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A look at the batsmen and bowlers with the best boundary and dot-ball stats in T20 internationals

	Yuvraj Singh is the only batsman to score 500-plus runs in T20 internationals at a strike rate of more than 150 Enlarge
Players/Officials: Shane Bond | Chris Gayle | Harbhajan Singh | Morne Morkel | Kevin Pietersen | Daniel Vettori | Yuvraj Singh Series/Tournaments: ICC World Twenty20

Over the last couple of years, T20 cricket has been all about clubs and franchises, with league tournaments mushrooming all over the world following the IPL's success. However, over the next three weeks, the focus shifts back to T20 cricket between countries. Here's a look at some of the top performers in T20 internationals, based not on the usual parameters of runs scored and wickets taken, the lists for which you can find here and here, but on ESPNcricinfo's ball-by-ball database, from which it's possible to get, among other numbers, dot-ball stats and batting and bowling performances during specific stages of a 20-over innings.
Dot-ball factor
In a format in which balls available are at a premium, those who waste the fewest deliveries are obviously a huge asset. The table below offers a reminder to England (if they ever needed one) and their fans of why Kevin Pietersen was such a key player: no batsman has a lower dot-ball percentage, among those who have scored 500 runs in T20 internationals. Out of 831 balls he faced, he went runless off only 255. Off the other 576 balls, he scored 119 fours and 32 sixes, and also took 348 singles, 71 twos and six threes.
Close behind him is Australia's Michael Hussey, whose dot-ball percentage is also outstandingly low. Both Hussey and Pietersen have achieved a low dot-ball percentage while maintaining averages of more than 30 - in Pietersen's case almost 38 - and a run rate of almost 8.50 per over.
The other player whose numbers stand out is Yuvraj Singh, who returns to the Indian team after winning his battle with germ-cell cancer. Yuvraj too averages more than 30, while his strike rate is the highest among batsmen who have scored 500 runs in T20 internationals.

Batsmen with lowest dot-ball percentages in T20I (Qual: 500 runs)

Batsman	Runs	Balls/ Dots	Average	Run rate	Dot ball %
Kevin Pietersen	1176	831/ 255	37.93	8.49	30.69
Michael Hussey	566	403/ 126	33.29	8.42	31.27
Shahid Afridi	801	562/ 182	18.20	8.55	32.38
Cameron White	652	484/ 163	28.34	8.08	33.68
Paul Collingwood	583	459/ 155	18.80	7.62	33.77
Yuvraj Singh	601	400/ 139	31.63	9.01	34.75
Mahela Jayawardene	981	706/ 246	30.65	8.33	34.84
Jacques Kallis	642	525/ 185	40.12	7.33	35.24
Suresh Raina	658	477/ 169	32.90	8.27	35.43
JP Duminy	846	687/ 244	32.53	7.38	35.52

While those with the lowest dot-ball percentages are mostly middle-order batsmen, those who play the most dot balls are usually openers, since they bat when fielding restrictions are in place. (Thus they also get more opportunities to score runs in boundaries.)
The names on the list below are all of opening batsmen, with some of them not scoring off as many as 48% of the deliveries they face. The good ones are those who score plenty of runs off the deliveries that are not dots. Chris Gayle, for example, has a dot-ball percentage of 42.40, which is the sixth-highest among batsmen with 500-plus runs, but yet he scores 8.63 runs per over (strike rate 143.91). Mohammad Hafeez, on the other hand, only scores at 6.75 per over (strike rate 112.52) due to his relative lack of boundary hitting: 279 of his 575 deliveries are dots, and off the others he has struck 78 fours and 12 sixes, and taken 157 singles, 41 twos and eight threes.

Batsmen with highest dot-ball percentages (Qual: 500 runs)

Batsman	Runs	Balls/ dots	Average	Run rate	Dot ball %
Mohammad Hafeez	647	575/ 279	20.21	6.75	48.52
Sanath Jayasuriya	629	487/ 234	23.29	7.74	48.05
Graeme Smith	982	770/ 340	31.67	7.65	44.16
Kamran Akmal	778	619/ 271	25.09	7.54	43.78
Salman Butt	595	551/ 240	28.33	6.47	43.56
Chris Gayle	757	526/ 223	36.04	8.63	42.40

Boundary percentages
The list of batsmen with the highest percentage of runs in boundaries also has a few names who featured in the previous table. As mentioned earlier, it's most likely that openers will dominate this list, as there's less protection in the outfield when they are batting. However, there are a couple of non-openers who make it: Yuvraj combines a low dot-batting strike rate with a high percentage of runs in boundaries, which explains his outstanding strike rate and the fact that he is the only batsman to score 500-plus runs in T20 internationals at a strike rate of more than 150. Then there's Albie Morkel, who has scored crucial runs for South Africa down the order when there's little time to settle in. (Both Yuvraj and Morkel are among the select few who have struck more sixes than fours in Twenty20 internationals.)

Batsmen with highest percentage of runs in fours and sixes in T20I (Qual: 500s runs)

Batsman	Runs	Average	Run rate	4s/ 6s	Boundary %
Sanath Jayasuriya	629	23.29	7.74	76/ 23	70.27
Chris Gayle	757	36.04	8.63	67/ 43	69.48
Shane Watson	731	27.07	8.87	56/ 47	69.22
Graeme Smith	982	31.67	7.65	123/ 26	65.99
David Warner	978	27.16	8.44	91/ 46	65.44
Yuvraj Singh	601	31.63	9.01	35/ 40	63.23
Brendon McCullum	1443	36.07	7.96	139/ 57	62.23
Albie Morkel	502	23.90	8.53	28/ 33	61.75
Martin Guptill	818	32.72	7.49	71/ 35	60.39

Examining the same set of stats between the 11th and 20th overs, the dot-ball percentages come down even further, to 23.81 for Michael Hussey, 25.26 for AB de Villiers, 26.02 for Dwayne Bravo and 26.43 for Suresh Raina. At the other end of the scale are Abdul Razzaq (36.84) and Kieron Pollard (34.39), both big hitters who believe fielders on the boundaries aren't a problem when the aim is to send the ball into the crowd.
MS Dhoni has a pretty high dot-ball percentage too in the middle overs, of 31.28% (which is the ninth-highest among batsmen who have scored 300-plus runs in the last ten overs). That, coupled with his relatively low boundary percentage of 43.65, means his run rate in the last ten overs is only 7.44. On the other hand, Yuvraj also has a relatively high dot percentage, of 30.68, but he scores 68% of his runs in boundaries, which lifts his run rate in these ten overs to 10.4 runs per over.
The bowlers
Dot-ball percentages
Just as minimising the dot-ball percentage is key for batsmen, maximising it is crucial for bowlers, to increase the pressure on batsmen and force them into errors. Among bowlers who have bowled at least 75 overs, South Africa's Morne Morkel has the highest dot-ball percentage, of 50.29. Not surprisingly, his economy rate and average are both excellent.
Trent Johnston in the second spot is a bit of a surprise, but his stats are obviously boosted by the fact that he has played a fair number of matches against the lesser teams. Most of the bowlers on the list below are new-ball bowlers, which you would expect, given that they bowl when the field restrictions are on, which gives them the best chance to bowl dots. Most of them also have an economy rate of less than seven, and averages of less than 22.

Bowlers with highest dot-ball percentage in T20I (Qual: 450 balls bowled)

Bowler	Balls	Wickets	Average	Econ rate	Dot %
Morne Morkel	521	34	17.26	6.76	50.29
Trent Johnston	492	25	20.28	6.18	49.80
Shane Bond	465	25	21.72	7.00	48.82
Dale Steyn	498	31	17.87	6.67	46.99
Mitchell Johnson	609	36	20.11	7.13	45.32
Sohail Tanvir	459	21	25.47	6.99	45.32
Stuart Broad	795	41	23.70	7.33	44.28
Umar Gul	892	59	16.66	6.61	44.17
Saeed Ajmal	924	60	15.48	6.03	44.16
Abdur Razzak	461	29	17.96	6.78	44.03

Boundary percentages
The list of bowlers with the lowest percentage of runs in boundaries is dominated by spinners - and all of them high-class spinners who have learnt the art of bowling in 20-over cricket. Daniel Vettori leads the way, and has conceded more sixes than fours, which is perhaps a commentary on the size of the outfields in New Zealand as well. The one number in Harbhajan Singh's row that stands out is his average: while most of the others average less than 21, Harbhajan concedes 30 runs per wicket.

Bowlers with smallest percentage of runs conceded in boundaries (Qual: 450 balls)

Bowler	Runs	Wickets	Average	Run rate	4s/ 6s	Boundary %
Daniel Vettori	617	35	17.62	5.50	18/ 20	31.12
Harbhajan Singh	541	18	30.05	6.44	23/ 14	32.53
Graeme Swann	742	44	16.86	6.39	25/ 26	34.50
Ajantha Mendis	444	39	11.38	5.69	26/ 11	38.29
Shahid Afridi	1141	57	20.01	6.10	72/ 30	41.02
Johan Botha	727	36	20.19	6.24	50/ 18	42.37
Saeed Ajmal	929	60	15.48	6.03	61/ 25	42.41
Sohail Tanvir	535	21	25.47	6.99	45/ 10	44.86

The three bowlers who have conceded the highest percentages of runs in boundaries are all New Zealanders, with two of them conceding more than eight per over. Shane Bond's overall economy rate is much lower, which is due to his high dot-ball percentage - even though he concedes a few boundaries, he compensates by keeping it tight otherwise.

Bowlers with highest percentage of runs conceded in boundaries (Qual: 450 balls)

Bowler	Runs	Wickets	Average	Run rate	4s/ 6s	Boundary %
Kyle Mills	895	31	28.87	8.39	94/ 33	64.13
Tim Southee	773	28	27.60	8.49	82/ 26	62.61
Shane Bond	543	25	21.72	7.00	64/ 12	60.41
Brett Lee	714	28	25.50	7.86	77/ 17	57.42
Albie Morkel	674	20	33.70	7.94	48/ 30	55.19
Morne Morkel	587	34	17.26	6.76	49/ 21	54.86
Jacob Oram	669	14	47.78	8.63	63/ 19	54.71
Stuart Broad	972	41	23.70	7.33	95/ 25	54.53

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