Follow UsEverybody remembers their international debut and their debut in every format of the game. But Ireland’s Liam McCarthy won’t be able to forget his T20I debut as he bowled the most expensive spell in T20Is history by a player from the full-member nations of the International Cricket Council (ICC).
The incident took place during the third T20I of the three-match series between hosts Ireland and West Indies on June 15 at the Bready Cricket Club Ground in Bready, Northern Ireland.
Bowling his full quota of four overs, the 23-year-old was thrashed all over the park by a monstrous West Indian batting lineup. McCarthy went for 81 runs in his four overs, getting hit for 11 fours and five sixes and bowling two wides on the way.
The right-arm medium pacer went past Sri Lanka’s Kasun Rajitha, who had conceded 75 runs in his spell against Australia in a T20I in Adelaide in 2019.
As a result of such an expensive spell, West Indies finished their innings at 256/5, which is their second-highest total in T20I history, behind the 258/5 that they scored against South Africa in 2023.
As for the record for most runs conceded in a T20I amongst all ICC members, it remains firm with Gambia’s Musa Jobarteh, who conceded 93 runs in a game against Zimbabwe in Nairobi, Kenya in 2024. It was the same game in which Zimbabwe scored 344/3, which is the highest total in T20I history.