Sunil Narine Joins Exclusive Club Of Players With 500 T20 Appearances
BENGALURU: Sunil Narine, the wily spinner for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), etched his name in T20 history on Friday, becoming only the fourth player to reach the milestone of 500 matches.
This impressive feat came during KKR’s dominant seven-wicket victory over the Royal Challengers Bangalore at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. Narine celebrated the occasion in style, contributing with a wicket (Glenn Maxwell) and a blistering 47 runs off just 22 balls while opening the batting for KKR.
T20 Titans: A Look at the 500-Match Club
Narine joins an exclusive group of cricketers who have reached the pinnacle of T20 appearances:
Kieron Pollard (West Indies): The Mumbai Indians batting coach leads the pack with a staggering 660 T20 matches. A decorated West Indies all-rounder, Pollard boasts a World Cup win in 2012 and a captaincy stint in 2021. While retired from international cricket (2022), he continues to dominate franchise leagues, amassing over 12,900 runs and 316 wickets.
Dwayne Bravo (West Indies): Another West Indies legend and the Chennai Super Kings’ bowling coach, Dwayne Bravo, sits at number two with 573 matches. A two-time World Cup champion (2012 & 2016), Bravo is the IPL’s second-highest wicket-taker with 183 dismissals. He also boasts an impressive all-round record, scoring over 6,900 runs and claiming 625 wickets across his T20 career.
Shoaib Malik (Pakistan): The veteran Pakistani skipper, Shoaib Malik, occupies the third spot with 542 appearances. This seasoned all-rounder has piled up over 13,360 runs and 182 wickets throughout his T20 journey. Despite his age (42), Malik remains a force to be reckoned with, aiming for a Pakistan T20 World Cup comeback.
Sunil Narine (West Indies): Narine himself boasts a remarkable T20 record. He stands as the format’s third-highest wicket-taker with 536 scalps and a best bowling figure of 5/19.
His batting prowess shouldn’t be overlooked either, with over 3,700 runs and a top score of 79. Narine’s exceptional economy rate of 6.10 is the second-best among bowlers who have bowled over 2,000 balls in men’s T20s. Furthermore, his 30 maiden overs are the most by any bowler in the format.