For years, Virat Kohli was the man with the highest average in the T20 World Cup. But two years after his retirement from the shortest format, his longstanding record has been surpassed. West Indies’ Sherfane Rutherford has gone past the Indian legend after his unbeaten 31-run knock against Zimbabwe.
In red-hot form in the 2026 edition of the T20 World Cup, Rutherford has been dismissed just once in the tournament. Against Zimbabwe at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, he entered the middle with 33 balls left. The 27-year-old played just 13 balls, but that was enough to inflict heavy damage as West Indies scored 254, the second-highest score in T20 World Cup history.
Highest average in T20 World Cup (minimum 10 innings)
| Batter | Team | Span | Inns | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | 50s | 100s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherfane Rutherford | West Indies | 2024-26 | 10 | 278 | 69.50 | 168.48 | 2 | 0 |
| Virat Kohli | India | 2012-24 | 33 | 1,292 | 58.72 | 128.81 | 15 | 0 |
| Michael Hussey | Australia | 2007-2012 | 16 | 437 | 54.62 | 139.61 | 2 | 0 |
| Kevin Pietersen | England | 2007-2010 | 15 | 580 | 44.61 | 148.33 | 4 | 0 |
| Shimron Hetmyer | West Indies | 2021-26 | 10 | 346 | 43.25 | 158.71 | 3 | 0 |
Shimron Hetmyer also features on the list, at the 5th spot. While Rutherford played an exceptional cameo, Hetmyer was the main man for the West Indies. He smashed the fastest half-century for his country in the T20 World Cup and was close to breaking the record for the fastest hundred in the tournament’s history.
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