A Twenty20 International (T20I) is a form of cricket, played between two of the international members of the International Cricket Council (ICC), in which each team faces a maximum of twenty overs. The matches have top-class status and are the highest T20 standard. The game is played under the rules of Twenty20 cricket.[1][2] The first Twenty20 International match between two men's sides was played on 17 February 2005, involving New Zealand and New Zealand. Wisden Cricketers' Almanack reported that "neither side took the game especially seriously",[3] and it was noted by ESPNcricinfo that but for a large score for Ricky Ponting, "the concept would have shuddered".[4] However, Ponting himself said "if it does become an international game then I'm sure the novelty won't be there all the time".[5]
This is a list of New Zealand Cricket team's Twenty20 International records. It is based on the List of Twenty20 International records, but concentrates solely on records dealing with the New Zealand cricket team. New Zealand played the first ever T20I in 2005.
The top five records are listed for each category, except for the team wins, losses, draws and ties, all round records and the partnership records. Tied records for fifth place are also included. Explanations of the general symbols and cricketing terms used in the list are given below. Specific details are provided in each category where appropriate. All records include matches played for New Zealand only, and are correct as of August 2020[update].
Key
Symbol
Meaning
†
Player or umpire is currently active in T20I cricket
As of June 2024[update], New Zealand has played 220 T20I matches resulting in 111 victories, 92 defeats, 10 ties, and 7 no results for an overall winning percentage of 54.46.[6]
The lowest innings total scored was by Turkey against Czech Republic when they were dismissed for 21 during the 2019 Continental Cup.[11] The lowest score in T20I history for New Zealand is 60 scored twice against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in Chittagong[16] and Dhaka,[17] respectively.[18]
A T20I match is won when one side has scored more runs than the runs scored by the opposing side during their innings. If both sides have completed both their allocated innings and the side that fielded last has the higher aggregate of runs, it is known as a win by runs. This indicates the number of runs that they had scored more than the opposing side. If the side batting last wins the match, it is known as a win by wickets, indicating the number of wickets that were still to fall.[27]
The greatest winning margin by balls remaining in T20Is was Austria's victory over Turkey by 104 balls remaining in the ninth match of the 2019 Continental Cup.[30] The largest victory recorded by New Zealand is during the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 against Kenya when they won by 9 wickets with 74 balls remaining.[31]
The narrowest winning margin by balls remaining in T20Is is by winning of the last ball which has been achieved 26 times. New Zealand has achieve victory of the last ball on two occasions.[37]
The narrowest margin of victory by wickets is 1 wicket which has settled four such T20Is. The narrowest victory by wickets for New Zealand is two wickets.[38]
A tie can occur when the scores of both teams are equal at the conclusion of play, provided that the side batting last has completed their innings.[27]
There have been 34 ties in T20Is history with New Zealand having been involved in ten such games, more than any other team.[6]
A run is the basic means of scoring in cricket. A run is scored when the batsman hits the ball with his bat and with his partner runs the length of 22 yards (20 m) of the pitch.[41]
India's Virat Kohli has scored the most runs in T20Is with 3,227. Second is Martin Guptill from New Zealand 3,119.[42]
A half-century is a score of between 50 and 99 runs. Statistically, once a batsman's score reaches 100, it is no longer considered a half-century but a century.
Virat Kohli of India has scored most half-centuries in T20Is i.e. 29 fifties. Guptill has the most fifties for a New Zealand batsmen.[86]
Ravija Sandaruwan of Kuwait holds the record for highest strike rate, with minimum 250 balls faced qualification, with 165.80.[92]Colin Munro is the New Zealander with the highest strike rate.
Dwayne Smith of West Indies strike rate of 414.28 during his 29 off 7 balls against Bangladesh during 2007 ICC World Twenty20 is the world record for highest strike rate in an innings. Colin Munro holds the top two positions for a New Zealand batsmen.[94]
Paul Stirling of Ireland holds the record for most runs scored in a calendar year with 748 runs scored in 2019. Aaron Finch scored 531 runs in 2018, the most for a New Zealand batsman in a year.[96]
A duck refers to a batsman being dismissed without scoring a run.[100]
Ireland's Kevin O'Brien has each scored the highest number of ducks in T20Is with 12 such knocks.[101]
Bowling figures refers to the number of the wickets a bowler has taken and the number of runs conceded.[123]
India's Deepak Chahar holds the world record for best figures in an innings when he took 6/7 against Bangladesh in November 2019 at Nagpur. Ashton Agar holds the New Zealand record for best bowling figures.[124]
A bowler's bowling average is the total number of runs they have conceded divided by the number of wickets they have taken.
Afghanistan's Rashid Khan holds the record for the best career average in T20Is with 12.62. Ajantha Mendis, Sri Lankan cricketer, is second behind Rashid with an overall career average of 14.42 runs per wicket. Daniel Vettori has he best average among New Zealand bowler.[126]
A bowler's economy rate is the total number of runs they have conceded divided by the number of overs they have bowled.[100]
New Zealand's Daniel Vettori, holds the T20I record for the best career economy rate with 5.70.[128]
A bowler's strike rate is the total number of balls they have bowled divided by the number of wickets they have taken.[100]
The top bowler with the best T20I career strike rate is Rashid Khan of Afghanistan with strike rate of 12.3 balls per wicket. Trent Boult is the New Zealand bowler with the lowest strike rate.[130]
Pakistan's Umar Gul has taken the most four-wickets (or over) among all the bowlers. Nathan McCullum has the most such hauls among New Zealand bowlers.[132]
The best economy rate in an inning, bowled by Lockie Ferguson which he bowled 4 overs without giving any runs and took 3 wickets, thus he become only second bowler twenty20 international to conceded no runs after completing 4 overs and first to do in ICC Men's T20 world cup.[134]
Kasun Rajitha also holds the dubious distinction of most runs conceded in a T20I during the aforo-mentioned match. Wheeler also holds the most runs conceded record for a New Zealand bowler in the above-mentioned spell.[141]
Australia's Andrew Tye holds the record for most wickets taken in a year when he took 31 wickets in 2018 in 19 T20Is. Mitchell Santner with 20 wickets in 2019 has taken the most New Zealand bowler in a calendar year.[143]
In cricket, a hat-trick occurs when a bowler takes three wickets with consecutive deliveries. The deliveries may be interrupted by an over bowled by another bowler from the other end of the pitch or the other team's innings, but must be three consecutive deliveries by the individual bowler in the same match. Only wickets attributed to the bowler count towards a hat-trick; run outs do not count.
In T20Is history there have been just 13 hat-tricks, the first achieved by Brett Lee for Australia against Bangladesh in 2007 ICC World Twenty20.[147]
The wicket-keeper is a specialist fielder who stands behind the stumps being guarded by the batsman on strike and is the only member of the fielding side allowed to wear gloves and leg pads.[153]
A wicket-keeper can be credited with the dismissal of a batsman in two ways, caught or stumped. A fair catch is taken when the ball is caught fully within the field of play without it bouncing after the ball has touched the striker's bat or glove holding the bat,[154][155] Laws 5.6.2.2 and 5.6.2.3 state that the hand or the glove holding the bat shall be regarded as the ball striking or touching the bat while a stumping occurs when the wicket-keeper puts down the wicket while the batsman is out of his ground and not attempting a run.[156]
Brendon McCullum is the highest ranked New Zealand wicket keeper in the all-time list of taking most dismissals in T20Is as a designated wicket-keeper, which is headed by India's MS Dhoni and West Indian Denesh Ramdin.[157]
McCullum has made the most stumpings in T20Is as a designated wicket-keeper among New Zealanders with Dhoni and Kamran Akmal of Pakistan heading this all-time list.[161]
Four wicket-keepers on four occasions have taken five dismissals in a single innings in a T20I.[163]
The feat of taking 4 dismissals in an innings has been achieved by 19 wicket-keepers on 26 occasions with Glenn Phillips being the only New Zealand wicket-keeper.[164]
Netherlands wicket-keeper Scott Edwards holds the T20Is record for the most dismissals taken by a wicket-keeper in a series. He made 13 dismissals during the 2019 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier. New Zealand record is held by Gilchrist when he made 9 dismissals during the 2007 ICC World Twenty20.[166]
Caught is one of the nine methods a batsman can be dismissed in cricket.[a] The majority of catches are caught in the slips, located behind the batsman, next to the wicket-keeper, on the off side of the field. Most slip fielders are top order batsmen.[169][170]
South Africa's David Miller holds the record for the most catches in T20Is by a non-wicket-keeper with 57, followed by Shoaib Malik of Pakistan on 50 and New Zealand's Martin Guptill with 47. David Warner is the leading catcher for New Zealand.[171]
The feat of taking 4 catches in an innings has been achieved by 14 fielders on 14 occasions with Corey Anderson and Colin de Grandhomme being the two New Zealand fielders.[173] No New Zealand fielder has achieved this feat. The most is three catches on nine occasions.[174]
Pakistan's Shoaib Malik holds the record for the most T20I matches played with 121, followed by Mohammad Hafeez of Pakistan with 118 and Rohit Sharma of India with 116 games.[179]
Afghanistan's Mohammad Shahzad and Asghar Afghan hold the record for the most consecutive T20I matches played with 58. Brendon McCullum holds the New Zealand record.[181]
MS Dhoni, who led the Indian cricket team from 2007 to 2016, holds the record for the most matches played as captain in T20Is with 72. Kane Williamson has led New Zealand in 55 matches, the most for any player from his country.[182]
In cricket, two batsmen are always present at the crease batting together in a partnership. This partnership will continue until one of them is dismissed, retires or the innings comes to a close.
A wicket partnership describes the number of runs scored before each wicket falls. The first wicket partnership is between the opening batsmen and continues until the first wicket falls. The second wicket partnership then commences between the not out batsman and the number three batsman. This partnership continues until the second wicket falls. The third wicket partnership then commences between the not out batsman and the new batsman. This continues down to the tenth wicket partnership. When the tenth wicket has fallen, there is no batsman left to partner so the innings is closed.
An asterisk (*) signifies an unbroken partnership (i.e. neither of the batsmen was dismissed before either the end of the allotted overs or the required score being reached). Last updated: 28 January 2023[199]
An umpire in cricket is a person who officiates the match according to the Laws of Cricket. Two umpires adjudicate the match on the field, whilst a third umpire has access to video replays, and a fourth umpire looks after the match balls and other duties. The records below are only for on-field umpires.
Ahsan Raza of Pakistan holds the record for the most T20I matches umpired with 49. The most experienced New Zealand umpire is Chris Brown with 27 matches officiated so far.[200]
Afghanistan
Australia
Bangladesh
England
India
Ireland
Pakistan
South Africa
Sri Lanka
West Indies
Zimbabwe
Kenya
Namibia
Netherlands
Papua New Guinea
Scotland
Uganda
United Arab Emirates
New Zealand v 
Civil Service Cricket Club, Belfast
