Kieron Pollard creates history, overtakes Chris Gayle as T20’s leading run-scorer
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Kieron Pollard creates history, overtakes Chris Gayle as T20’s leading run-scorer")
Kieron Pollard Photograph: (X/@MINYCricket)
Kieron Pollard achieved another major milestone in his T20 career by becoming the highest run-scorer in men's T20 cricket.
Kieron Pollard etched his name into T20 cricket history on Saturday, overtaking Chris Gayle to become the leading run-scorer in men’s T20 cricket. The landmark came during a superb century for MI New York in the 2026 edition of Major League Cricket. The former West Indies skipper reached the record in style, clearing the ropes during an unbeaten 100 off 56 deliveries against Washington Freedom. The knock lifted Pollard beyond Gayle’s career tally of 14,562 T20 runs, taking his aggregate to 14,582 runs from 736 appearances.
The feat further highlights Pollard’s remarkable durability in the shortest format. Having played in domestic leagues around the world for nearly 20 years, he remains the only player to have crossed the 700-match mark in T20 cricket.
Despite Pollard’s heroics, MI New York fell short as Washington Freedom claimed a convincing 30-run win after piling up 245/5.
The standout performance of the match came from Australian all-rounder Mitchell Owen, who scored a sensational 155 off just 68 balls, the highest individual score in MLC history.
Owen brought up his century in only 41 deliveries and dominated the attack throughout one of the most explosive innings the tournament has witnessed.
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Valuable contributions from Steve Smith and Mark Chapman helped Freedom set a huge target of 246.
MI New York’s had a poor start to chase early when Quinton de Kock and Monank Patel were dismissed in the opening over. Soon after, Glenn Maxwell removed Nicholas Pooran, leaving the side in deep trouble. Reduced to 64/5, MI New York appeared out of contention before Pollard produced a determined fightback.
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The veteran all-rounder had crucial stands with Romario Shepherd and Corbin Bosch, guiding the recovery while registering only the second T20 hundred of his career. He reached the milestone on the final ball of the innings, ending unbeaten on 100 with 11 boundaries and four sixes.
Although the result favored Washington Freedom, Pollard’s achievement stole the spotlight, as he now stands alone atop the all-time men’s T20 run-scoring list, ahead of Gayle. The elite group of batters to surpass 14,000 T20 runs also includes Alex Hales, Jos Buttler, David Warner and Virat Kohli.
