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Kieron Pollard added another remarkable chapter to his glittering T20 career by becoming the highest run-scorer in men's T20 cricket, surpassing his fellow Caribbean great Chris Gayle as he scored a century for MI New York in Major League Cricket (MLC) 2026 on Saturday.
The former West Indies captain reached the milestone in style, smashing a six during his unbeaten knock of 100 off 56 balls against Washington Freedom. Pollard moved past Gayle's tally of 14,562 runs and now sits atop the all-time T20 run-scoring charts with 14,582 runs from 736 matches. The achievement also underlines Pollard's extraordinary longevity in the shortest format. He is also the only cricketer in history to have played more than 700 T20 matches, having featured in leagues across the globe for nearly two decades. However, Pollard's landmark innings came in a losing cause as Washington Freedom secured a commanding 30-run victory, having posted a massive 245 for 5. The match was dominated by Australian all-rounder Mitchell Owen, who produced a breathtaking innings of 155 from just 68 deliveries, the highest individual score in MLC history. Owen raced to a 41-ball century and struck the ball to all parts of the ground, finishing with one of the most destructive knocks seen in the competition. Supported by useful contributions from Steve Smith and Mark Chapman, Freedom set MI New York a daunting target of 246. The chase got off to a disastrous start for MI New York as Quinton de Kock and Monank Patel departed in the opening over, while Glenn Maxwell removed Nicholas Pooran soon after to leave the batting side reeling. At 64 for 5, the contest appeared over before Pollard launched a spirited counterattack. The veteran power-hitter stitched together important partnerships with Romario Shepherd and Corbin Bosch, keeping the scoreboard moving while bringing up only the second T20 century of his career. Pollard eventually reached the three-figure mark off the final ball of the innings, finishing unbeaten with 11 fours and four sixes. Despite the defeat, the day belonged to Pollard, whose latest milestone places him alone at the summit of T20 cricket's run-scoring charts. Gayle remains second with 14,562 runs, followed by Alex Hales (14,449), Jos Buttler (14,371), David Warner (14,284) and Virat Kohli (14,218) -- the only six batters to have crossed the 14,000-run mark in T20 cricket. (ANI)
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