Zimbabwe has shattered the record of most runs in a T20I match in their ICC T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier match against Gambia on Wednesday (October 23).
They achieved the extraordinary feat after scoring 344 runs against Gambia in Match 12 of the competition, thus rewriting history in the T20 format of the game.

The Zimbabwe skipper Sikandar Raza scored an unbeaten 133 off just 43 deliveries, hitting 7 fours and 15 sixes in the process. Tadiwanashe Marumani (62 off 19), Brian Bennett (50 off 26) and Clive Madande (53 off 17) also played key parts as Zimbabwe posted the record-breaking total in Nairobi. In reply, Gambia were bowled out for 54 runs, thus Zimbabwe registering a victory by 290 runs.
This impressive score surpassed the previous highest total of 314/3 set by Nepal against Mongolia in 2023. Earlier this month, Zimbabwe had already entered the top five with a score of 286/5 against Seychelles. India also made it to the list with a significant total of 297/6 against Bangladesh.
Raza's century marked the first for a Zimbabwean player in men's T20Is. Previously, Dion Myers held the highest score for Zimbabwe with his 96 against Rwanda. Raza's achievement of hitting 15 sixes places him joint-fourth for most sixes by a player in men's T20Is. The match also saw Zimbabwe setting another record by hitting a total of 27 sixes, surpassing Nepal's previous record of 26 sixes against Mongolia last year.
The win has also taken Zimbabwe through to the regional final of the African World Cup qualifier. Sikandar Raza and his boys missed out on the T20 World Cup earlier this year by a whisker and they will now be aiming to replicate their excellent vein of form in the final stages of the qualification marathon. Eight teams will now play out in the regional final and two teams will qualify for the T20 World Cup in 2026.
| Team | Score | Opposition | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zimbabwe | 344/4 | Gambia | 2024 |
| Nepal | 314/3 | Mongolia | 2023 |
| India | 297/6 | Bangladesh | 2024 |
| Zimbabwe | 286/5 | Seychelles | 2024 |
| Afghanistan | 278/3 | Ireland | 2019 |
| Czech Republic | 278/4 | Turkey | 2019 |
| Malaysia | 268/4 | Thailand | 2023 |
| England | 267/3 | West Indies | 2023 |
| Australia | 263/3 | Sri Lanka | 2016 |
| Sri Lanka | 260/6 | Kenya | 2007 |