Austrian Cricketer Breaks Mohammad Rizwan’s Major T20I World Record

In a remarkable turn of events on the international cricket scene, Austria’s Karanbir Singh has shattered Mohammad Rizwan’s T20I world record, which the former Pakistan captain set in 2021.

The 30-year-old has been in outstanding form this year in T20Is and now holds the record for the most T20I runs in a calendar year.

Heading into Austria’s tour of Romania, Karanbir needed just 87 runs to surpass Rizwan’s 2021 tally of 1,326 runs. He achieved the feat in emphatic fashion, scoring 57 off 27 balls in the first game and 90 off 46 in the second match of a double-header on October 18. By the end of the tour, he had reached 1,488 runs in 2025, setting a new all-time record.

In 2025, Karanbir Singh has not only scored 1,488 T20I runs but has also hit two centuries and thirteen fifties in just 32 innings. He boasts a strike rate of 174.85 and has smashed 122 sixes, which is another world record.

Karanbir Singh now leads a distinguished list that includes modern T20 greats like Mohammad Rizwan, Suryakumar Yadav, and Babar Azam.

Most T20I Runs in a Calendar Year:

Runs Year Batter Team Innings SR 4s 6s 1,488 2025 Karanbir Singh Austria 32 175 127 122 1,326 2021 Mohammad Rizwan Pakistan 26 135 119 42 1,164 2022 Suryakumar Yadav India 31 187 106 68 1,008 2025 Bilal Zalmai Austria 35 155 103 57 996 2022 Mohammad Rizwan Pakistan 25 123 78 22 943 2025 Fiaz Ahmed Bahrain 26 137 70 52 939 2021 Babar Azam Pakistan 26 128 99 17 909 2024 Muhammad Waseem UAE 26 160 65 55 863 2023 Muhammad Waseem UAE 23 163 78 54 860 2024 Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming Japan 20 151 67 43

While Rizwan’s record has finally been broken after four years, his 2021 run spree remains one of the greatest achievements in modern cricket. It was accomplished at the highest level against full-member nations in high-pressure conditions. Cricket fans in Pakistan have long celebrated Rizwan’s consistency and humility. Although the record has now been surpassed, his impact on the format and Pakistan’s success remains undisputed.

Karanbir Singh’s rise, meanwhile, is another sign that associate nations are closing the gap in T20 cricket. His achievement reflects Austria’s growing cricketing standards and signals a broader shift in global T20 competition.

As one record falls and another is set, cricket continues to show that talent and passion can emerge from anywhere.

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