Bulgaria Sets T20 Record with Fastest-Ever Chase of 200+ Target

KEY POINTS

• Bulgaria turned a daunting target into a boundary-studded spectacle
• The match featured 465 runs at a combined strike rate of 222.48 – the highest in any men’s T20I

ISLAMABAD: Bulgaria rewrote T20 history by chasing down a mammoth target of 244 runs against Gibraltar in just 14.2 overs, the fastest successful run chase of 200 or more in men’s T20 internationals.

The scene was set in Sofia, the host city for the tri-nation series involving Gibraltar, Turkey, and Bulgaria.

After Gibraltar hammered their way to 243-7, powered by a whirlwind 33-ball 73 from Philip Raikes and a captain’s knock of 51 off 28 from Iain Latin, few would have predicted the storm that Bulgaria was about to unleash.

But the chase was nothing short of cinematic. Openers Isa Zaroo and skipper Hristo Lakov launched the innings like a rocket, racking up 62 runs in just 4.2 overs before Lakov fell for a quickfire 19.

What followed was a festival of fury. Zaroo, in red-hot form, bludgeoned 69 off just 24 balls, while Milan Gogev joined the party with an equally brutal 69 from 27 deliveries.

The sixth over alone was a six-hitting extravaganza, featuring four towering maximums.

The scoreboard was racing like a Formula 1 car — 89-1 in the Powerplay, 194-2 after 12 overs. Then came wicketkeeper Manan Bashir, who decided to rewrite the laws of gravity.

He smashed four consecutive sixes, and with three more the next over, he rocketed to 70 off just 21 balls, steering Bulgaria to within touching distance of victory.

When Bashir fell just before the end, the job was nearly done — a calm single sealed the chase in just 14.2 overs, with 34 balls to spare.

Only Serbia’s 35-ball margin (chasing 200) last month comes close, but Bulgaria’s blitz for 244 now sits atop the mountain of T20 chasing feats.

This match wasn’t just about a chase — it was an assault on every statistical convention in the format.

The game saw a staggering 465 runs scored off the bat in just 209 balls, with a combined strike rate of 222.48, making it the highest strike-rate match ever recorded in men’s T20 internationals with over 150 runs scored.

Records tumbled like dominoes, boundaries flew like confetti, and Bulgaria announced themselves as a T20 force with a brand of fearless cricket that left fans breathless and statisticians scrambling.

Highest Run Rates in Successful Chases of 200+ in T20s