Mithali Raj shatters record, has more runs than any male cricketer in Twenty20 Internationals

There is no doubt that Mithali Raj is a class act not just in women’s cricket but in world cricket. Her batting and her consistency have been outstanding and even at age 35, the former India women’s skipper continues to shatter records.

In the game against Pakistan, Mithali slammed her 16^th fifty as India defeated Pakistan by seven wickets. In the process, she overtook Indian batsman Rohit Sharma’s tally of 2207 runs. In the next game against Ireland, the right-hander continued her amazing consistency as she hit her 17^th fifty to shatter yet another record.

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Her knock of 51 took her tally of runs to 2283 and she has now scored more runs in Twenty20 Internationals than any male cricketer. Martin Guptill of New Zealand has 2271 runs and Mithali now has a chance to extend her tally of runs even further, with India qualifying for the semi-final of the World T20 for the first time since 2010.

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Her 17^th fifty has put her in third place in the all-time list of fifty-plus scores in Twenty20 Internationals, both men and women. Rohit Sharma has 19 scores of 50+ while Virat Kohli has 18

Superwoman Mithali

Mithali has amassed plenty of records in women’s cricket, making her a true legend of the game. She became the first woman cricketer to go past 6000 runs in ODIs, beating Charlotte Edwards’ mark of 5992 runs. She is the only cricketer to hit over fifty half-centuries and is currently among the few players to average over 50 in the format.

The right-hander is fifth in the all-time list for number of centuries, with seven. With the former India skipper displaying brilliant consistency, more records are likely to be broken in the coming months. In women’s Twenty20s, Mithali is fourth in the all-time list, behind New Zealand’s Suzie Bates with 2996 runs, England’s Sarah Taylor with 2691 runs and Charlotte Edwards with 2605 runs.

India will now play against Australia in the last league game in the World T20 ahead of the semi-final.