Most runs scored by a player in a T10 cricket match

England’s Alex Hales smashed 87 not out from 32 balls for Maratha Arabians against Bengal Tigers in the ICC-sanctioned T10 League at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, United Arab Emirates, on 1 December 2018. On the previous day at the same venue, Hales’ England team-mate, Jonny Bairstow, had struck 84 not out from 24 balls for Kerala Knights, also against Bengal Tigers, to set what turned out to be a short-lived record for the highest individual score in a T10 match.

Opener Hales’ innings featured eight sixes (48 runs) and six fours (24 runs), at a strike rate of 271.87 (runs per 100 balls faced). He hit 32 runs (four sixes and two fours) off one Mohammad Nabi over.

Hales is no stranger to record-breaking feats with the bat. As of 3 December 2018, he holds the record for the highest score by an England player in a Twenty20 International (116 not out against Sri Lanka on 27 March 2014), and he previously held the equivalent record for One-Day Internationals (171 against Pakistan on 30 August 2016).

Maratha Arabians (138 for 3 from 9.1 overs) beat Bengal Tigers (135 for 7 from 10 overs) by seven wickets in a high-scoring Eliminator Final. The Arabians were captained by West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, who took four wickets for 16 runs before hitting 27 not out in an unbroken 39-run stand with Hales.

The eight-team T10 League was approved by the Emirates Cricket Board and inaugurated in 2017. The 2018 tournament featured 2017 champions Kerala Knights alongside Bengal Tigers, Maratha Arabians, Northern Warriors (2018 winners), Pakhtoons (2018 finalists), Punjabi Legends (2017 finalists), Rajputs and Sindhis. The teams play 90-minute, 10-over-per-side matches in a round-robin format, followed by semi-finals and the final.