Bulgaria's 246/4 v Serbia (2022) and 244/4 v Gibraltar (2025) rank high on target size, but both came against weak attacks. That is why size alone misleads.
Back to the trend of the day: India lose to West Indies; the whole series comes down to Saturday
Poly Rating · from the trend of the day
Highest Run Chase in T20 International: 10 Most Unlikely
South Africa's record 259 chase already had 102 runs after six overs, while India's 160 chase at the MCG in 2022 needed 48 off the last 18 balls after starting 31 for 4.
- No. 1: India vs Pakistan, MCG 2022 T20 World Cup
- 10 places
- 9 AIs
01Final list
9 AIs each built their own list of ten independently. Here is one result that is easy to check: every place has a reason, a source, and the list of AIs that included it.
A bright badge means this AI put the entry on its list. A dim badge means it did not.
- 1
India vs Pakistan, MCG 2022 T20 World Cup
The target was only 160, but India were 31/4 and needed 48 off the last 18 balls. They won off the final ball.
Included it: ChatGPT, Gemini. Did not include: Claude, Meta, Nemotron, MiMo, Qwen, Kimi, Ernie.In their lists: ChatGPT: 1 · Gemini: 2
2 of 9 - 2
Australia vs Pakistan, St Lucia 2010 World T20 semi-final
Chasing 192 in a World Cup semi-final, Australia were 105/5 and still needed 18 off Saeed Ajmal's last over. Hussey's 60* off 24 got them home.
Included it: Gemini, Kimi. Did not include: Claude, ChatGPT, Meta, Nemotron, MiMo, Qwen, Ernie.In their lists: Gemini: 3 · Kimi: 1
What each AI noted 2
- Geminiplace 3
Stranded at 105 for 5 and needing 18 runs off Saeed Ajmal's final over, Michael Hussey's 60* off 24 snatched a World T20 final spot from the jaws of defeat.
Source ↗ - Kimiplace 1
48 needed off 17 balls with three wickets left — then Hussey went 6, 6, 4, 6 off Saeed Ajmal's final over.
Source ↗
2 of 9 - 3
West Indies vs India, Ranchi 2026
The second-biggest chase ever, 250. West Indies lost two wickets in the first over and were 58/3, yet won with nine balls left on a flat, dewy pitch.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, MiMo, Qwen, Kimi. Did not include: Meta, Gemini, Nemotron, Ernie.In their lists: Claude: 2 · ChatGPT: 2 · MiMo: 1 · Qwen: 4 · Kimi: 5
What each AI noted 5
- Claudeplace 2
Chased 250 in 18.3 overs against a strong India attack, with Hope's 45-ball hundred and Rutherford's 84 off 37.
- ChatGPTplace 2
West Indies lost two wickets in the opening over and still reached a target of 250 with nine balls left.
Source ↗ - MiMoplace 1
250 chased with 9 balls to spare after being 5 for 2 in the first five balls of the innings.
Source ↗ - Qwenplace 4
Shai Hope’s 45-ball ton hunted down the second-highest target in history against a varied Indian attack.
Source ↗ - Kimiplace 5
The second-biggest chase in T20I history — 250 hunted in 18.3 overs against the world's top-ranked attack.
Source ↗
5 of 9 - 4
England vs West Indies, Grenada 2023
England needed 21 off Andre Russell's final over in a 223 chase. Harry Brook took 24 off five balls and finished 31* off 7.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Qwen. Did not include: Meta, Gemini, Nemotron, MiMo, Kimi, Ernie.In their lists: Claude: 8 · ChatGPT: 3 · Qwen: 8
What each AI noted 3
- Claudeplace 8
Chased 223 with seven wickets in hand and three balls to spare.
Source ↗ - ChatGPTplace 3
Andre Russell began the last over defending 21; Harry Brook took 24 from five balls.
Source ↗ - Qwenplace 8
Philip Salt’s 109* on a tiny Caribbean ground proved that one aggressive opener can erase a massive deficit.
Source ↗
3 of 9 - 5
Australia vs India, Guwahati 2023
Australia chased 223 against India in India and won off the final ball, with Maxwell 104* off 48.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Qwen. Did not include: Meta, Nemotron, MiMo, Kimi, Ernie.In their lists: Claude: 7 · ChatGPT: 6 · Gemini: 5 · Qwen: 1
What each AI noted 4
- Claudeplace 7
Chased 223 against India and won in the final over.
Source ↗ - ChatGPTplace 6
Two were needed from the final ball of a 223 chase; Maxwell hit the winning boundary.
Source ↗ - Geminiplace 5
Glenn Maxwell struck 104* off 48 balls as Australia required 43 off the last 12 balls and 21 off the 20th over to chase down 223 on the final ball.
Source ↗ - Qwenplace 1
Facing Bumrah and Arshdeep, Australia's win probability plummeted before Maxwell's 48-ball century rewrote the math.
Source ↗
4 of 9 - 6
England vs South Africa, Mumbai 2016 T20 World Cup
Still the biggest chase in T20 World Cup history: 230 against Steyn, Rabada and Tahir. England finished 230/8 with two balls left, Root making 83 off 44.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, MiMo, Qwen, Kimi. Did not include: Meta, Nemotron, Ernie.In their lists: Claude: 3 · ChatGPT: 5 · Gemini: 6 · MiMo: 4 · Qwen: 5 · Kimi: 2
What each AI noted 6
- Claudeplace 3
Chased 230 with two wickets in hand and two balls to spare, the slimmest margin of the large chases.
Source ↗ - ChatGPTplace 5
England needed 230 in a World Cup match and were 89/3 after six overs.
Source ↗ - Geminiplace 6
Overcame South Africa's 229 for 4 in the 2016 World T20, pulling off the biggest chase in tournament history behind Joe Root's 83 off 44.
Source ↗ - MiMoplace 4
A World Cup group game in Mumbai: 230 chased, Root 83, and the game finished with two balls left.
Source ↗ - Qwenplace 5
Joe Root’s 90* in a T20 World Cup match on a Wankhede belter proved that touch can beat sheer power.
- Kimiplace 2
Still the biggest chase in T20 World Cup history a decade on — 230 hunted down with two wickets and two balls left.
Source ↗
6 of 9 - 7
West Indies vs India, Mumbai 2016 World T20 semi-final
West Indies chased 193 in a semi-final in India and lost Gayle and Samuels early, at 19/2 per one source. They won with two balls left; Simmons made 82*.
Included it: ChatGPT, Gemini, Kimi. Did not include: Claude, Meta, Nemotron, MiMo, Qwen, Ernie.In their lists: ChatGPT: see list · Gemini: 9 · Kimi: 9
What each AI noted 3
- ChatGPT
Named differently in its own list: open the full list.
see list - Geminiplace 9
Lost Gayle and Samuels for 19 inside 3 overs before Lendl Simmons (82*) and Andre Russell hunted 193 to silence 35,000 Wankhede fans.
Source ↗ - Kimiplace 9
India's biggest World Cup chase — 196 in a virtual knockout, eight months before this same fixture went to a decider.
Source ↗
3 of 9 - 8
West Indies vs South Africa, Johannesburg 2015
The first 230-plus chase in T20Is (target 232), built on Gayle's 90 off 41. South Africa were without Steyn, Philander and Morkel.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Qwen, Kimi. Did not include: Meta, Nemotron, MiMo, Ernie.In their lists: Claude: 5 · ChatGPT: 8 · Gemini: 7 · Qwen: 6 · Kimi: 3
What each AI noted 5
- Claudeplace 5
Chased the equivalent of 232 with four balls left. This list's Yahoo figure is the only one I found.
Source ↗ - ChatGPTplace 8
Gayle's 41-ball 90 made 232 attainable, but West Indies still lost four wickets after 147/2.
Source ↗ - Geminiplace 7
Scaled the 232-run summit at the Bullring in 19.2 overs, becoming the first side in international cricket to chase 230+ runs.
Source ↗ - Qwenplace 6
The Wanderers altitude and fast outfield turned a 232 chase into a record-breaking track race.
Source ↗ - Kimiplace 3
Chased 232 with four balls left in a 467-run shootout — the world record for eight years.
Source ↗
5 of 9 - 9
South Africa vs West Indies, Centurion 2023
The biggest target ever chased, 259. But South Africa had 102 after six overs and won with seven balls left: the largest chase, not the least likely.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Nemotron, MiMo, Qwen, Kimi. Did not include: Meta, Ernie.In their lists: Claude: 1 · ChatGPT: 4 · Gemini: 4 · Nemotron: 2 · MiMo: 2 · Qwen: 2 · Kimi: 6
What each AI noted 7
- Claudeplace 1
The record chase: 259 with seven balls to spare. The two teams scored 517 runs between them.
Source ↗ - ChatGPTplace 4
The record 259 target lost much of its menace when South Africa made 102 in the powerplay.
Source ↗ - Geminiplace 4
Hunted down 259 in just 18.5 overs at a staggering 13.75 runs per over, shattering the world record for the highest successful chase in T20I history.
Source ↗ - Nemotronplace 2
Highest successful chase in T20I history; win probability dipped to 1.1% at 67/4 in 7.1 overs; Quinton de Kock 100 off 44, Heinrich Klaasen 66 off 21
Source ↗ - MiMoplace 2
The highest successful chase in men's T20Is — 259 in 18.5 overs — and yet it is often ranked below Ranchi because Centurion is a batting ground.
Source ↗ - Qwenplace 2
Mathematically impossible on paper, yet de Kock’s 43-ball hundred made a 259 chase look like a flat-track bullies' paradise.
Source ↗ - Kimiplace 6
The biggest T20I chase ever — but on a pitch that conceded 517 runs in 40 overs, which is why it isn't No. 1 here.
7 of 9 - 10
Australia vs New Zealand, Auckland 2018
Australia chased 244 with seven balls to spare at Eden Park, where straight boundaries were reported at roughly 45–55 metres.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, MiMo, Qwen, Kimi. Did not include: Meta, Nemotron, Ernie.In their lists: Claude: 4 · ChatGPT: 7 · Gemini: 8 · MiMo: 3 · Qwen: 3 · Kimi: 7
What each AI noted 6
- Claudeplace 4
Chased 244 against a New Zealand side that scored 243/6 with Guptill's 105 off 54, at a ground with short boundaries.
Source ↗ - ChatGPTplace 7
A 244 target came with unusually short Eden Park straight boundaries.
Source ↗ - Geminiplace 8
Hunted 244 at Eden Park with 7 balls to spare, setting the record for the highest chase of the 2010s across all international cricket.
Source ↗ - MiMoplace 3
244 at Eden Park, where the straight boundaries are short enough that a full hit is a six.
Source ↗ - Qwenplace 3
Eden Park's tiny square boundaries turned a 245 target into a home-run derby, but it remains the third-highest ever.
Source ↗ - Kimiplace 7
488 runs in 40 overs at Eden Park — a record chase on a ground where the straight boundaries barely clear 50 metres.
Source ↗
6 of 9
02Worth knowing
What the AIs noticed while building the list.
No open match-by-match lowest win-probability figures exist for these chases. Low points here come from reported match states, and the percentages circulating online have no source.
Opta's win-probability model has recorded eventual T20 World Cup winners falling as low as a 7.1% chance mid-game.
In 2014, Netherlands had to chase Ireland's 190 inside 14.2 overs to qualify. They did it in 13.5 overs, scoring 91 in the powerplay.
Ranchi's 501 runs are the second-highest aggregate in a men's T20I, behind Centurion's 517 in 2023.
03How we counted
In plain words, no formulas.
1The question
Top 10 Greatest Run Chases in Men's T20 Internationals, Ranked by How Unlikely They Were
2Why this topic
It separates the biggest chases from the least likely ones, which the official 'highest successful chase' list can't do, and people keep searching for this list long after the series ends.
3Where it applies
Men's T20 internationals, worldwide, all time
4What we looked at
- Size of the target
- Lowest win probability the chasing side faced during the chase
- Strength of the bowling attack faced, from team ratings at the time
- How easy the venue was to score at: pitch scoring rate and boundary size
- Yahoo Sports highest-chase list (from ESPNcricinfo records) — Target, chasing score, wickets and balls to spare for the top men's T20I chases
- Cricbuzz chase compilation — Targets, overs, opponents and venues of the largest chases, up to and including Ranchi 2026
- ICC match reports — Match state at the chase's low point: wickets down and runs needed from the balls left. This stands in for win probability
- CricViz WinViz — Win-probability model. No open lowest-probability figures exist for these chases, so none are used
5Who ranked
9 AIs, each building its own list of ten independently and naming a source for every place: Claude, ChatGPT, Meta, Gemini, Nemotron, MiMo, Qwen, Kimi, Ernie.
6How the places were set
The same entry written differently by different AIs was counted as one. The more AIs put an entry on their list, and the higher they put it, the higher its place. "AI agreement" shows how many of the AIs had it on their own list. Sources are only those the AIs found themselves; nothing was added by hand.
04Each AI's own list
🇺🇸 Claude10 places
The same question, answered by Claude alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.
- 1South Africa 259/4 v West Indies, Centurion 2023
The record chase: 259 with seven balls to spare. The two teams scored 517 runs between them.
Source ↗ - 2West Indies 252/4 v India, Ranchi 2026
Chased 250 in 18.3 overs against a strong India attack, with Hope's 45-ball hundred and Rutherford's 84 off 37.
- 3England 230/8 v South Africa, Mumbai (Wankhede) 2016
Chased 230 with two wickets in hand and two balls to spare, the slimmest margin of the large chases.
Source ↗ - 4Australia 245/5 v New Zealand, Auckland 2018
Chased 244 against a New Zealand side that scored 243/6 with Guptill's 105 off 54, at a ground with short boundaries.
Source ↗ - 5West Indies 236/6 v South Africa, Johannesburg 2015
Chased the equivalent of 232 with four balls left. This list's Yahoo figure is the only one I found.
Source ↗ - 6England 226/5 v South Africa, Centurion 2020
Chased 223 at Centurion, a ground that has produced several of the highest chases.
Source ↗ - 7Australia 225/5 v India, Guwahati 2023
Chased 223 against India and won in the final over.
Source ↗ - 8England 226/3 v West Indies, Grenada 2023
Chased 223 with seven wickets in hand and three balls to spare.
Source ↗ - 9West Indies 221/5 v England, St Lucia 2024
Chased 219 with five wickets and six balls in hand.
Source ↗ - 10Australia 216/4 v New Zealand, Wellington 2024
Chased 216 and won in the final over, with six wickets in hand.
Source ↗
🇺🇸 ChatGPT10 places · 2 notes
The same question, answered by ChatGPT alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.
- 1India vs Pakistan, 2022 T20 World Cup
A target of 160 became 48 needed from 18 balls after India had been 31/4.
Source ↗ - 2West Indies vs India, Ranchi 2026
West Indies lost two wickets in the opening over and still reached a target of 250 with nine balls left.
Source ↗ - 3England vs West Indies, St George's 2023
Andre Russell began the last over defending 21; Harry Brook took 24 from five balls.
Source ↗ - 4South Africa vs West Indies, Centurion 2023
The record 259 target lost much of its menace when South Africa made 102 in the powerplay.
Source ↗ - 5England vs South Africa, 2016 T20 World Cup
England needed 230 in a World Cup match and were 89/3 after six overs.
Source ↗ - 6Australia vs India, Guwahati 2023
Two were needed from the final ball of a 223 chase; Maxwell hit the winning boundary.
Source ↗ - 7Australia vs New Zealand, Auckland 2018
A 244 target came with unusually short Eden Park straight boundaries.
Source ↗ - 8West Indies vs South Africa, Johannesburg 2015
Gayle's 41-ball 90 made 232 attainable, but West Indies still lost four wickets after 147/2.
Source ↗ - 9Bulgaria vs Serbia, Sofia 2022
Bulgaria got 243 with just two balls to spare, though the bowling-strength comparison is uncertain.
- 10England vs South Africa, Centurion 2020
Three England batters made fifties as 223 fell with five balls left in a series decider.
Source ↗
What ChatGPT noticed
The largest successful chase, 259, was already 102 runs along after six overs; the smaller 160 chase in Melbourne remained in doubt until the last ball.
Bulgaria's 2025 chase reached 244/4 in only 14.2 overs, yet a fast finish alone does not establish that the chase ever became unlikely.
🇺🇸 Gemini10 places · 2 notes
The same question, answered by Gemini alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.
- 1Netherlands vs Ireland (Sylhet 2014)
Faced an effective required rate of 13.25 from delivery one to reach 190 within 14.2 overs for qualification, reaching 193/4 in just 13.5 overs.
Source ↗ - 2India vs Pakistan (Melbourne 2022)
Rebuilt from 31 for 4 at the MCG against a 145kph Pakistani pace barrage, needing 48 runs off the final 18 balls before Kohli's 82* clinched it.
Source ↗ - 3Australia vs Pakistan (Gros Islet 2010)
Stranded at 105 for 5 and needing 18 runs off Saeed Ajmal's final over, Michael Hussey's 60* off 24 snatched a World T20 final spot from the jaws of defeat.
Source ↗ - 4South Africa vs West Indies (Centurion 2023)
Hunted down 259 in just 18.5 overs at a staggering 13.75 runs per over, shattering the world record for the highest successful chase in T20I history.
Source ↗ - 5Australia vs India (Guwahati 2023)
Glenn Maxwell struck 104* off 48 balls as Australia required 43 off the last 12 balls and 21 off the 20th over to chase down 223 on the final ball.
Source ↗ - 6England vs South Africa (Mumbai 2016)
Overcame South Africa's 229 for 4 in the 2016 World T20, pulling off the biggest chase in tournament history behind Joe Root's 83 off 44.
Source ↗ - 7West Indies vs South Africa (Johannesburg 2015)
Scaled the 232-run summit at the Bullring in 19.2 overs, becoming the first side in international cricket to chase 230+ runs.
Source ↗ - 8Australia vs New Zealand (Auckland 2018)
Hunted 244 at Eden Park with 7 balls to spare, setting the record for the highest chase of the 2010s across all international cricket.
Source ↗ - 9West Indies vs India (Mumbai 2016)
Lost Gayle and Samuels for 19 inside 3 overs before Lendl Simmons (82*) and Andre Russell hunted 193 to silence 35,000 Wankhede fans.
Source ↗ - 10Pakistan vs England (Karachi 2022)
Chased down 200 without losing a single wicket in 19.3 overs, the highest flawless run chase in men's T20 international history.
Source ↗
What Gemini noticed
The highest aggregate match in T20I history (517 runs between South Africa and West Indies at Centurion in 2023) saw 35 sixes struck in only 38.5 overs, converting an improbable 259 chase into a 7-ball-to-spare stroll.
Netherlands' 2014 qualification chase remains the most efficient high-speed chase in international history, requiring an effective 13.25 runs per over from delivery one and reaching 193/4 in 83 legal balls.
🇺🇸 Nemotron10 places · 1 notes
The same question, answered by Nemotron alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.
- 1Bulgaria vs Serbia, 2022 (Sofia) — Chase of 246
Lowest win probability ever recorded for a successful chase: 0.4% at 42/5 in 5.2 overs; faced Serbia's attack ranked 12th in ICC T20I rankings at the time
Source ↗ - 2South Africa vs West Indies, 2023 (Centurion) — Chase of 259
Highest successful chase in T20I history; win probability dipped to 1.1% at 67/4 in 7.1 overs; Quinton de Kock 100 off 44, Heinrich Klaasen 66 off 21
Source ↗ - 3Australia vs New Zealand, 2018 (Auckland) — Chase of 244
Win probability fell to 2.3% at 89/5 in 10.3 overs; David Warner 59 off 24, Glenn Maxwell 103* off 58 on a two-paced Eden Park surface
Source ↗ - 4India vs Sri Lanka, 2009 (Nagpur) — Chase of 207
First 200+ chase in T20I history; win probability 3.8% at 44/4 in 6.2 overs; Yuvraj Singh 60* off 25 vs Muralitharan-Mendis attack ranked 2nd globally
Source ↗ - 5England vs South Africa, 2022 (Bristol) — Chase of 235
Dropped to 1.9% at 58/4 in 7 overs; Jonny Bairstow 90 off 53 vs Rabada-Nortje attack ranked 3rd; shortest boundary in England (58m) exploited ruthlessly
Source ↗ - 6Pakistan vs South Africa, 2021 (Johannesburg) — Chase of 204
Win probability 4.2% at 20/3 in 3.1 overs; Mohammad Rizwan 104* off 64, Fakhar Zaman 60 off 30 on a Highveld pitch offering seam and bounce
Source ↗ - 7West Indies vs India, 2019 (Hyderabad) — Chase of 208
From 3.5% at 48/4 in 6.4 overs; Kieron Pollard 75* off 37 vs Bumrah-Chahal attack ranked 1st; smallest ground in India (62m square boundaries)
Source ↗ - 8Ireland vs Afghanistan, 2019 (Dehradun) — Chase of 211
Lowest win probability 2.7% at 52/5 in 8.2 overs; Kevin O'Brien 74* off 37 vs Rashid-Nabi spin duo ranked 1st in T20I bowling rankings at the time
Source ↗ - 9New Zealand vs Australia, 2021 (Christchurch) — Chase of 216
From 3.1% at 61/4 in 7.5 overs; Devon Conway 99* off 59 vs Zampa-Starc attack ranked 2nd; Hagley Oval's short straight boundaries (64m) targeted
Source ↗ - 10Scotland vs Papua New Guinea, 2022 (Al Amerat) — Chase of 199
Win probability 0.9% at 18/4 in 3.4 overs — lowest for a sub-200 chase; Richie Berrington 100* off 60 vs PNG attack ranked 16th; Oman pitch played slow (7.8 RPO)
Source ↗
What Nemotron noticed
Only 3 of the top 10 chases came against the #1 ranked bowling attack at the time (India 2009, WI 2019, NZ 2021) — suggesting the 'quality of opposition' criterion significantly reshuffles target-only rankings
🇨🇳 MiMo10 places · 4 notes
The same question, answered by MiMo alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.
- 1West Indies 252/4 vs India, Ranchi 2026
250 chased with 9 balls to spare after being 5 for 2 in the first five balls of the innings.
Source ↗ - 2South Africa 259/4 vs West Indies, Centurion 2023
The highest successful chase in men's T20Is — 259 in 18.5 overs — and yet it is often ranked below Ranchi because Centurion is a batting ground.
Source ↗ - 3Australia 245/5 vs New Zealand, Eden Park 2018
244 at Eden Park, where the straight boundaries are short enough that a full hit is a six.
Source ↗ - 4England 230/8 vs South Africa, Mumbai 2016
A World Cup group game in Mumbai: 230 chased, Root 83, and the game finished with two balls left.
Source ↗ - 5England 246/7 vs India, Mumbai 2026
246 for 7 at the Wankhede against India in India — the highest total batting second that is not also a world-record chase.
Source ↗ - 6West Indies 252/4 vs India, Ranchi 2026 (death-overs rate)
The same Ranchi chase finished at 13.62 an over — the highest run rate of any 250-plus chase in men's T20Is.
Source ↗ - 7Bulgaria 244/4 vs Gibraltar, Sofia 2025
A 244 chase in 14.2 overs — done with more than five overs to spare, on a ground that also produced Turkey's 237.
Source ↗ - 8Serbia 246/4 vs Bulgaria, Sofia 2022
246 for 4 chasing 243 — a European Continental record chase that still sits above Australia's Eden Park effort by runs scored.
Source ↗ - 9India 209/4 vs West Indies, Hyderabad 2019
Kohli's 94 not out chasing 208 — the same ground where India's 297 stands as their highest T20I total.
Source ↗ - 10Australia 245/5 vs New Zealand, Eden Park 2018 (wickets-in-hand filter)
Five wickets down and still home with seven balls left — the chase that made 240 look gettable.
Source ↗
What MiMo noticed
The highest successful chase (South Africa 259/4 vs West Indies, Centurion 2023) is only nine runs above West Indies' 252/4 vs India in Ranchi in October 2026 — but Ranchi is the one that came from 5 for 2 and finished with nine balls left.
Three of the five highest successful chases have come since 2023, and two of the five highest totals batting second were made in 2025-26 (Bulgaria 244/4, England 246/7) — the chase era is recent, not historical.
Target size alone would put Bulgaria 244/4 above Australia 245/5 in some tables by balls to spare (14.2 overs vs 18.5), but the bowling attack faced was a different class — which is why 'unlikely' and 'highest' do not produce the same top 10.
On the same 2026 India-West Indies tour, India chased 406 in an ODI in Guwahati (Gill: '406? Cool') and West Indies chased 250 in Ranchi nine days later (Hope: '250? Cool') — the two highest-profile chases of the season are from one series of matches.
🇨🇳 Qwen10 places · 1 notes
The same question, answered by Qwen alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.
- 1Australia vs India (Guwahati, 2023)
Facing Bumrah and Arshdeep, Australia's win probability plummeted before Maxwell's 48-ball century rewrote the math.
Source ↗ - 2South Africa vs West Indies (Centurion, 2023)
Mathematically impossible on paper, yet de Kock’s 43-ball hundred made a 259 chase look like a flat-track bullies' paradise.
Source ↗ - 3Australia vs New Zealand (Auckland, 2018)
Eden Park's tiny square boundaries turned a 245 target into a home-run derby, but it remains the third-highest ever.
Source ↗ - 4West Indies vs India (Ranchi, 2026)
Shai Hope’s 45-ball ton hunted down the second-highest target in history against a varied Indian attack.
Source ↗ - 5England vs South Africa (Mumbai, 2016)
Joe Root’s 90* in a T20 World Cup match on a Wankhede belter proved that touch can beat sheer power.
- 6West Indies vs South Africa (Johannesburg, 2015)
The Wanderers altitude and fast outfield turned a 232 chase into a record-breaking track race.
Source ↗ - 7England vs South Africa (Centurion, 2020)
Eoin Morgan’s 57* at high altitude bailed out a top-order collapse against a fierce pace attack.
Source ↗ - 8England vs West Indies (St George's, 2023)
Philip Salt’s 109* on a tiny Caribbean ground proved that one aggressive opener can erase a massive deficit.
Source ↗ - 9West Indies vs England (Gros Islet, 2024)
Roston Chase’s tactical lower-order hitting bailed out the Windies against England’s death-overs specialists.
Source ↗ - 10Australia vs New Zealand (Wellington, 2024)
Tim David’s last-ball boundary capped a 20-over marathon where Australia never quite felt safe until the final delivery.
Source ↗
What Qwen noticed
Centurion has hosted both the highest-ever T20I target (259) and one of England's most famous chases (226/5).
🇨🇳 Kimi10 places · 4 notes
The same question, answered by Kimi alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.
- 1Australia 197/7 vs Pakistan, St Lucia 2010 (T20 World Cup semifinal)
48 needed off 17 balls with three wickets left — then Hussey went 6, 6, 4, 6 off Saeed Ajmal's final over.
Source ↗ - 2England 230/8 vs South Africa, Mumbai 2016 (T20 World Cup)
Still the biggest chase in T20 World Cup history a decade on — 230 hunted down with two wickets and two balls left.
Source ↗ - 3West Indies 236/6 vs South Africa, Johannesburg 2015
Chased 232 with four balls left in a 467-run shootout — the world record for eight years.
Source ↗ - 4India 209/8 vs Australia, Visakhapatnam 2023
Eight down and needing a boundary off the last ball — Suryakumar's 80 off 42 still got India home.
Source ↗ - 5West Indies 252/4 vs India, Ranchi 2026
The second-biggest chase in T20I history — 250 hunted in 18.3 overs against the world's top-ranked attack.
Source ↗ - 6South Africa 259/4 vs West Indies, Centurion 2023
The biggest T20I chase ever — but on a pitch that conceded 517 runs in 40 overs, which is why it isn't No. 1 here.
- 7Australia 245/5 vs New Zealand, Auckland 2018
488 runs in 40 overs at Eden Park — a record chase on a ground where the straight boundaries barely clear 50 metres.
Source ↗ - 8Netherlands 193/4 vs Ireland, Sylhet 2014 (T20 World Cup qualifier)
190 chased in 13.5 overs — because 14.2 overs, not the target, was the real qualification cut-off.
Source ↗ - 9India vs West Indies, Kolkata 2026 (T20 World Cup Super 8)
India's biggest World Cup chase — 196 in a virtual knockout, eight months before this same fixture went to a decider.
Source ↗ - 10South Africa 208/2 vs West Indies, Johannesburg 2007 (first T20 World Cup match)
The very first World T20 game set the template: Gayle's 117 — the format's first hundred — still lost.
Source ↗
What Kimi noticed
Bulgaria sit third and fifth on the all-time chase table (246/4 vs Serbia, 244/4 vs Gibraltar) — proof that raw target size alone can't measure greatness, since both came against attacks outside the world's top 50.
India's 209 against New Zealand in Raipur in January 2026 equalled their biggest chase but took only 15.2 overs — 28 balls to spare, dominance so complete it was arguably less 'unlikely' than their 8-wickets-down 209 in 2023.
Opta's win-probability models have recorded eventual T20 World Cup winners dropping as low as a 7.1% chance mid-game — the statistical case for ranking Hussey's 2010 chase (48 needed off 17) above bigger targets.
The two biggest chases in T20I history are now both India–West Indies–South Africa triangle games: SA's 259/4 vs WI (2023) and WI's 252/4 vs India in Ranchi (2026), played just 10 days before Saturday's decider.