T20 WORLD CUP KICKS OFF TODAY
Captains tip 300-run barrier to fall
February 07, 2026 00:00:00
Captains of participating teams pose for a photo with the trophy of the 10th edition of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup scheduled to be held from February 07 to March 08 in India and Sri Lanka.
NEW DELHI, Feb 6 (Reuters): A combination of smaller grounds, quick outfields and increasingly fearless batting may lead teams to exceed 300 runs mark for the first time at a Twenty20 World Cup, reckon England captain Harry Brook and his India counterpart, Suryakumar Yadav.
That barrier has been breached three times in T20 Internationals but Sri Lanka's 260-6 against Kenya in the 2007 World Cup remains the highest score in the tournament's history.
"There are plenty of grounds in India where there could be a score of 300-plus," Brook said at the captains' media briefing ahead of the 20-team tournament beginning on Saturday.
"The wickets look like they're quite good wickets at the minute - rapid outfields and fairly short boundaries.
"So yeah, you've just got to go out there and be fearless ... and don't worry about getting out and just keep on trying to take the balls on as much as possible."
Having posted one of the three 300-plus totals in T20 Internationals, against South Africa last year, England have the batting firepower to do it again.
The twice champions have arguably the most lethal opening pair in Phil Salt and Jos Buttler, while Brook himself boasts of a 152-plus strike rate in this format.
While both Brook and Suryakumar, being batters, would personally relish the conditions, as captains of their respective sides, they would have to find ways to hem in rivals.