History created! Austria batter smashes T20I record, overtakes Mohammad Rizwan and Suryakumar Yadav | Cricket News
NEW DELHI: In a landmark achievement for associate-nation cricket, Austria’s Karanbir Singh has rewritten the men’s T20 International calendar-year records, surpassing Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan and India’s Suryakumar Yadav.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!On tour in Romania, Karanbir entered the series needing just 87 runs to eclipse Rizwan’s 1,326-run record set in 2021. The Austrian batter wasted no time, producing a blistering 57 off 27 balls followed by a 90-run knock from 46 deliveries in a double-header on October 18. The next day, he added 74 (44 balls) and 27 (12 balls), taking his annual tally to a staggering 1,488 runs in 32 innings.Karanbir’s feat is even more remarkable for the sheer power he displayed. His 1,488 runs came at a strike-rate of 175, including 127 fours and 122 sixes — nearly double the previous highest six-count by Suryakumar Yadav, who hit 68 sixes in 2022.Before Karanbir, the record-holders were Rizwan (1,326 runs in 2021) and Yadav (1,164 runs in 2022), making this milestone a significant leap for Austrian cricket.
Most runs in a calendar year in T20Is
| Player | Year | Matches | Runs | HS | Ave. | SR | 100s | 6s |
| Karanbir Singh (Austria) | 2025 | 32 | 1488 | 115 | 51.31 | 174.85 | 2 | 122 |
| Mohammad Rizwan (PAK) | 2021 | 29 | 1326 | 104* | 73.66 | 134.89 | 1 | 42 |
| Suryakumar Yadav (IND) | 2022 | 31 | 1164 | 117 | 46.56 | 187.43 | 2 | 68 |
| Bilal Zalmai (Austria) | 2025 | 36 | 1008 | 79* | 31.50 | 155.07 | – | 57 |
| Mohammad Rizwan (PAK) | 2022 | 25 | 996 | 88* | 45.27 | 122.96 | – | 22 |
The series also saw Karanbir’s teammate Bilal Zalmai (1,008) become the fourth player globally to surpass 1,000 runs in a calendar year, while Bahrain’s Fiaz Ahmed is closing in, needing just 57 more runs to reach the landmark.Karanbir Singh’s record-breaking year shines a spotlight on associate-nation cricket, proving that explosive talent and consistency are no longer limited to the traditional cricketing giants. His achievement sets a new benchmark for batsmen worldwide and underscores the growing depth and reach of the T20 format.