NEW DELHI: England star Jos Buttler etched his name into cricket history on Wednesday, overtaking West Indies great Kieron Pollard to become the highest run-scorer in men’s T20 cricket during Manchester Super Giants’ emphatic nine-wicket victory over Welsh Fire in The Hundred at Old Trafford.Buttler’s explosive unbeaten 51 off just 20 balls not only powered Manchester Super Giants to a comfortable chase of 156 with 31 balls to spare but also took him past Pollard’s long-standing tally to the top of the all-time T20 run charts.
Buttler climbs to the summit of T20 cricket
The landmark moment came in spectacular fashion. Facing Marco Jansen, Buttler launched the South African pacer for three successive sixes, with the first of those maximums taking him beyond Pollard’s record.The England wicketkeeper-batter now has 14,833 runs in 522 T20 matches, along with nine centuries and 105 fifties, overtaking Pollard’s 14,803 runs in 746 matches. Former West Indies opener Chris Gayle, long regarded as the format’s greatest batter, is now third on the list with 14,562 runs in 463 matches, including 22 centuries.Buttler capped off the milestone in style, smashing two more sixes off Lockie Ferguson before bringing up his half-century and sealing victory for Manchester Super Giants.
Most runs in T20s
| Matches | Runs | Ave. | SR | 100s/50s | |
| Jos Buttler | 522 | 14833 | 35.48 | 147.24 | 9/106 |
| Kieron Pollard | 746 | 14803 | 31.76 | 151.02 | 2/70 |
| Chris Gayle | 463 | 14562 | 36.22 | 144.75 | 22/88 |
| Alex Hales | 528 | 14449 | 29.91 | 144.51 | 7/92 |
| David Warner | 439 | 14284 | 37.29 | 140.77 | 10/118 |
Seifert, Buttler flatten Welsh Fire
Chasing 156, Manchester Super Giants were in complete control from the outset.Tim Seifert led the early charge with a blistering unbeaten 62 off 36 balls, striking 10 boundaries, while opening partner Paul Walter chipped in with a rapid 37 from 18 deliveries. The pair laid the perfect platform before Buttler produced another trademark display of clean hitting to finish the contest.The victory also ended Manchester Super Giants’ three-match losing streak in emphatic fashion.Earlier, Welsh Fire posted 155/4 after opting to bat first.Matt Short anchored the innings with a fluent 71 off 47 balls, hitting eight fours and two sixes, while Phil Salt contributed 48 from 37 deliveries in a 125-run opening partnership. However, the innings lost momentum after both openers departed in quick succession, with Gus Atkinson returning impressive figures of 2/12 to restrict the visitors.The target proved well below par as Manchester Super Giants raced to 161/1 in just 69 balls, underlining their batting firepower.For Buttler, though, the night belonged to history. Already one of the modern game’s most destructive white-ball batters, the England star now stands alone at the top of T20 cricket’s all-time run-scoring charts, adding another milestone to an illustrious career.
