Unlike Test cricket, where ‘nervous nineties’ are a psychological hurdle, the nineties in T20s are often dictated by the Limit of 120 balls.
About 65% of the players on this list have finished Not out. They did not “miss” a century due to nerves; they simply ran out of balls or reached the goal. In T20 history, 90* is often more valuable than 100 on a losing cause.
The 90s Club: Clinical Excellence in T20 World Cup History (2007-2026)
| EDITION | PLAYER | SCORE (BALLS) | SR | TREES | LOCATION | 6s | % OF TEAM SCORE | RESULT | THE “STORY” |
| 2007 | Herschelle Gibbs | 90* (55) | 163.6 | v West Indies | Johannesburg | 2 | 43% | Won | Opened the first ever World Cup with a record chase of 205. |
| 2009 | Tillakaratne Dilshan | 96* (57) | 168.4 | v West Indies | The oval | 2 | 61% | Won | The “Dil-scoop” era; it carried the entire SL lineup. |
| 2010 | Mahela Jayawardene | 98* (56) | 175.0 | v West Indies | Bridgetown | 4 | 50% | Won | Masterful placement; Out of balls, 2 runs short. |
| 2010 | Chris Gayle | 98 (66) | 148.4 | in India | Bridgetown | 7 | 58% | Won | Heartbreaking run-out in the last over of the innings. |
| 2012 | Luke Wright | 99* (55) | 180.0 | in Afghanistan | Colombo (RPS) | 6 | 50% | Won | The closest anyone has ever come without a century. |
| 2014 | Omar Akmal | 94 (54) | 174.0 | in Australia | Mirpur | 4 | 49% | Won | A blistering counter-attack that stunned the Aussies. |
| 2021 | Martin Guptil | 93 (56) | 166.0 | against Scotland | Dubai | 7 | 54% | Won | Fought against extreme heat; fell caught in the 19th over. |
| 2021 | Rassie van der Dussen | 94* (60) | 156.6 | against England | Sharjah | 6 | 50% | Won | A lone warrior who ended England’s winning streak. |
| 2022 | Devon Conway | 92* (58) | 158.6 | in Australia | Sydney (SCG) | 2 | 46% | Won | Clinical ‘anchor knock’ that silenced the hosts. |
| 2024 | Aaron Jones | 94* (40) | 235.0 | against Canada | Dallas | 10 | 48% | Won | Power record: Most sixes (10) in a score in the 90s. |
| 2024 | Nicholas Pooran | 98 (53) | 184.9 | in Afghanistan | Saint Lucia | 8 | 45% | Won | Joins Gayle in the club “Run-out on 98”. |
| 2024 | Rohit Sharma | 92 (41) | 224.3 | in Australia | Saint Lucia | 8 | 45% | Won | The Blitz: 2nd fastest to reach 90+ (only 41 balls). |
| 2026 | Lorcan Tucker | 94* (51) | 184.3 | against Oman | Colombo (SSC) | 4 | 51% | Won | Saved Ireland from 47/3 to post a huge 235. |
| 2026 | Ibrahim Zadran | 95* (56) | 169.6 | against Canada | Chennai | 5 | 52% | Won | Clinical pursuit masterclass on a rotating track. |
| 2026 | Brian Bennett | 97* (59) | 164.4 | in India | Chennai | 6 | 53% | Lost | The only loss: Scored 97* in a huge chase of 257. |
| 2026 | Sanju Samson | 97* (50) | 194.0 | v West Indies | Eden Gardens | 4 | 47% | Won | The Kolkata Hero: The pursuit to reach the SFs was frozen. |
Key insights – what you need to know
A score of 90 points generally falls into two tactical categories: the Carrier and the Finisher.
- The carrier: Players like it Tillakaratne Dilshan or Ibrahim Zadran who score >50% of the team total. They anchor the innings from start to finish.
- The Blitzer: Players like it Rohit Sharma or Aaron Jones that strike 220+. For them, the 1990s are just a byproduct of a rapid attack where the milestone is irrelevant compared to the damage done to the opposition’s morale.
Sanju Samson (97), Aaron Jones (94)And Lucas Wright (99) “ended” their innings in the 90s just because the match was won.
In almost twenty years of tournament history only once a player has scored 90+ and still lost the match (Brian Bennett, 2026). Every other instance resulted in a win, proving that a “90” is in fact a “Match-winning” score.
Open, high scoring areas such as Bridgetown (Barbados), Gros Islet (St. Lucia)and recently Chepauk (Chennai) are the hotspots for these scores. Happened twice!
Tillakaratne Dilshan (2009) scored 61% of Sri Lanka’s runs in its match, the highest percentage on this list. It shows how much he carried the team.
Only two players have ever been that way run out while in the 90s. Remarkably, they were both West Indians and both were fired in exactly the same way 98: Chris Gayle (2010 vs. India) and Nicholas Pooran (2024 vs. Afghanistan).
Check out which player has been dismissed for running out the most in T20I cricket.
We have seen it four There are more than 90 scores in the 2026 edition alone, showing that batters are getting closer to the century mark more often than ever before.
While these players represent the elite “near misses,” it’s important to note that Chris Gayle, Mahela Jayawardene, Alex Hales, Jos Buttler and Pathum Nissanka belong to an even more exclusive circle, because in addition to this innings of 90 runs, they each have a century to their name in this prestigious tournament.
If you want to see who totally managed to reach triple figures, you can check out my other deep dive here: The ultimate list of centuries in T20 World Cup history (2007-2026)
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