Hosted by India, the sixth edition of the men’s T20 World Cup proved to be one of the most iconic white-ball cricket contests in the tournament’s young history, featuring multiple high-scoring games and numerous other matches where the victory margin was less than 15 runs.
If you’re a thrill seeker, then reliving this World Cup is where it’s at, especially the final. Commentator Ian Bishop’s famous bellowing cry of “Carlos Brathwaite, remember the name!” can still be heard as the West Indian all-rounder pumped four consecutive sixes in the final over to secure a famous and unexpected victory for the Caribbean region.
With Australia getting ready to host the eighth men’s T20 World cup in October, let’s take a trip down memory to relive why the shortest format of the game continues to capture the imagination and excitement of cricket fans all around the world.
Here are the top five matches from the men’s 2016 T20 World Cup.
4. Joe Root’s Masterclass Completes A World Record Run-Chase
High-octane cricket doesn’t come any better than this, and in what was the highest scoring match of the tournament, England miraculously prevailed against the Proteas thanks to a superlative knock from Joe Root that cemented his place as one of the premier white-ball batsmen of the modern game.
England’s initial decision to bat first seemed to backfire on them, as South Africa tore into their bowlers and notched up a mind-numbing 229 off their full 20 overs. It proved to be one of the highest team totals in the tournament’s young history, with quickfire fifties from Hasim Amla, Quinton de Kock and JP Duminy stealing the show.
David Miller’s late burst of 28 runs off 12 balls featuring two fours and two sixes provided some extra juice to the South African score, allowing them to cross the imposing 200 mark with relative ease.
On a slow, deteriorating wicket that wasn’t allowing the ball to come easily onto the bat, chasing 230 can often be an arduous task in a 50-over game, let alone a T20. Yet a gritty England dared to dream, and even as they lost key wickets in the chase, one man kept it together to ensure they would squeeze over the finish line with just two balls to spare.
Joe Root’s skilful 83 was probably the most important and defining individual performances in this World Cup, as it showed that no score was too imposing or difficult to keep England down. South Africa must have thought they had the game in the bag, as their smug attitude permeated into a lack of focus and discipline in their bowling, allowing England to hit regular boundaries and stay on par with the required run-rate. Only Imran Tahir had an economy rate of under 10, conceding just 28 runs from his four overs whilst his team-mates were carted all around the ground.
A late flurry of wickets in the final over almost sent England into panic stations, but with just one run required to win off three balls, Moeen Ali ensured there would be no further damage. An excerpt from ESPNCricinfo’s ball-by-ball commentary of the match aptly describes England’s world-record run chase stating that “this is madness. Brilliant. Exhilarating. And completely ridiculous.”
