T20I is a fast-paced game. The audience always craves high scores and big sixes. It is a treat to the eye when a batter pulls a short-ball or scoops a yorker over the wicketkeeper for six runs. But often, the aggressive mindset and other conditions bring the downfall of the batter. Defending a sub-120 score in a T20I match is much easier said than done. But on many occasions, a team has managed to defend a small total successfully in T20I. Here is the list of Top 10 Smallest Targets Defended Successfully in T20I Cricket-

1. Zimbabwe (106 Against West Indies)

West Indies hosted Zimbabwe in a one-off T20I at Port of Spain in 2010. Zimbabwe won the toss and chose to bat first. But only 3 of their batters reached a double-digit score. Zimbabwe was dismissed for a paltry 105. While defending 106, Zimbabwean leg-spinner Graeme Cremer bowled a spell of 3/11 in 4 overs. West Indies were stopped at 79/7 as Zimbabwe won the match by 26 runs.

2. Scotland (114 Against Kenya)

In the First T20I between Kenya and Scotland in 2013 at Aberdeen, Scotland chose to bat first. They posted a sub-120 total of 113/6. Chasing a target of 114, Kenya succumbed to the disciplined Scottish bowling to lose the match by 35 runs. Scotland’s Gordon Goudie scored a 3-ball-9 and took 3 wickets.

3. United Arab Emirates (113 Against Uganda)

In this match in Dubai in 2010, UAE won the toss and chose to set the target. But the target they did set would not make any batting team happy. Uganda needed only 113 runs to win the match. But the Ugandans made the mess of the run-chase to be skittled out just short of the target. UAE won the match by 2 runs.

4. West Indies (114 Against England)

Garey Mathurin was on fire in a T20I between England and West Indies in 2011 at The Oval. West Indies batted first to post 113/5 in 20 overs. Chasing 114 runs to win, England had no answer to Mathurin’s slow left-arm spin. Mathurin dismissed 3 batters giving just 9 runs in 4 overs. For his bowling, Mathurin was given the Man of the Match award.

5. South Africa (116 Against Sri Lanka)

South Africa landed in R. Premadasa Stadium (Colombo) for a T20I against the hosts Sri Lanka in 2013. Batting first, JP Duminy’s 51-run knock helped South Africa post 115/6. In the run-chase, Sri Lanka fumbled against Duminy’s off-spin. Duminy ended his spell with the figures of 3/18 in 4 overs. South Africa stopped Sri Lanka on 103/9 to win the match by 12 runs.

6. Zimbabwe (118 Against Ireland)

Ireland won the toss and decided to chase the target in the First T20I against Zimbabwe in 2021 at Dublin. Regis Chakabva’s 28-ball-47 was the lone highlight of the innings in which Zimbabwe managed to post just 117/7. In the second innings, Ireland surrendered to the visiting bowlers to be stopped on 114/9. Chakabva was declared the Man of the Match.

7. Zimbabwe (119 Against Pakistan)

Pakistan toured Zimbabwe in 2021. In the Second T20I at Harare, Pakistan invited Zimbabwe to bat first. The hosts failed to post a modest target and folded up on 118/9. But their bowlers were unwilling to let Pakistan have an easy win. Luke Jongwe made 4 Pakistani batters his victims in 3.5 overs to script a historic 19-run win. This was Zimbabwe’s first T20I win over Pakistan.

8. Sri Lanka (120 Against New Zealand)

Sri Lanka clashed with New Zealand in a 2014 T20 World Cup match in Chittagong. This was a do-or-die match for both sides. In the first innings, Sri Lanka couldn’t post what they would’ve liked on the scoreboard. In any T20I, 120 is not a good target to defend. But in the second innings, Sri Lankan off-break bowler Rangana Herath bowled the most economical 5-wicket haul ever to trigger a batting failure for New Zealand. The Kiwis were bowled out for 60. Herath earned the Man of the Match award for his spell of 5/3 (3.3 overs) to take his team to the Semi-Finals.

9. South Africa (121 Against West Indies)

South Africa clashed with West Indies in a T20I at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound (Antigua) in 2010. South Africa was summoned by the hosts to bat first. The Proteas failed to post a healthy target and were restricted to 120/7. West Indies then messed up the chase as South Africa’s Johan Botha grabbed 3 middle-order wickets. South Africa won the match by a solitary run.

10. New Zealand (121 Against Sri Lanka)

The first T20I of the series between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in 2010 was held at Lauderhill (USA). Batting first, New Zealand posted a run-a-ball 120/7. New Zealand’s Scott Styris derailed the Lankan run-chase. Styris got rid of 3 middle-order batters. New Zealand won the match by 28 runs.