Cricket: Which of these moments in the ICC T20 World Cup history is your choice?

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Remember the name

On 3 April 2016, Carlos Brathwaite etched his name into West Indies and T20 World Cup history forever. A relative newcomer to international cricket playing just his eighth T20I, Brathwaite was the man charged with facing Ben Stokes in the last over of an epic final between England and the West Indies. Having only batted three times in a T20I before with a top score of 13, Brathwaite needed 19 runs to take West Indies home. He could have attempted to find a single to put the in-form Marlon Samuels on strike. Instead, he hit Stokes for four consecutive sixes, spurring those eternal words from Ian Bishop – ‘Carlos Brathwaite, remember the name.’

Netherlands’ chase 190 in 14 overs

Chasing down a target of 190 has rarely looked so easy. Ireland would have been confident when they finished their 20-over allotment with a total of 189/4 thanks largely to an incredible 42* off 16 from Kevin O’Brien. As it turned out, that total was nowhere near enough against a Netherlands batting order that caught fire. By the time Peter Borren fell at the end of the Powerplay, Netherlands had already raced to 91/1. They could have taken their time from there. They didn’t as Stephen Myburgh (63 off 23), Wesley Barresi (40* off 22) and Tom Cooper (45 off 15) paved the way to victory with 37 balls to spare.

Gayle’s record T20WC ton

Who else but Chris Gayle would boast the record for the fastest ever T20 World Cup century? Having christened the inaugural T20 World Cup with a century in its first-ever game, Gayle notched his second in the tournament’s history in 2016. The victims this time around were England as West Indies made light work of a chase of 183. He signalled his intentions early, hitting a six off the fourth ball he faced. Across the first eight overs, he only faced 16 deliveries, making his way to 22. From the ninth over on it was the Gayle show, belting both Adil Rashid and Ben Stokes for back-to-back sixes on his way to 50, before depositing Moeen Ali for three in a row. Somewhat anticlimactically he brought up the ton with a single – one of just 14 runs he scored between the creases, with his innings featuring 11 sixes and five fours.

Gul take 5/6 against New Zealand

Umar Gul was just about T20I cricket’s most dangerous bowler in its formative years and topped the wicket-taking charts in each of the first two men’s T20 World Cups with 13 scalps in each tournament. In 2009, on his way to winning the tournament with Pakistan, five of those wickets came for just six runs against New Zealand. Held back until the 13th over, Gul entered the attack when New Zealand were 72/4. Within six balls he reduced them to 74/6, removing Scott Styris and Peter McGlashan with back-to-back deliveries. He was duly withdrawn, returning in the 16th over where he struck again to remove Nathan McCullum. He struck twice more in his next over to round out his five-for. As things turned out, that was his final over with Abdul Razzaq picking up New Zealand’s final wicket in the following over. It was the first five-wicket haul in T20WC history.

Pakistan win the 2009 T20 World Cup trophy

In 2007, Pakistan’s players and supporters alike were left heartbroken as they lost a seesawing final against India, falling just five runs short. They did not have to wait too much longer to heal that wound, taking out the 2009 edition when they beat Sri Lanka by eight wickets at Lord’s. Sent out to field first, Pakistan kept Sri Lanka to 138/6 as Mohammad Amir set the perfect tone in the first over – a maiden that included the wicket of Player of the Tournament Tillakaratne Dilshan. Fittingly, Shahid Afridi led the charge in the chase, scoring an unbeaten 54 off 40, paving the way for captain Younis Khan to lift the trophy aloft in his final T20I.

Mathews fielding prompts re-think of the laws

Angelo Mathews caused a stir at the 2009 T20 World Cup with a bit of fielding so good that there are questions over its legality. Running backwards at long-on after Ramnaresh Sarwan connected sweetly with a drive, Mathews flung the ball into the air as he realised momentum was going to carry him over the ropes. However, his bat-back failed to push the ball back into the field of play. Realising this, Mathews ran out of the field of play and jumped to slap the ball back in with both feet off the ground. After a discussion between the two umpires it was deemed to not be a boundary, a decision back up by the MCC days later.

Narine’s 3/9 guides WI to their first T20WC title

Sunil Narine had Sri Lanka mesmerised in their own backyard. In Colombo, where the final for the 2012 T20 World Cup was underway, West Indies encountered a horror start in their attempt to win their maiden trophy. Their openers were both dismissed – Johnson Charles for a duck and Chris Gayle for just a 16-ball 3 – with 14/2 in the Powerplay. Marlon Samuels steered West Indies to safety with a 56-ball 78 alongside Daren Sammy's unbeaten 26* to set a modest target of 138 for Sri Lanka. Ajantha Mendis' effort of 4/12 however was overshadowed by his rival spinner Narine. Narine bowled a prudent spell of 3/9 to finish as West Indies' leading wicket-taker in the tournament with nine scalps. 

Herath defends 119 with 5/3

Sri Lanka had to overcome New Zealand to cement their qualification for the semi-finals in 2014. Rangana Herath rescued them after their chances to win had become negligible. A hapless effort from the bat could only give the bowlers 119 to defend. Herath's immaculate performance in the match was kicked off by the run-out of Martin Guptill. In his first over, he bowled five consecutive dot balls that added the pressure on Brendon McCullum, who then stepped down the track to break the shackles. But Herath's flighted delivery spinning away from him outdid McCullum with Kumar Sangakkara completing the stumping. Herath followed this with another maiden over while removing Ross Taylor and Jimmy Neesham for ducks in consecutive deliveries. Luke Ronchi and Trent Boult became the final victims of Herath's torment that bundled New Zealand for 60 runs – their lowest T20I total.

India beat Pakistan in the Final

India held their nerves in the finals of the inaugural T20 World Cup against Pakistan. India posted a competitive total of 157/5 with Gautam Gambhir starring with the bat as he smashed 75 off 54 balls. To defend the target, India brought their A-game with the ball. Three-wicket hauls from each of RP Singh and Irfan Pathan dismantled Pakistan, but there was still one obstacle India needed to overcome – Misbah-ul-Haq. Misbah stood strong to take the game deep into the final over with Sohail Tanvir providing some muscle with a couple of sixes. MS Dhoni decided to throw the ball to Joginder Sharma in the final over, with Pakistan needing 13 runs to win with a wicket left. Sharma started with a nervous wide that pitched wide outside off-stump. On the second delivery, Misbah tonked him for a six but with fine-leg inside the circle, Misbah preempted a ramp shot the next ball. Sharma sent in a slower ball, Misbah miscued, and Sreesanth gobbled up the catch to send a nation into delirium. 

 

Pakistan’s five-wicket over v Australia

Australia were cruising along at 191 after 19 overs, and with five wickets in hand, decided to accelerate. Mohammad Amir had the ball, and snared Brad Haddin on the first ball. He then clean bowled Mitchell Johnson, before Michael Hussey was run-out attempt to sneak a bye. Steve Smith followed suit the very next ball to make it four wickets in as many deliveries, before Amir, on the final ball, had Shaun Tait cleaned up. The over summary read: WWWW0W.     

Dhoni’s famous run-out v Bangladesh

Bangladesh had already whittled down the target to two runs off the final three balls. Mushfiqur Rahim had even allowed himself a celebratory roar. Then, everything changed. Hardik Pandya took two wickets in quick succession to ratchet up the tension. In all the frenzy, MS Dhoni kept calm. Before the final delivery was bowled, he took off the glove on right hand. Bangladesh swung, missed and ran, but Dhoni, having collected the ball, ran to the stumps to dislodge the bails, calmly discerning he didn't have to risk a throw. India won by a run. It was a heist in every way. 

Kohli’s masterful chase vs Australia

It was a masterclass in executing a chase from Virat Kohli. India needed 161 against Australia in the 2016 T20 World Cup group encounter. The hosts lost their openers, but Virat Kohli got off to a flier with a flick of the wrist. With style and grace, Kohli calculated the chase to perfection. In the 19th over, Kohli blazed four boundaries off Nathan Coulter-Nile's bowling to seal India's spot in the semi-finals. Kohli's expressive celebration was telling of what the feat meant to him. 

Yuvraj Singh’s six sixes in an over

Before Stuart Broad came in to bowl the 19th over, Yuvraj Singh and Andrew Flintoff had a heated exchange that fired up the Indian batsman. Yuvraj started the over with a six in Durban that landed outside the ground. Then, on the next delivery, Yuvraj stood still and flicked the ball over backward square-leg for another six. Yuvraj completed the hat-trick of sixes with the ball swatted over extra cover and the fireworks were away. With nothing working for Broad, he decided to change the angle and come around the wicket, but to no avail – Yuvraj dispatched the juicy full-toss to backward point. On the fifth, Yuvraj went down on one knee to wallop one over midwicket. He sealed his place in history, clobbering one wide of mid-on to mark the first time six sixes were smashed in T20Is. In the process, he completed the fastest fifty in 12 balls. 

Yuvraj Singh’s semi-final 30-ball 70

It was India v Australia, a place in the final of the 2007 T20 World Cup was at stake. Yuvraj arrived at the crease with India going at a rate of less than six runs an over. He got off the mark with a six on his second ball – it was a statement six. He went on to hit five fours and as many sixes in his 30-ball innings that yielded 70 runs. His knock propelled India to 188/5, and they went on to brush aside Australia to claim a spot in the finals. 

Perera fires Sri Lanka to their maiden T20 WC title

In 2014, India only managed to post a target of 131 in an attempt to win their second T20 World Cup trophy. Despite Virat Kohli's majestic 58-ball 77, India succumbed to a below-par total. In their chase, Kumar Sangakkara blazed an unbeaten fifty that kept India out of the hunt. Thisara Perera's arrival at the crease marked a further change in the tempo – it also furthered Sri Lanka's belief that they were on their way to win the T20 World Cup. Perara fired three sixes in his cameo of 23* off 14 balls to help Sri Lanka win the final with 13 balls to spare. 

 

India defeat Pakistan in a bowl-out 

The first match-up between India and Pakistan in the T20 World Cup lived up to its expectations. India set a target of 142 for Pakistan with the help of Robin Uthappa's fifty, while Mohammad Asif returned with 4/18. In their chase, Pakistan were provided with the thrust by Misbah-ul-Haq, who scored an all-important fifty to keep them in the game. Pakistan required a run to win of the final ball, but a run-out initiated by Yuvraj resulted in the match being tied. The match was decided by a bowl-out – India edged out Pakistan.