Gibraltar recently became the first team in T20I history to play complete 20 overs without losing a wicket. In a recent T20I match against Bulgaria, they scored 213/0 in 20 overs.
It was the 10th match of the six-nation Valletta Cup 2022 in Malta, where Gibraltar and Bulgaria faced each other at Marsa on 13th May 2022. While Gibraltar decided to bat first and scored 213/0 in 20 overs, Bulgaria replied with 192/6 in 20 overs.
Both the Gibraltar openers, captain Balaji Pai and Louis Bruce, remained not out in that first innings. While Pai scored 86 not out off 59 balls with the help of 11 fours and only six, Bruce was unbeaten on unlucky 99 runs off 63 balls with the help of 11 fours and 2 sixes. There were also 28 extras in that innings, including 18 wides and 2 no balls.
At the end of that dominating innings, Gibraltar became the first team in T20I history to complete 20 overs without losing a wicket.
Also, it was the only second T20 200+ total without losing a wicket at the end of the complete 20 overs. The first such instance was during the match between Lahore Whites and Islamabad at Rawalpindi on 24th November 2017, where Lahore Whites scored 209/0 in 20 overs.
So, Gibraltar’s latest score 213/0 was also the record T20 total to complete 20 overs without losing a wicket.
Meanwhile, Louis Bruce became the fifth cricketer in T20I history to remain not out on 99 runs.
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Batters with 99 not out in a T20I innings
Player (Team) | Opposition | Venue | Date |
Luke Wright (England) | 21st September 2012 | ||
Dawid Malan (England) | 1st December 2020 | ||
Mohammad Hafeez (Pakistan) | 20th December 2020 | ||
Devon Conway (New Zealand) | 22nd February 2021 | ||
Louis Bruce (Gibraltar) | 13th May 2022 |
Also, Balaji Pai and Louis Bruce became the third partners to record 150+ T20I partnerships more than once. Before the latest 213 runs partnership for the unbroken opening wicket, they also had 172 runs unbroken opening partnership against the same team Bulgaria on 23rd October 2021.
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Partners with more than one 150+ T20I partnerships
Partners | Number of 150+ T20I partnerships | Partnership wicket(s) |
Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan) | 4 | 1st wicket |
Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma (India) | 2 | 1st wicket |
Balaji Pai and Louis Bruce (Gibraltar) | 2 | 1st wicket |
