Cricket used to belong to bowlers in the opening overs, a game of patience, prudent accumulation and carefully defended totals. Then came Twenty20 cricket and the game turned into a high-octane showcase of precisely calibrated chaos.
Nothing epitomizes this change better than the art of the run chase. Defending 200 was a fortress, but now people are looking to breach 240-plus totals as if they were an open door.
Here are the five highest successful run chases between full-member cricket countries
1. South Africa (259-4) beat West Indies (258-5) Centurion – March 26, 2023
Perched proudly at the absolute peak of T20I run chases is a game that defied logic in Centurion. The West Indies batted first and amassed a seemingly unattainable 258-5, courtesy of Johnson Charles' breathtaking 118 from 46 balls, containing 10 fours and 11 towering sixes.
What followed next stunned the cricketing world. Quinton de Kock turned the chase into a personal coronation, smashing a blistering 100 from 44 balls with nine fours and eight sixes. De Kock and Reeza Hendricks (68 from 28) laid the foundation with an astonishing 152-run opening stand in just 10.5 overs.
Captain Aiden Markram then calmly applied the finishing touches with an unbeaten 38 from 21 balls, guiding the Proteas home by six wickets with seven balls to spare in a match that proved bowlers truly have no safe haven in the modern game.
2. West Indies (252-4) beat India (249-5) Ranchi – October 9, 2026
The JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi witnessed an absolute run-fest as India notched up a mammoth 249-5, powered by Sanju Samson's brilliant 82 from 41 balls and a flurry of quick-fire forties from Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer and Tilak Varma.
When the West Indies lost two quick wickets in the first over of the reply, it seemed that the match was already slipping away. Instead, captain Shai Hope and Sherfane Rutherford delivered one of the greatest rescue acts in T20 history. The duo put the Indian attack to the sword in a staggering 120-run fourth-wicket stand. Hope remained unbeaten on his majestic 102 from 45 balls (six fours and nine sixes), while Rutherford bludgeoned 84 from 37, securing a historic victory in 18.3 overs and registering the highest successful chase in men's T20Is between full-member nations on away soil.
3. Australia (245-5) beat New Zealand (243-6) Auckland – February 16, 2018
The Trans-Tasman tug of war may produce fireworks, but the fifth contest of the 2018 T20I Tri-Series in Auckland defied imagination. New Zealand's Martin Guptill (105) and Colin Munro (76) absolutely tore through the Australian attack in an enthralling opening 10.4 over partnership of 132, shepherding the Black Caps to an eye-watering 243-6.
Chasing 244 in foreign conditions would seem impossible, but Australia fired back with fire. D'Arcy Short anchored the chase in with a magnificent 76 from 44 balls, while the skipper in David Warner, contributed a rapid 59 from 24. Quick-fire contributions from Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell allowed Australia to cross the finishing line with five wickets and seven balls remaining.
4. West Indies (236-6) beat South Africa (231-7) Johannesburg — January 11, 2015
Prior to becoming international powerhouses of the power-hitting era, the West Indies were already proving themselves to be trailblazers to the masses in Johannesburg. Faf du Plessis demonstrated a masterclass for the hosts as he anchored South Africa to a formidable 231-7 with his stunning 119 from 56.
Responding to the hosts, the iconic Chris Gayle decided that the Wanderers was his personal playground. The Universe Boss thrashed 90 from 41 balls, showering the boundary with nine fours and seven sixes. Gayle combined for a devastating 152-run stand with Marlon Samuels (60) before skipper Daren Sammy sent the Wanderers into a frenzy with a lightning 20 from 7, clinching a four-wicket victory with four deliveries to spare.
5. England (230-8) beat South Africa (229-4) at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai – March 18, 2016
During the 2016 ICC T20 World Cup, England and South Africa presented the audience a T20 classic. Bowling first, England faced an almighty batting barrage from the Proteas with Hashim Amla (58), Quinton de Kock (52) and JP Duminy (54) guiding their team to an eminently formidable 229-4.
To finish the highest-ever World Cup run chase at the time, England had to produce an extraordinary display. Joe Root displayed sublime skills to steer his team to the target with a well-constructed 83 from 44 balls, set up brilliantly by Jason Roy's explosive 43 from 16.
England sneaked home by two wickets with two balls to spare, kicking off what would become an extremely tight tournament campaign.
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