Melbourne Cricket Ground highest score chase in T20: An iconic stadium will be hosting an iconic match on a Sunday evening.
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All cricketing roads will lead to Melbourne tomorrow for a showpiece contest between India and Pakistan. Not just any other match, two neighboring countries who arguably share the biggest rivalry in this sport will be facing each other in an ICC T20 World Cup 2022 Super 12 match.
One of the seven venues for the first-ever T20 World Cup in Australia, Melbourne Cricket Ground will be hosting a T20 after eight months. Since hosting Sri Lanka for a couple of T20Is earlier this year, the sports capital of Australia hasn’t hosted any match in the shortest format.
Melbourne, which has hosted a total of 98 Men’s T20s since hosting its first one in 2007, will be hosting its first-ever India-Pakistan T20I. Considering the Asian diaspora in the city, an electrifying atmosphere in a packed stadium comprising of around 1,00,000 spectators is in store for a Sunday evening.
While cricketers from both the teams hardly feature in the lists of Top 50 highest run-scorers and wicket-takers in Melbourne T20s, Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf is an exception due to his two-year Big Bash League stint with Melbourne Stars.
In seven T20s at this venue, Rauf has picked 11 wickets at an average of 15.73, an economy rate of 6.92 and a strike rate of 13.64. It is due to these economical numbers that Pakistan captain Babar Azam has been vocal about Rauf sharing experience and aiding in building tactics ahead of this match.
Melbourne Cricket Ground highest score chase in T20
| Score | Overs | Team | Opposition | Year |
| 206/5 | 18.1 | Victoria | Western Australia | 2007 |
| 186/7 | 19.1 | Melbourne Stars | Hobart Hurricanes | 2018 |
| 184/2 | 19.5 | Victoria | South Australia | 2009 |
| 182/7 | 19.3 | Melbourne Stars | Perth Scorchers | 2015 |
| 179/4 | 19.4 | Victoria | New South Wales | 2010 |
In the form of sealing a 202-run target, the highest successful run-chase was registered in the second T20 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground almost 16 years ago.
Home team Victoria’s efforts remain the only 200+ T20 run-chase at this venue even after so many years. Former Australia all-rounder Andrew McDonald, who is the current head coach of the Australian team, was part of the Victorian Playing XI back in the day.
