6.99 | 45.32 |
Stuart Broad | 795 | 41 | 23.70 | 7.33 | 44.28 |
Umar Gul | 892 | 59 | 16.66 | 6.61 | 44.17 |
Saeed Ajmal | 924 | 60 | 15.48 | 6.03 | 44.16 |
Abdur Razzak | 461 | 29 | 17.96 | 6.78 | 44.03 |
The list of bowlers with the lowest percentage of runs in boundaries is dominated by spinners - and all of them high-class spinners who have learnt the art of bowling in 20-over cricket. Daniel Vettori leads the way, and has conceded more sixes than fours, which is perhaps a commentary on the size of the outfields in New Zealand as well. The one number in Harbhajan Singh's row that stands out is his average: while most of the others average less than 21, Harbhajan concedes 30 runs per wicket.
Bowler | Runs | Wickets | Average | Run rate | 4s/ 6s | Boundary % |
Daniel Vettori | 617 | 35 | 17.62 | 5.50 | 18/ 20 | 31.12 |
Harbhajan Singh | 541 | 18 | 30.05 | 6.44 | 23/ 14 | 32.53 |
Graeme Swann | 742 | 44 | 16.86 | 6.39 | 25/ 26 | 34.50 |
Ajantha Mendis | 444 | 39 | 11.38 | 5.69 | 26/ 11 | 38.29 |
Shahid Afridi | 1141 | 57 | 20.01 | 6.10 | 72/ 30 | 41.02 |
Johan Botha | 727 | 36 | 20.19 | 6.24 | 50/ 18 | 42.37 |
Saeed Ajmal | 929 | 60 | 15.48 | 6.03 | 61/ 25 | 42.41 |
Sohail Tanvir | 535 | 21 | 25.47 | 6.99 | 45/ 10 | 44.86 |
Bowler | Runs | Wickets | Average | Run rate | 4s/ 6s | Boundary % |
Kyle Mills | 895 | 31 | 28.87 | 8.39 | 94/ 33 | 64.13 |
Tim Southee | 773 | 28 | 27.60 | 8.49 | 82/ 26 | 62.61 |
Shane Bond | 543 | 25 | 21.72 | 7.00 | 64/ 12 | 60.41 |
Brett Lee | 714 | 28 | 25.50 | 7.86 | 77/ 17 | 57.42 |
Albie Morkel | 674 | 20 | 33.70 | 7.94 | 48/ 30 | 55.19 |
Morne Morkel | 587 | 34 | 17.26 | 6.76 | 49/ 21 | 54.86 |
Jacob Oram | 669 | 14 | 47.78 | 8.63 | 63/ 19 | 54.71 |
Stuart Broad | 972 | 41 | 23.70 | 7.33 | 95/ 25 | 54.53 |
S Rajesh is stats editor of ESPNcricinfo. Follow him on Twitter