England cricket team batter Dawid Malan holds the record for the fastest to 1000 runs in T20I cricket. The swashbuckling left-hander took just 24 T20 internationals to reach 1000 runs in T20Is and he did so against India in Ahmedabad in March 2021.

Malan reached the 1000-run mark in T20Is in three years and 268 days after his debut for England in the 20-over format.

After beginning his T20I career with England in June 2016 with successive fifties, Malan never quite looked back. 

A picture of consistency in arguably a format where consistency is a rare thing, Malan managed 10 fifties and one century in his first 24 matches to score 1000 runs for the Three Lions in T20s.

Malan’s consistency in his first 24 T20 games was further accentuated by his numbers at the time which read 1003 runs in 24 innings at an average of 50.15 and a strike rate of 144.32 for the Englishman.

Malan is followed by another left-hander in the list for fastest to 1000 runs T20I runs. Czech Republic’s Sabawoon Davizi is second on this list having reached the 1000-run mark in T20Is in 24 matches - the same as Malan.

However, the duration taken in terms of time from Davizi’s debut to 1000 T20I runs is less for the Czech player than it is for Malan. Davizi got to 1000 T20I runs in two years and 279 days, which is significantly lesser than Malan, who took more than three years.

Coming in third on this list is Pakistan superstar Babar Azam, who reach 1000 T20I runs in 26 matches. The right-hand batter took just two years and 58 days to reach 1000 T20I runs after making his debut for Pakistan in the format in September 2016.

Babar got to his first 1000 runs in T20Is at an average of 54.26 and a strike rate of 124.37, smashing eight fifties along the way.

Next on this list is New Zealand Devon Conway, who scored 1000 T20I runs in 26 innings just like Babar. However, Conway stands out as the fastest to this landmark in the top five in terms of duration from his debut having achieved the feat one year and 329 days after his T20I bow.

Making up the top five in this list is none other than India’s Virat Kohli, who reached 1000 T20I runs in 27 innings. Kohli brought up his 1000th T20I run against South Africa in October 2015. Other Indians who feature among this top 10 list include KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav.

Fastest to 1000 runs in T20Is

Player	Team	Match Date	Matches	Innings
Dawid Malan	England	March 20, 2021	24	24
Sabawoon Davizi	Czech Republic	July 24, 2022	24	24
Babar Azam	Pakistan	November 4, 2018	26	26
Devon Conway	New Zealand	October 22, 2022	29	26
Virat Kohli	India	October 2, 2015	29	27
Aaron Finch	Australia	February 17, 2017	29	29
KL Rahul	India	December 6, 2019	32	29
Mohammad Rizwan	Pakistan	July 20, 2021	39	31
Suryakumar Yadav	India	October 2, 2022	33	31
Kevin Pietersen	England	August 31, 2011	32	32

Photo Credit: Alamy

Former England captain Kevin Pietersen has expressed disappointment at England's inability to produce a quality left-arm spinner like India’s Ravindra Jadeja. 

”It frustrates me that there still isn’t an international-standard English left-arm spin bowler who bats. Look at what Ravindra Jadeja has done for India in Test match cricket, one-day cricket, and T20 cricket,�?the South African born cricketer wrote on his blog for Betway.

“It’s the one position that the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) must be prioritising. They need to invest in somebody because someone of that ilk is priceless across all three formats,�?Pietersen added.

Over the past few years, Jadeja has been one of the leading cricketers for India. In fact, the all-rounder has also been instrumental in helping the country win matches with his dynamic approach to the game. 

Currently, Ravindra Jadeja sits at No. 3 in Tests as per the latest ICC all-rounder rankings. He was also recently seen exuding his pyrotechnics with the bat for Chennai in the now-suspended edition of the 2021 Indian T20 League. 

The former flamboyant batsman also urged emerging English cricketers to emulate Jadeja’s style of play. Kevin Pietersen also explained how replicating Jadeja’s role can help the next generation extend their international careers. 

“If you’re a kid, an emerging player or a county cricketer, copy Jadeja. Copy what Jadeja does because he’s an absolute superstar. You’ll have a long career as a Test match cricketer for England,�?the 40-year-old concluded.

Interestingly during his playing days, Pietersen rarely appeared comfortable negotiating the left-arm spinners. He is also known to have famously nicknamed former Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh as the ‘Pie-Chucker�?

Featured photo: Twitter / Kevin Pietersen

In a format where scoring quick is the name of the game, the value of measured, methodical knock tends to get undermined. While ‘live fast, die young�?certainly seems to the mantra for most batsmen in T20s, some choose to play smart and pile big runs methodically to ensure the best possible outcome for their side.

Earlier, we already covered the fastest centuries in the Indian T20 League, so below, we’ll take a look at the slowest by the number of balls faced. And while they may be the slowest by definition, these tons are only relatively slow and are often the result of circumstances rather than choice.

Manish Pandey vs Deccan �?67 balls (2009)

In Match 56 of the second edition of the Indian T20 League, youngster Manish Pandey became the first Indian batsman to score a century in the world’s premier T20 league and it came in a 14-run victory for his Bangalore side over Deccan.

The 19-year-old was promoted up the order to open the innings, and after a minor scare in the third over, when he hit the ball straight to RP Singh who couldn’t hold on to it, Pandey played with caution and put away any loose deliveries on offer, scoring his maiden Indian T20 League ton in 67 balls.

Pandey smashed 10 fours and four sixes and finished with 114 runs off 73 balls. The youngster scored over two-thirds of his team’s total of 170.  

David Warner vs Kolkata �?66 balls (2010)

David Warner, the fourth-highest run-scorer in the competition, has been the most successful overseas player in the tournament and has the highest average of any batsman with over 600 runs in the league.

The Australian opener has scored over 500 runs in each of the past five seasons and has scored four centuries in the league, which ranks joint third-highest in tournament's history.

His first came for Delhi against Kolkata in brutal circumstances. Batting first, the team from the capital lost a wicket on the final ball of each of the first three overs and were reduced 38-3 at the conclusion of the third over. With 17 overs left to bat, Warner, alongside Paul Collingwood, decided to steady the ship and forged a mammoth 128-run partnership with the England all-rounder.

Warner reached his century on the first ball of the final over and helped Delhi post a competitive target of 178. Delhi defended the target with ease, winning by 40 runs, and for his incredible 107 off 69 balls which included nine fours and five sixes, Warner was named the Man of the Match.

Sachin Tendulkar vs Kochi �?66 balls (2011)

Just 13 days after India won the ICC Cricket World Cup after 28 years at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, the Mecca of Indian cricket witnessed another ever-lasting memory as the nation’s greatest cricketer, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, smashed his first and only ton in T20s and the Indian T20 League against Kochi.

While opening partner Davy Jacobs struggled to get going, Sachin was seemingly batting on a different surface altogether, smashing the Kochi bowlers all around the park in what was a masterful display from the Master Blaster.

After Jacobs�?dismissal, Sachin and Ambati Rayudu forged a 116-run partnership that took the Mumbai to 177-4 in 19.4 overs. The Master, batting on 95, smashed a boundary with a helicopter shot before taking a single on the final ball to reach his maiden Indian t20 League ton to a rapturous ovation from the Wankhede faithful.

Despite Sachin’s outstanding knock, Mumbai ended up on the losing side as Brendon McCullum’s 81 off 60 balls, Mahela Jayawardene’s 56 off 36 and a cameo from Ravindra Jadeja guided Kochi to victory with six balls to spare. The match though will forever be remembered for Sachin’s magnificent display with the bat.

Kevin Pietersen vs Deccan �?64 balls (2012)

Chasing 157 against Deccan in 2012, Delhi found themselves in a ditch early, as Naman Ojha, Virender Sehwag and Mahela Jayawardene all perished within the first five overs with just 23 on the scoreboard.

Just five overs later, Ross Taylor followed suit, as Delhi saw the run-rate climb above nine with no recognised batsman left. Kevin Pietersen, who came in to bat in the second over, was watching his team unravel from the non-striker’s end, but the Englishman wasn’t dithered.

Pietersen continued to keep the scoreboard ticking from his end and following Taylor’s dismissal, the flashy stroke-player went into attack mode, forging a 49-run partnership in 30 balls with Irfan Pathan, of which the Indian all-rounder’s contribution was a meagre five.

Pathan’s dismissal brought Yogesh Nagar to the centre and the pinch-hitter proved to be the perfect partner for Pietersen, who continued his charge against the Deccan bowling attack. With two needed off the final over, the Englishman, who was batting on 97 off 63 balls, smashed Ankit Sharma for a six, the last of nine that he hit in the match to go along with six boundaries, which brought up his century and ended the contest.

Virat Kohli vs Gujarat �?63 balls (2016) 

The 2016 edition of the tournament was a special season for Virat Kohli.

The Indian cricket team captain scored a tournament record of 973 runs in 16 matches and led Bengalore to the final, where they were beaten by Hyderabad.

Kohli smashed four centuries in that campaign, a record for most in a single season, and the first came against Gujarat in Rajkot.

Batting first, the Indian skipper opened the innings alongside Shane Watson and set the stage on fire on a warm day in Gujarat. Kohli smashed 11 fours and a six in his innings of 100 off 63 balls and guided Bangalore to a mammoth total of 180-2.

Their bowling attack though, as usual, struggled to contain the Lions�?stacked batting line-up and the home side managed to chase the total down with four balls to spare. Kohli was awarded the Man of the Match award despite ending on the losing side, showcasing just how brilliant his knock was.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Dibyangshu Sarkar

When it comes to in-your-face players with talent and guile to back up said attitude, you’ve got Kevin Pietersen. The South African native who played for England will no doubt be remembered as one of the most prolific cricket players to have ever batted for the Three Lions.

On the occasion of his birthday, we look back on what we feel are five of his most memorable knocks in the Gentleman’s Game.

158 vs Australia (2005)

The 2005 Ashes marked England’s first win in the Ashes since 1987 but it also marked the arrival of Pietersen, whose yellow mohawk proved he had the attitude and as he would go on to show on the pitch, the talent as well.

Scoring twin-fifties in the first match (57 and 64 not out), Pietersen arrived at the fifth match having racked up 301 runs in the four matches till then, while England was up 2-1 on Australia.

England chose to bat first, scoring 373, and Australia responded with 367. Coming in at 67/3 in the second innings, Pietersen saved the day with a 158-run knock -- his first Ashes ton -- making legendary bowlers like Brett Lee and Shane Warne look silly and helping England win the series after the match ended in a tie.

100 vs South Africa (2005)

Having proved himself in the Ashes earlier in the year, Pietersen arrived in South Africa as one of England's players to watch. His side won the first game and tied in the second of the seven-match One-Day International (ODI) series against the Proteas but then, it started going downhill for the visitors as they lost two in a row to fall back 1-2.

South Africa opted to bat first in the fifth game after winning the toss and racked up an imposing total of 311. With such a daunting prospect staring down at them, England were not looking too healthy at 117/3 until Pietersen arrived to bat. He struck up a 62-run partnership with Michael Vaughan and following the skipper’s dismissal, went on to score a 69-ball 100 laced with seven boundaries and four sixes.

Despite Pietersen’s gutsy showing, England fell short by seven runs but this his performance on the day will always be remembered.

47 vs Australia (2010)

Having made it to the finals at the World Cup thrice and the Champions Trophy once, England badly craved an ICC tournament triumph as they went into the World T20 in 2010.

England were on the right path, as they made it to the final against Australia, who batted first. A commendable showing from the English bowlers restricted the Aussies to 147.

When it was their turn to bat, Pietersen's arrival at the wicket after the early dismissal of opener MJ Lumb was just what the doctor ordered. Together with Craig Kieswetter, Pieterson struck up a 111-run partnership, contributing 47 runs off 31 balls which included four boundaries and a six and helped England win their first-ICC title.

202 vs India (2011)

Coming off a three-year dearth of hundreds on home ground, Pieterson silenced his critics, fittingly enough, with his slowest century and the only one at Lord’s during the first match of the four-Test series against India in 2011.

Save for a catch by Rahul Dravid that was deemed not to have been taken cleanly, it was a largely chanceless and responsible innings from Pieterson. It was also one of his three career Test double-hundreds and helped vault England atop the ICC Test rankings.

130 vs Pakistan (2012)

Despite a humiliating defeat in the three-Test series against Pakistan earlier in the year, England returned the favour handily in the ODI series against the Falcons.

Having already clinched the series by winning the opening three matches, England were put to field first in the final game after Pakistan won the toss. Failing to restrict the Men in Green from reaching a formidable total of 237, England’s hope of a clean sweep of the series looked in doubt after being reduced to 68/4 by the 16^th over itself.

That��s when Pietersen came to the fore and stepped up, going berserk with a 153-ball 130, peppered with 12 fours and two sixes and assured England of a 4-0 triumph in the series.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Gareth Copley

Kevin Pietersen does not think Ben Stokes should captain England if Joe Root is forced to miss a game against the West Indies because it would heap too much pressure on the all-rounder.

Root's wife is due to give birth in July, meaning he risks missing one of the three behind-closed-doors Tests against the Caribbean side next month.

Root has backed vice-captain Stokes to do a good job in his absence, but former England skipper Pietersen is wary about the all-rounder assuming even more responsibility.

Pietersen, who said he 'hated' the responsibility of being captain of England for a brief spell, would prefer wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler to take over.

Read | England's Rory Burns wary of West Indies

"Do I want to see Ben Stokes change from who he is and the current player he is? Probably not. Jos Buttler would be my guy," he told talkSPORT.

"The entertainers and the guys that have to carry the mantle in the team sometimes aren't the best captains and sometimes struggle with the extra added pressure."

Pietersen said the captaincy changed how players were viewed in the dressing room.

"I struggled with it, I absolutely hated it and I was rubbish," he said. "You have to change and I couldn't command the respect of the dressing room."

England begin their summer of cricket, which has been badly affected by the global pandemic, on July 8 with the first Test against the West Indies.

Read | England confirm West Indies series for July

Further international matches against Pakistan, Australia and Ireland are all pencilled in, but they are all likely to be played in empty stadiums.

"I would rather be in the broadcaster chair than in the players' chair because entertainers like atmosphere and you are going to have to build your own atmosphere and dig as deep as you can to try your best and perform in front of a whisper," Pietersen said.

"It is going to be hard, especially for cricket. Six hours, when you're in the field and guys are batting and you're 100 overs into an innings, England are going to have to dig deep because it is going to feel like a warm-up game, with no one watching."

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Ishara S. Kodikara

The 2010s were a fantastic period for Test cricket as teams found better ways of reigning in Test cricket by giving priority to picking up 20 wickets. Batting wasn't always easy and therefore some of these outrageous knocks by players made a huge impact. 

Here are four best Test knocks in terms of impact in the 2010s.

Kusal Perera - 153* vs South Africa, Durban 2019

One of the all-time great Test knocks came from the unheralded Kusal Perera in a Test match against the Proteas in 2019 at Durban. The wicket-keeper batsman from Sri Lanka was stranded with the no.11 batsman in the fourth innings of the Test match, with the Lankan Lions stuck at 226 while chasing 304 for a win. 

Vishwa Fernando remained unbeaten for 27 balls, making just 6 runs, as Perera smashed the Proteas bowlers around to take Sri Lanka to an unlikely win. Perera made 153* in 200 balls with the next highest Lankan score being 40. He single-handedly led Sri Lanka to an amazing win in a foreign land which makes this knock extra special.

Ben Stokes - 135* vs Australia, Headingley 2019

2019 was a year of heroes and Ben Stokes was the ultimate champion of the year. The superstar all-rounder played a mighty hand in England's World Cup win, but his biggest impact was in the Headingley Test match of the Ashes series against Australia. Stokes blasted 135, sharing a last-wicket stand of 76 with Jack Leach, who made just one run in 17 balls. 

Stokes held England's innings together and kept the Aussie bowlers at bay, even reverse swatting Nathan Lyon out of the rough for a six to establish his supremacy. Stokes took just 219 balls for his knock and hit eight sixes in his innings. 

Kevin Pietersen - 186 vs India, Mumbai 2012

Hailed as the best ever knock by a non-Asian batsman in Asia, Kevin Pietersen's mind-blowing 186 at Mumbai against India in 2012 will forever be remembered for the utter flamboyance and confidence that was on display. Walking in at 68/2 in England's first innings after India made 327, Pietersen rendered India's daunting spinners with his spell-binding knock. Alastair Cook made a ton from the other end, but it was all Pietersen as he blitzed 186 in just 233 balls to take England to 413. The visitors went on to win the Test by 10 wickets.

Brendon McCullum - 302 vs India, Wellington 2014

In the second Test match of the 2014 series between New Zealand and India at Wellington, Brendon McCullum did the unthinkable. It was all India after one innings apiece as New Zealand were bowled out for 192 and India made 438 in their first innings, a lead of 246. At 94/5, the hosts were heading towards an innings defeat when McCullum joined hands with BJ Watling. The pair remained unseparated for 122 overs as they shared a sixth-wicket partnership of 352, the best ever for the 6th wicket in Tests at the time. New Zealand made a mammoth 680/8 before declaring as McCullum waltzed his way to 302 in 559 balls. The game ended in a draw. 

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Anesh Debiky

Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen has offered a piece of advice to all batters, especially right-handers -- to help tackle Indian fast bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah.

The key for the right-handed batsman while facing Bumrah is to take an off-stump guard and try and hit him between straight down the pitch and square leg, Pietersen took to Twitter to help the batters in the showpiece event.

"Quick memo to all right-handed batters - get onto off stump against Bumrah and look to hit him from, straight back at the stumps to square leg. Eliminate the off-side completely!" tweeted Pietersen.

Quick memo to all right handed batters - get onto off stump against Bumrah & look to hit him from, straight back at the stumps to square leg.
Eliminate the off side completely!

�?Kevin Pietersen (@KP24) June 5, 2019

In the opening World Cup game against South Africa, Bumrah was once again at his menacing best as he scalped two wickets and broke the back of the Proteas top-order. His figures of 2/35 along with Yuzvendra Chahal's 4/51, helped India restrict Proteas to 227 which the Men in Blue chased down with six wickets in hand at the Ageas Bowl on Wednesday.

Bumrah, 25, has so far taken 87 wickets in 50 matches he has played at an average of 22.0 and strike rate of 29.5. Since his ODI debut, no bowler has taken more wickets in death overs than Bumrah's 44.

Feature image courtesy: AFP Photo/ Ian Kington