Stats: Pakistan becomes first team to record 18 T20I wins in a calendar year

After beating the two-time T20 World Cup champions West Indies in the first T20I at Karachi, Pakistan became the first side to win 18 T20Is in a calendar year, breaking their own record of 17 victories which they achieved in the year 2018. The Men in Green are in supreme form in the T20I format as they have now won ten of their last 11 T20Is, losing that one crucial semi-final against Australia in the T20 World Cup 2021.

Out of 27 T20Is in 2021, the Babar Azam-led side has lost only six matches and three games were abandoned this year. The Asian giants have been a dominant force in the shortest international format as they are also the only team with over 100 wins since the inception of this format.

The team has been carried by two of their stalwarts in captain Babar Azam and wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan. The skipper has amassed 853 runs and his teammate 1201 runs as the duo have been in extraordinary form to win matches of their own. They have a shared partnership of 1208 runs, which is the prime reason for Pakistan’s success in 2021.

Five out of six series victory for Pakistan in 2021

The Men in Green started the year with a 2-1 series win over South Africa at home, and then winning the reverse series 3-1 back in South Africa later on. Their form continued in another African nation, Zimbabwe as they beat them by 2-1 . The only series they lost this year was in England when the series went 2-1 to the British side. Pakistan paid a visit to the Caribbean nation only to see three out of four matches getting abandoned due to rain. They managed to win the solitary game and eventually the series 1-0.

After the disappointment of Kiwis refusal to play five T20Is in Pakistan, the Asian team came out all guns blazing by winning five matches in the T20 World Cup on the trot to enter the semi-finals. They lost the encounter to Australia and got knocked out of the mega event. Next stop was Bangladesh and they defeat them 3-0 at their own backyard.

After clinching the first T20I against Men in Maroon, Pakistan entered the record books with most wins in a calendar year. Having18 wins, Babar Azam and his men will look to make it 20 by winning the remaining two T20Is and also winning the sixth series in this year. The team would hope to extend their T20I form next year too which is a year of T20 World Cup.

Most wins in T20Is in a calendar year (full-members):