Buttler reaches the summit of T20 cricket

Jos Buttler etched his name into cricket history, overtaking West Indies great Kieron Pollard to become the highest run-scorer in men's T20 cricket during Manchester Super Giants' emphatic nine-wicket victory over Welsh Fire in The Hundred at Old Trafford.

The England wicketkeeper-batter's explosive unbeaten 51 off just 20 balls not only powered his side to a comfortable chase of 156 with 31 balls to spare, but also carried him past Pollard's long-standing tally to the top of the all-time T20 run charts.

The landmark moment arrived in spectacular fashion. Facing Marco Jansen, Buttler launched the South African pacer for three successive sixes, with the first of those maximums taking him beyond Pollard's record. He then capped off the milestone in style, smashing two more sixes off Lockie Ferguson before bringing up his half-century and sealing victory.

Buttler now stands on 14,833 runs in 522 T20 matches, with nine centuries and 106 fifties, overtaking Pollard's 14,803 runs in 746 matches. Former West Indies opener Chris Gayle, long regarded as the format's greatest batter, sits third with 14,562 runs in 463 matches, including 22 centuries.

Most runs in T20 cricket

Reflecting on the achievement, Buttler admitted he would have preferred to break the record a game earlier, when Pollard was present in the opposition dugout.

"We played against MI London last game and it would have been nice to get past Polly while he was there, sat in the dugout, but there's some great names on there, some special players, so I'm really proud of that," Buttler said.

'His name's probably Vaibhav Sooryavanshi'

Fresh from reaching the summit, Buttler was already looking to the future — and named the player he believes could eventually take the record away from him: 15-year-old Indian batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Buttler admitted the milestone was special but acknowledged that records are made to be broken.

"It's really cool, actually, to think you've got the most T20 runs out of anyone. Someone will surpass it one day - and his name's probably [Vaibhav] Sooryavanshi - but it's a proud moment," Buttler said.

The praise comes amid Sooryavanshi's meteoric rise over the past year. The teenage prodigy recently starred in India's 3-0 T20I series sweep over Zimbabwe, scoring 151 runs in three matches to claim his maiden Player of the Series award. Earlier this year, he also lit up the ICC Men's Under-19 Cricket World Cup, amassing 439 runs to finish as the tournament's leading scorer and earn the Player of the Tournament honour — further cementing his reputation as one of world cricket's brightest young talents.

Seifert and Buttler flatten Welsh Fire

On the field, the record-breaking night doubled as a ruthless statement from Manchester Super Giants, who ended a three-match losing streak in emphatic fashion. Chasing 156, they were in complete control from the outset: Tim Seifert led the early charge with a blistering unbeaten 62 off 36 balls, striking 10 boundaries, while opening partner Paul Walter chipped in with a rapid 37 from 18 deliveries.

The pair laid the perfect platform before Buttler produced another trademark display of clean hitting to finish the contest, as the Super Giants raced to 161/1 in just 69 balls.

Earlier, Welsh Fire had posted 155/4 after opting to bat first. Matt Short anchored the innings with a fluent 71 off 47 balls, hitting eight fours and two sixes, while Phil Salt contributed 48 from 37 deliveries in a 125-run opening partnership. However, the innings lost momentum after both openers departed in quick succession, with Gus Atkinson returning impressive figures of 2/12 to restrict the opposition.

The target proved well below par. For Buttler, though, the night belonged to history. Already one of the modern game's most destructive white-ball batters, the England star now stands alone at the top of T20 cricket's all-time run-scoring charts — with his sights already set on the teenager he believes will one day hunt him down.