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Lyth blazes 161 on record-breaking night

Englishman scores third-highest T20 score ever while Kent break the record for the highest-ever opening stand

Former Test opener Adam Lyth has posted the third-highest score in T20 history, blasting 161 for Yorkshire on a record-breaking night in England's domestic competition.

Lyth's score of 161 from 73 balls is the highest in a Twenty20 match in England and third highest of all time, behind Chris Gayle's mark of 175 not out from 66 balls for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League in 2013 and Hamilton Mazakadza's unbeaten 162 from 71 balls in Zimbabwe's domestic competition.

Image Id: E0CC683B85364FAA960672B306E1E482 Image Caption: Lyth hit 20 fours and seven sixes at Headingley // Getty

Lyth hit 20 fours and seven sixes at Headingley as the hosts racked up a massive total of 4-260 in their 20 overs against Northants.

Yorkshire fell just three runs short of the all-time highest team total in T20s; Gayle's 175no guided the RCB to 5-263 in that match against Pune four years ago, while Australia rode a Glenn Maxwell century to a score of 3-263 against Sri Lanka last year.

Despite a rapid 65 from 32 balls by Richard Levi in reply, Northants were always up against it in the chase and ultimately fell short by 124 runs.

Image Id: 224538C583634698A7FCAACBE6C0B60D Image Caption: Lyth's score was the highest in a T20 match in England // Getty

While Lyth was dropped on 106 and survived a run out chance on 116, his innings was nonetheless a superb display of batting as he and Yorkshire's top order fired in the Leeds sunshine.

Lyth and Tom Kohler-Cadmore put on 127 in 9.4 overs before the latter fell for 41 from 24 balls but the runs continued to flow as David Willey (40 from 22) joined Lyth for a 124-run stand in just 57 balls.

Willey departed in the penultimate over when the score was 251, the highest total in T20 history at the loss of the second wicket, while Lyth was eventually dismissed from the third-last ball of the innings.

Image Id: EB2E9FD94E264420AD42D2037EAADF51 Image Caption: Lyth celebrates his record-breaking knock // Getty

Elsewhere, Kent duo Joe Denley and Daniel Bell-Drummond set a record of their own, their 207-run opening stand against Essex the highest partnership for the first wicket in 20-over cricket and the third-highest of all time.

Denley (127 from 66 balls) and Bell-Drummond (80no from 49) hammered 18 fours and nine sixes between them before Denley was finally dismissed in the penultimate over of their innings at Chelmsford.

Image Id: 76E28AAB0CD141DD8107388602CF4221 Image Caption: Denley and Bell-Drummond celebrate during their record stand // Getty

Kent's total of 2-221, in which Essex quick Mohammad Amir finished with an impressive 1-20 from four overs, appeared in danger when Varun Chopra (116 from 59 balls) led Essex's strong reply.

But a collapse saw Essex fall just 11 runs short in a match that saw 431 runs scored for the loss of just seven wickets.

In other matches on Thursday, Australian Mark Cosgrove hit an unbeaten 57 to guide Leicestershire to victory over Derbyshire, while Sam Curran (4-13 from four overs) took a triple-wicket maiden as Surrey edged passed Gloucestershire with a two-wicket win.

Highest individual scores in T20 cricket

  • 175no (66) - Chris Gayle, Royal Challengers Bangalore v Pune, 2013
  • 162no (71) - Hamilton Masakadza, Mountaineers v Eagles, 2016
  • 161 (73) - Adam Lyth, Yorkshire v Northants, 2017
  • 158no (64) - Brendon McCullum, Warwickshire v Derbyshire, 2015
  • 158no (73) - Brendon McCullum, Kolkata v Royal Challengers, 2008

Highest teams totals in T20 cricket

  • 3-263 - Australia v Sri Lanka, 2016
  • 5-263 - Royal Challengers Bangalore v Pune, 2013
  • 4-260 - Yorkshire v Northants, 2017
  • 6-260 - Sri Lanka v Kenya, 2007
  • 3-254 - Gloucestershire v Middlesex, 2011

Highest partnerships in T20 cricket

  • 229 - Virat Kohli & AB de Villiers, Royal Challengers Bangalore v Gujarat, 2016
  • 215no - Virat Kohli & AB de Villiers, Royal Challengers Bangalore v Mumbai, 2015
  • 207 - Joe Denley & Daniel Bell-Drummond, Kent v Essex, 2017
  • 206 - Adam Gilchrist & Shaun Marsh, Kings XI v Royal Challengers Bangalore, 2011
  • 204no - Chris Gayle & Virat Kohli, Royal Challengers Bangalore v Delhi, 2012