Stats: Canada’s Ravinderpal Singh scores a century on his T20I debut

Ravinderpal Singh set up a big win for Canada with a quick-fire century on the first day of the Americas Region Final for the ICC Men’s T20 CWC Qualifiers. Playing against the Cayman Islands, Ravinderpal hit ten maximums and six fours on his way to a 48-ball 101. He reached his century in 47 deliveries and got out soon after completing the milestone. The middle-order batsman thus became the first player to score a century in the Twenty20 format for Canada.

Ruvindu Gunasekera’s 95 against UAE in a T20 match in 2012 was the previous highest T20 score by any player for Canada. This game against the Cayman Islands was Canada’s first-ever T20I appearance since the start of 2014. None of the T20 matches they played in these six years had International status. Interestingly, Cayman Islands made their T20I debut in this match and it is also their first appearance in an International match.

The game played on Sunday marked to be the T20I debut of the centurion Ravinderpal as well. Thus, he became the first player in T20I history to score a century on debut (Men/Women). Ricky Ponting scored an unbeaten 98 in the first-ever Men’s T20I match held in 2005. It stood as the record for the highest individual T20I score on debut. It was also probably the oldest surviving T20I record before Ravinder’s effort.

Highest individual scores in Men’s T20I cricket:

David Warner, who featured in a T20I prior to his first-class debut, scored 89 against the Proteas. Canada’s own Hiral Patel came close to Ponting’s record in 2010 when he scored an unbeaten 88 against Ireland. When it comes to Women’s T20Is, the highest score on debut is recorded by another Australian skipper, Karen Rolton in 2005 when she scored an unbeaten 96. Stafanie Taylor scored 90 during her T20I debut in 2008 against Ireland.

Ravinderpal’s century is only the 5th by any player in the T20I format while batting at No.4 or a later position. Glenn Maxwell alone has two such hundreds. Ravinder’s ten sixes are also the joint-most for any player in a T20I innings while batting at No.4 or lower. Corey Anderson smashed ten maximums during his unbeaten 94 against Bangladesh last year. Ravinderpal Singh’s knock included 84 runs through boundaries.

Highest individual scores in T20I cricket: (Men/Women)

(Stats as on August 18, 2019)