With the evolution of modern T20 cricket, batters have been going hammer and tongs in T20I internationals. They know that an average 160-180 total on the board is never enough and they need to cross the magical 200-run number – for an added psychological advantage.
With sixes raining like confetti and boundaries, a common sight, putting up high T20 scores has been an easy task. Teams that bat first, have the liberty and license to go all-out and teams try to capitalize and take advantage of it.
The year 2024 was a special year for T20 batters! It felt like the highest t20i scores were written all over the year and batters put humongous totals on the board with considerable ease. 5 out of the top 6 highest t20 scores were logged in 2024, with the highest t20i score logged at 344/4 by Zimbabwe.
In this article, we take a look at the top 10 highest team totals in T20 international cricket:
| Team | Score | Opposition | Ground | Match Date |
| Zimbabwe | 344/4 | vs Gambia | Nairobi (Ruaraka) | 23 Oct 2024 |
| Nepal | 314/3 | vs Mongolia | Hangzhou | 27 Sep 2023 |
| India | 297/6 | vs Bangladesh | Hyderabad | 12 Oct 2024 |
| Zimbabwe | 286/5 | vs Seychelles | Nairobi (Gym) | 19 Oct 2024 |
| India | 283/1 | vs South Africa | Johannesburg | 15 Nov 2024 |
| Afghanistan | 278/3 | vs Ireland | Dehradun | 23 Feb 2019 |
| Czech Rep. | 278/4 | vs Turkey | Ilfov County | 30 Aug 2019 |
| Nigeria | 271/4 | vs Ivory Coast | Abuja | 24 Nov 2024 |
| Malaysia | 268/4 | vs Thailand | Hangzhou | 2 Oct 2023 |
| England | 267/3 | vs West Indies | Tarouba | 19 Dec 2023 |
1. 344/4 by Zimbabwe vs Gambia in 2024
Zimbabwe went berserk against Gambia on 23rd October 2024 and put up a jaw-dropping total score of 344 runs. It is the highest t20i total and it was carnage at its very best.
It was the 12th match at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Sub Regional Africa Group B game and the match was peppered with drama and entertainment. Sikandar Raza bagged the player of the match award for scoring 133* runs.
2. 314/3 by Nepal vs Mongolia in 2023
Nepal put up a show at the Asian Games 2022 in Hangzhou as they blasted their way to a commanding total of 314 runs against minnows, Mongolia. Kushal Malla was the cynosure of all eyes as he scored 137* runs.
His innings was peppered with 8 fours and 12 sixes and he batted with a sensational strike-rate of 274.00.
3. 297/6 by India vs Bangladesh in 2024
India flexed their dominant muscles against Bangladesh in this T20I game at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad. The Men in Blue posted a big total of 297 runs.
Sanju Samson scored 111 runs while skipper Surya Kumar Yadav scored a valuable knock of 75 runs to post India’s highest T20I score. India won the game comfortably by 133 runs.
4. 286/5 by Zimbabwe vs Seychelles
In the 2nd game at the Sub Regional Africa Qualifiers in 2024, Zimbabwe scored 286 runs against Seychelles and absolutely hammered them away.
The openers in the form of Brian Bennett and Tadiwanashe Marumani scored 91 and 86 runs respectively, to set the stage for Zimbabwe. It was the second-highest t20 score for Zimbabwe at the international level.
5. 283/1 by India vs South Africa in 2024
India posted their 2nd-highest T20I score as they blasted their way to 283/1 against South Africa at Johannesburg. Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma hogged the limelight as they scored 109* and 120* runs respectively in this game.
Both the batters were not-out and sent shivers down the spines for the opposition batters. India eventually won the game by 135 runs.
6. 278/3 by Afghanistan vs Ireland
In the 2nd T20I at Dehradun, Afghanistan posted a huge total of 278 runs for the loss of 3 wickets at the end of the 1st innings. It is the highest T20 score by Afghanistan. Hazratullah Zazai had activated his beast mode and had scored 162* runs in just 62 deliveries.
Afghanistan steamrolled past Ireland by 84 runs as spin wizard Rashid spun a web and bamboozled the opposition batters.
7. 278/4 by Czech Republic vs Turkey
This is the highest T20 score by a non-Test playing nation! Czech Republic posted a humongous total of 278 runs on the board against Turkey on 30th August 2019 at the Continental Cup.
Sudesh Wickramasekara had scored 104* runs in just 36 deliveries and his innings was dotted with 8 fours and 10 sixes.
8. 271/4 by Nigeria vs Ivory Coast
In a historic match in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Sub Regional Africa Qualifier Group C game, Nigeria had outclassed Ivory Coast by a jaw-dropping margin of 264 runs.
Batting first, Nigeria posted 271 runs – thanks to Selim Salau and Isaac Okpe’s top knocks of 112 and 65* runs respectively. Ivory Coast were skittled out for 7 runs and they inadvertently logged the lowest-ever total in men’s t20i internationals.
9. 268/4 by Malaysia vs Thailand
In the Asian Games 2022, Malaysia scored 268 runs on the board in their match versus Thailand. Syed Aziz scored 126 runs in 56 deliveries and his blazing blade set the entire stage on fire.
In response, Thailand were bowled out for a paltry score of 74 runs in 20 overs.
10. 267/3 by England vs West Indies
This is the highest team total by England and it came against West Indies in the 4th T20I at Tarouba. While chasing, West Indies did put up a good fight but it was England who bagged the honours of the game by 75 runs.
Phil Salt smashed 119 runs while skipper Jos Buttler and Liam Livingstone copped up fifties, to set the stage for The Three Lions.
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