Volume of runs and consistency of scoring are hugely important to T20 success, and players that can provide both understandably sit high in the MRF Tyres ICC Player Rankings.

But, in a major tournament, teams also need some of their top-order scoring to come at a rapid rate – averaging 40 with a strike rate of 130 is only successful at the elite level if there are quick runs being scored at the other end.

And the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 is packed full of such fast-paced hitters, batters who are capable of taking games out of the reach of the opposition in little more than the blink of an eye.

Here we run through the most explosive batters set to feature at the tournament, based on their career strike rates (at the time of writing) in T20Is.

Suryakumar Yadav, India

T20I strike rate: 176.81

India’s late-blooming middle-order batter is currently in a league of his own when it comes to rate of scoring.

A player with all the shots, SKY has scored at an eye-watering rate of 176.81 across his 34 T20I appearances.

But the thing that makes the 32-year-old so remarkable, and what sets him apart from most others in this list, is that he manages to combine that pace of scoring with an impressively high average of 38.70.

Jimmy Neesham, New Zealand

T20I strike rate: 163.65

New Zealand’s all-rounder is one of the most destructive finishers in the world. His 635 career runs in T20Is have come at a strike rate of 163.65 in 53 matches.

And we know that Neesham can also deliver that power on the big stage - it was his remarkable assault of 27 from 11 balls that helped the Kiwis stun England in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2021.

Finn Allen, New Zealand

T20I strike rate: 161.72

Another New Zealander is up next, but in a very different role. Relative newcomer Finn Allen is most often utilised as an aggressive opening batter, and his 469 T20I runs in 18 matches to date have come at a blistering pace.

The 23-year-old looks for boundaries and maximums right from the off and will be eyeing fast starts for the Kiwis during the Super 12 stage.

Tim David, Australia

T20I strike rate: 160.08

One of the most sought-after franchise players in the world, Tim David’s explosive performances in domestic leagues and for Singapore have seen him take an unusual route to the Australian national team.

Interestingly, in his short Australian international career so far, his role as a finisher has seen his strike rate actually go up compared to his scoring pace with Singapore, up at 165.95.

Evin Lewis, West Indies

T20I strike rate: 155.51

A spell in the international wilderness is over for Evin Lewis, with the big left-hander set to feature in the top order for West Indies after his recall.

Lewis averages more than two sixes per innings and has hit more maximums than he has fours for West Indies. He will be looking to pepper the stands in Australia, and with a T20I career strike rate of 155.51 you’d be brave to bet against him.

Rilee Rossouw, South Africa

T20I strike rate: 152.87

South Africa have a very powerful top order, and Rilee Rossouw is one of a number of players capable of rapid acceleration on the scoreboard.

The 33-year-old has only played 21 T20 internationals, but in those matches he has hit 558 runs at an average of 37.20 and with a strike rate of 152.87. Those are world-class numbers in anyone’s book.

Aiden Markram, South Africa

T20I strike rate: 151.16

The Proteas have another potential star of the tournament high in their batting line-up in the shape of Aiden Markram.

The hugely talented right-hander has also had a brilliant start to his T20I career, racking up 780 runs in 26 matches. That means his average is over 40, but with those runs also coming at an impressive lick, 151.16 runs per 100 balls.

Glenn Maxwell, Australia  

T20I strike rate: 150.40

Australia’s middle-order star has been one of the most dangerous T20 batters in the world for the best part of a decade.

Yet his high volume of appearances for Australia (94 T20Is) hasn’t resulted in a decreased strike rate, with Maxwell still rollicking along at 150.40 runs per 100 balls over the course of his career.

If the hosts are to defend their title, Maxwell will surely play a huge part.

More big-hitting batters

No other batter set to appear at the tournament possesses a career strike rate of 150 or more, but there are a number of world stars operating in the high 140s and with the capability of lighting up the tournament.

India’s in-form Hardik Pandya is one such outstanding finisher, with a career strike rate of 148.49, and his compatriot Dinesh Karthik (146.40) is also a lower-order hitter to be feared.

South Africa’s powerful batting unit has a few other dangerously-fast scorers in their midst, with Heinrich Klaasen (147.61) and David Miller (145.49) the most notable.

The absence of England in the above list is a little striking given the depth in their batting line-up. The current England batter with the highest career strike rate is all-rounder Moeen Ali, who has struck at 147.31 in 56 innings. And since being utilised more frequently in the middle order those numbers have increased, with Moeen registering a stunning strike rate of 156.99 in the last two years.

England's captain Jos Buttler has 2377 career T20I runs at 144.23 in total and, as with Moeen, those figures have pushed higher over the past two years; in that time his rate has been significantly higher, up at 151.13 in 26 innings. 

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