Rwanda's Hamza Khan smashes second-highest score in Men's T20I with unbeaten 164
Gaborone, May 24
Rwanda batter Hamza Khan has created history by scoring the second-highest individual total in Men's T20 International cricket, smashing an unbeaten 164 against the Ivory Coast in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Africa Sub-Regional Qualifier in Gaborone on Sunday.
Hamza's record-breaking knock now stands behind only former Australia captain Aaron Finch, who holds the highest individual T20I score with 172 runs against Zimbabwe in 2018, according to ICC.
Hamza's innings eclipsed the previous second-best mark of 162* by Hazratullah Zazai for Afghanistan against Ireland in 2019, helping Rwanda to a massive total of 288/2 from their 20 overs.
The knock, a display of clean striking all around the ground, saw Hamza dominate the Ivory Coast bowlers from the powerplay through to the death overs as Rwanda piled up the seventh-highest total in Men's T20I history.
Coming into the tournament in strong form, Hamza had already struck an unbeaten 60 in Rwanda's opening victory over Cameroon a day earlier.
In return, the Ivory Coast were bowled out for a mere 17 runs, making it the joint fifth-lowest score in all T20Is. Rwanda's 271-run triumph is now the third-highest win margin in Men's T20Is.
— ANI
Reader Comments
While Hamza's knock is phenomenal, the bowling of Ivory Coast was seriously weak - they conceded 288 in 20 overs and then got bowled out for 17. That's not even club level. ICC really needs to reconsider these qualification pathways. Just having T20I status doesn't make a team ready for such tournaments.
Yesterday he scored 60* against Cameroon, today 164* - what a purple patch! Reminds me of how T20 cricket has given platform to players from smaller nations. But India ka fan hote hue bhi, I have to admit - this score puts Finch's 172 in perspective now. If Hamza had faced even semi-decent bowling, we might have seen a new record! 🔥
This is why I love cricket - talent can come from anywhere! A Rwandan player breaking into top T20I scores, and Rwanda posting 288/2 in 20 overs. Hamza's timing looked immaculate from the highlights. Wish our Indian broadcasters showed more of these associate matches. 🙏🏏
Feel bad for Ivory Coast's bowlers - they must be shattered after this. But credit to Hamza for dominating from the start. 17 all out in reply tells you the gap between established associates and newer teams. ICC needs development programs for these emerging nations, not just qualification tournaments.
Unbelievable! In my 40 years of watching cricket, I never thought I'd see a Rwanda player near the top of any T20I record list. Credit to the coaches and board there. And 271 runs winning margin
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