England batter Alex Hales broke a massive record in T20 cricket en route his knock of 67 off 32 balls for the Desert Vipers against Dubai Capitals in the ILT20 2025 Qualifier 1 match in Dubai on Wednesday. Hales went past former West Indies and Mumbai Indians all-rounder Kieron Pollard to become the 2nd highest run-getter in the history of T20 cricket.
The 36-year-old opener now has 13,558 in 492 T20 matches at an average of 30.06 with 7 hundreds and 85 fifties at a strike-rate of 145.23. Pollard managed to score 13,537 runs from 617 innings till date.
Hales is only behind West Indies legendary opener Chris Gayle, who managed 14,562 runs in 455 innings in his career. Former Pakistan all-rounder Shoaib Malik managed 13492 runs while former Australian opener David Warner has 12909 runs.
Former India captain Virat Kohli has so far managed 12886 runs in T20 cricket. Out of those, Kohli scored 4188 runs in T20 international before announcing his retirement from the format after the T20 World Cup 2024 last year.
No Look Six, phew!
Alex Hales picked the bones out of that one, smashing a huuuuuge six and taking home the #PlayOfTheGame ️#Qualifier1 #DPWorldILT20 #TheFinalPush #AllInForCricket pic.twitter.com/QDEtUK15K3
— International League T20 (@ILT20Official) February 5, 2025
Meanwhile, Dubai Capitals clinched a thrilling last-ball, victory against the Desert Vipers on Wednesday, securing their place in the final of the ILT20 Season 3. In a nail-biting finish at the Dubai International Stadium, an all-round masterclass from Gulbadin Naib — featuring a third consecutive half-century against the Vipers, and a two-wicket haul—propelled the Capitals to a five-wicket win. The triumph not only marked the second-highest run chase in T20s at the venue but also extended the Capitals’ dominance over the Vipers with their fifth consecutive win against the side.
Earlier in the evening, Hales lit up the innings with a blistering 67 off just 32 balls, forging a 98-run partnership with Max Holden to give the Vipers a flying start. However, the Capitals fought back brilliantly with the ball, restricting the Vipers to 189/7 and setting the stage for a dramatic chase.
Chasing a steep target amidst the pressure of a playoff, the Dubai Capitals had a steady powerplay of 47 runs without losing any wickets. Adam Rossington struck Sam Curran for three boundaries in the fifth over to make his intentions clear, but the Capitals were already falling behind the equation. Meanwhile, Shai Hope mustered a run-a-ball knock of 17 runs before he was claimed by Wanindu Hasaranga in the seventh over.
In the first innings, UAE’s Farhan Khan removed Rahmanullah Gurbaz to give the Capitals a breakthrough as early as the first over. The powerplay belonged to the Vipers thereon as Alex Hales and Max Holden steered the Vipers to 64/1 in six overs. Hales, who was particularly destructive, was dropped in the fifth over. The same over would see 14 runs as the error proved costly.
Hales dispatched Sikandar Raza for two consecutive sixes in the seventh over as he brought up a 28-ball fifty. He smashed seven fours and cleared the ropes thrice to reach the milestone for the ninth time in the DP World ILT20.
The Dubai Capitals bounced back to derail the Vipers onslaught. While the first seven overs had seen 84 runs, the next seven overs only produced 45 runs, courtesy of tight spells from the spin duo of Haider Ali and Qais Ahmad.
The MI Emirates will take on Sharjah Warriorz in the Eliminator tomorrow. The winner of the encounter will face Dubai Capitals for a place in the Final.
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