Nearly two years after Rohit Sharma retired from the shortest format of the game, Rohit Sharma’s reign as the most capped player in T20I cricket has ended. The former Indian captain had made his debut in 2007 and hung up his boots after winning the 2024 T20 World Cup.
At that time, Rohit took 17 years to feature in 159 matches. Ireland’s captain and opener, Paul Stirling, has eclipsed that. His 160th game came against the UAE at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Fascinatingly, Stirling’s also in his 17th year of T20I career and is also an opener, just like Rohit.
Stirling will gain a slight lead over Rohit soon, since he’ll play two more matches against the UAE and then play the T20 World Cup 2026 in Sri Lanka.
Most matches played in T20Is
| Player | Team | Span | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Stirling | Ireland | 2009-2026 | 160 |
| Rohit Sharma | India | 2007-2024 | 159 |
| George Dockrell | Ireland | 2010-2026 | 153 |
| Mohammad Nabi | Afghanistan | 2010-2026 | 148 |
| Jos Buttler | England | 2011-2025 | 144 |
But considering how T20Is have become more common nowadays, his record isn’t expected to stand the test of time. 31-year-old Babar Azam and 32-year-old Hardik Pandya have already played 137 and 128 T20I respectively.
In his short 5-year career, Suryakumar Yadav has played 103 matches. That’s more than 20 games per year. By the end of the decade, we might see someone feature in 200 matches.
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