T20 World Cup: Key tournament stats you cannot miss ahead of the global showpiece event

Having won their maiden T20 World Cup title last year in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Australia is all set to defend the crown in front of their home fans as the T20 World Cup 2022 tournament gets underway on October 16. Sri Lanka vs Namibia qualifier A match will be the opening fixture of the tournament. The defending champions will be favourites to retain the trophy. Ahead of the start of the multi-nation event, we take a look at some of the interesting stats.

T20 World Cup 2022: Interesting stats ahead of the global showpiece

• The teams considered favourites to win the title before the start of the T20 World Cup have failed to lift the title even once. Last year, Team India was considered one of the favourites to win the crown but the Virat Kohli-led team crashed out in the early stages of the tournament.
• West Indies cricketer Chris Gayle holds the distinction of being the only player in T20 World Cup cricket to remain unbeaten through completed all-out innings. The incident happened during West Indies vs Sri Lanka match in the 2009 edition. Gayle remained unbeaten on 63 runs as  West Indies were bowled out for 101 runs.
• Team India skipper Rohit Sharma and Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan will now hold the distinction of taking part in every T20 World Cup event. Both players will be playing in their eighth tournament. Yuvraj Singh holds the record for scoring the fastest half-century in the format. The former cricketer achieved the feat back in the inaugural edition (2007) against England.  Yuvraj smashed a half-century in just 12 balls.
• Former Sri Lanka cricketer Ajantha Mendis holds the record for best bowling figures in an innings in T20 World Cup. The mystery spinner took six wickets in an innings against Zimbabwe at Hambantota in 2012. Tillakaratne Dilshan holds the record for most matches played by anyone in the tournament. The former Sri Lanka opener featured in 35 matches from 2007 to 2016.
• Netherlands hold the record for the lowest total in T20 World Cup. The Dutch team were bowled out for 39 runs by Sri Lanka at Chittagong in 2014. Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan holds the record for most wickets across all the T20 World Cups. The all-rounder has till date picked up 41 wickets.
• Sri Lanka holds the record for scoring the highest total in the tournament's history. The Lankan lions scored 260 against Kenya at Johannesburg in 2007. Former Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardena holds the record of tallying the most runs across the tournament's history. The legendary cricketer has scored 1,016 runs. 
• Brendon McCullum holds the record for the highest score in the tournament's history. The former New Zealand skipper scored 123 runs against Bangladesh at Pallekele in 2012.