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Cricket's Twenty20 superstars: 8 & 7

We continue our countdown of the top T20 players with a Kiwi dynamo and a wily West Indian

8. Brendon McCullum

The stats | M: 335 | NO: 33 | Runs: 9119 | HS: 158no | Ave: 30.70 | SR: 137.81 | 100s: 7 | 50s: 47

The story: Brendon McCullum was only recently overtaken as the leading run-scorer in T20I history and the Kiwis dasher was also briefly the owner of the highest T20I score – a 58-ball 123 against Bangladesh back in 2012 (his second in T20Is). At 36, the days of the ramp shot might be behind him, but the legacy is nonetheless assured; McCullum will retire (eventually) as one of the most damaging and ruthless batsmen to grace the opening era of the T20 game. He played in the first-ever T20I, scored a remarkable hundred in the first-ever IPL match, and has destroyed bowling attacks the world over for more than a decade. As a skipper, he has also looked to instill his 'fair play' brand of cricket wherever he goes, notably at Brisbane Heat.

The signature move: Few players have made the charge-down-the-wicket such a staple of their batting diet, and few have enjoyed such success with the ultra-aggressive move as McCullum. To spinners or quicks, first ball or last ball of the innings, the Black Caps legend has never had any concerns dashing down the pitch, with the end result usually sent anywhere from straight back over the bowler's head, to deep extra cover. When he pulls it off, there aren't many better sights in world cricket.

The performance: McCullum has been responsible for some incredible innings across the formats but in terms of context, impact, and sheer audacity, it is hard to go past his 158 not out in the first-ever Indian Premier League contest. Incredibly, he took seven balls to get off the mark, but the blitzkrieg that followed was one of the finest T20 hands ever: 73 balls, 10 fours, and 13 sixes. At the time, it was the highest score in T20 history, and it set a new benchmark as to what was possible in the format, as well as providing the perfect platform for the bold new IPL tournament to launch from.

7. Dwayne Bravo

The stats | M: 391 | NO: 89 | Runs: 5644 | HS: 70no | Ave: 24.53 | SR: 125.25 | 50s: 20 | W: 427 | Ave: 24.09 | Econ: 8.20 | SR: 17.6 | BB: 5-23

T20 Superstars: Dwayne Bravo

The story: Dwayne Bravo and Test cricket might have had their issues, but in T20s, the West Indian has been a colossus. His right-arm mediums (and the bag of tricks accompanying them) have been responsible for comfortably the most wickets in the format's history, while as a classical batsman with a contemporary twist, he is a middle-order master who can shine both mid-innings and at the death. The 34-year-old is still going strong (he took a five-fer for the Renegades in the Big Bash last summer and played a part in Chennai's IPL success last month) though some of his numbers of yesteryear will be difficult to emulate; for example, he owns the record for most wickets in an IPL season (32) and is the only player to take 25-plus wickets twice in one edition of the tournament.

The signature move: Bravo has a nice outswinger and an amazing number of variations, so instead of trying to single out one delivery, we'll pick a shot instead; the sight of the Trinidadian going inside out over cover is simply sublime.

The performance: Bravo has played his role in two World T20 titles for West Indies, but individually, it's tough to go past his effort in the 2009 edition of the tournament against India at Lord's. A first-up clash with the defending champions loomed as an imposing task for the Windies, however that was to discount the chutzpah of Bravo, who picked up four wickets then smashed an unbeaten 66 (from just 36 balls) to take his team to victory and earn man-of-the-match honours.

Cricket.com.au's T20 Superstars countdown - a tribute to the best players to have graced the sport's shortest format - will continue across the next week.