Ireland’s young fast bowler Liam McCarthy had a debut to forget in T20 Internationals, setting an unfortunate record in the third and final T20I against the West Indies on June 15, 2025, in Bready.

After a difficult ODI debut — where he conceded 93 runs — McCarthy’s T20I bow turned out to be even more punishing. The 23-year-old pacer gave away a staggering 81 runs in his 4 overs without taking a single wicket, recording one of the most expensive figures in T20I history and the worst-ever debut performance in the format.

McCarthy began his spell in the 5th over, which went for 21 runs. He was brought back in the 9th and was hammered for 24 more. Despite the damage, he continued, conceding 18 runs each in his third and fourth overs, ending with a painful economy rate of 20.25.

Most Runs Conceded in a T20I Innings – All-Time

Musa Jobarteh: 93 runs, 0 wickets, 23.25 econ, Gambia, vs Zimbabwe, 23 Oct 2024

Liam McCarthy: 81 runs, 0 wickets, 20.25 econ, Ireland, vs West Indies, 15 Jun 2025

Kasun Rajitha: 75 runs, 0 wickets, 18.75 econ, Sri Lanka, vs Australia, 27 Oct 2019

Chris Sole: 72 runs, 1 wicket, 18.00 econ, Scotland, vs New Zealand, 27 Jul 2022

Tunahan Turan: 70 runs, 1 wicket, 17.50 econ, Turkey, vs Czech Republic, 30 Aug 2019

McCarthy’s outing also places him third on the list of most runs conceded in any T20 match, including domestic games. Despite the rough start, the young bowler will look to bounce back, as many greats have after tough beginnings.