India had won the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup in South Africa 15 years back. Team India had achieved the feat under the stewardship of MS Dhoni. The memory is still relatively fresh in the memory of the fans.
There have been many champions since then. While Pakistan clinched the title in 2009, England won the coveted trophy in 2010. The West Indies clinched the title twice in 2012 and 2016. While Sri Lanka bagged it in 2014, Australia won the last edition.
Here is a look at some of the highlights from the history of the mega event.
Yuvi goes bang bang
Stylish batsman Yuvraj Singh’s six hitting prowess is known to one and all. The Indian southpaw hitting six sixes off England pacer Stuart Broad in 2007 edition of T20 World Cup is still fresh in the memory of the cricket buffs across the globe.
India got a good start in the match thanks to a good opening partnership by Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir. Yuvi finished it style by hitting Broad six sixes all round the park in Durban’s Kingsmead ground. The whirl-wind batting of the left hander fetched him the score of 58 in just 16 balls and riding on the blistering knock, India notched up a mammoth total of 218. It was enough for the Men in Blue to romp home with ease.
Braithwaite blitzkrieg
With 19 required in the final over, England were almost cruising for a victory against the West Indies in the 2016 edition of the T20 World Cup at the Eden Gardens. However, Carlos Braithwaite’s blitzkrieg blew away England. The West Indies all-rounder sent the first four deliveries off Ben Stokes’ out of the park, as West Indies sealed their second T20 title. Chasing 156 for victory, Brathwaite (34 no, 10b) and Marlon Samuels (85 no, 66b) ensured victory for West Indies.
Wade dropped
In the second semi-final of the 2021 T20 World Cup against Australia, Pakistan had an upper hand. The Men in Green posted a challenging total of 176 on the board. In reply, Australia had a poor start as they lost wickets in regular intervals. At 96/5, they seemed out of contest. However, wicket-keeper batsman Matthew Wade, along with Marcus Stoinis, stitched together a useful partnership to put the Aussies back in the game. Making things worse, Hasan Ali dropped Wade off the bowling of Shaheen Shah Afridi in the penultimate over and the rest is history.
Netherlands stun England
Cricket is a funny game and any underdog can beat their might opponents on the given day. In one such incident Netherlands stunned mighty England in 2009 edition of the T20 World Cup. Put into bat first, England posted a reasonable score of 162 in the stipulated 20 overs. In reply, Dutch lost three wickets on 66 in 8.1 overs. However, sensible batting from Tom de Grooth (49) and Peter Borren (30) helped Netherlands stun the 2010 champions at the Home of Cricket.
Misbah scoop
With all the hard work, Pakistan had almost taken the match on their palm against India in 2007 T20 World Cup. With just six runs required from four balls, Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq tried to be cheeky as he scooped the ball to short fine-leg, but it went straight into Sreesanth’s hands. The moment seems frozen in time. India won their maiden T20 World Cup title in the process.