Highest Batting SR In An WTC Innings:There have been many knocks in the World Test Championship that have changed the course of the game. These breezy knocks blew away the winds of the opposition. Batters in WTC have taken to scoring in an ultra-aggressive manner as compared to taking the defensive route. This tactic has seen batting strike rates in an inning casually exceed 100 on multiple occasions.
We look at the highest batting strike rate in an inning in WTC:
[Qualification – 50 runs]
#5 Ben Stokes – 153.19
His knock against South Africa came much before the advent of Bazball. Ben Stokes’s blitz helped England set up a challenging score for the home side in the fourth innings. He walked in at number 6 with the score reading 218-4 in 78 overs. Stokes took it upon himself to set the tempo. He scored a fantastic 72 off just 47 balls laced with 7 fours and 3 sixes. Stokes struck at 153.19 during this knock. England eventually won the game comfortably. It mainly boiled down to Stokes’ carnage.
#4 Neil Wagner – 157.14
He is a surprising entry on this list. Neil Wagner is known more for his steely bowling but this certainly was a bonus that his team would always remember. In a game against the West Indies in Wellington, in 2020, Wagner unleashed another facet of his cricketing skills. New Zealand was already in a dominant position at 359-8. Wagner’s cameo then put the finishing touches to an imposing score. He struck 66 runs off just 42 balls at a strike rate of 157.14. His innings comprised 8 fours and 4 sixes.
#3 Shardul Thakur – 158.33
India was in dire straits (117-6) when we walked into bat in the first innings. The scoreboard soon became 127-7. Shardul Thakur just had numbers 9,10, and 11 for company. He decided to take matters into his own hands as he went on a smashing spree. Thakur spared none of the English bowlers as he raced to a quick-fire fifty.
It was his innings that helped India post a respectable first-innings total on board. Thakur scored 36 balls 57 with 7 fours and 3 sixes striking at 158.33. He followed his first innings heroics with a fifty in the second innings too. India won a historic Test at the Oval.
#2 Rishabh Pant – 161.29
It was the day-night Test in Bengaluru that saw the game last for just three days. India put in a dominant performance right throughout the series to keep Sri Lanka in check. On a treacherous Bengaluru surface, India was bowled out for 252 in the first innings. They bundled out Sri Lanka for 109 in reply.
India was 116-3 in the second innings when Rishabh Pant walked into bat. He raced to a brilliant 50 off just 31 balls at a strike rate of 161.29. Pant struck 40 runs in boundaries (7 fours and 2 sixes) during this knock. India went on to thump Lanka to pocket the series 2-0.
#1 Jonny Bairstow – 161.36
England had already taken to their new approach of playing Test cricket in the 2nd Test. They went one better in the 3rd Test against New Zealand at Leeds. New Zealand had set a competitive target of 296 for England to chase in the final innings. Jonny Bairstow powered England to a famous win. He scored an unbeaten 71 off 44 balls at a strike rate of 161.36. Bairstow scored 8 fours and 3 sixes during his whirlwind knock. England racked up a 3-0 whitewash of the Kiwis.
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