CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 24: Chris Gayle of West Indies celebrates his double century during the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup match between the West Indies and Zimbabwe at Manuka Oval on February 24, 2015 in Canberra, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
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.
Was this game a warning sign of further agony to come for England?
The third match of the Super 10 round proved to be a brutal one-man show, as Chris Gayle stole the limelight with his trademark blitzkrieg batting to leave England’s bowling utterly shellshocked and demoralised as the World Cup continued to heat up heading into the halfway stage.
Although winning the toss and electing to field, the West Indies did not make the most of the slow and low Wankhede surface, opting for four fast men and just two spinners as England piled on a respectable and competitive 182 off their completed 20 overs.
The stylish Joe Root was England’s top-scorer, hitting a composed 48 off 36 balls to stabilise his team’s innings, allowing some late-order flourishes from Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and captain Eoin Morgan to carry their side over the 180-mark.
In most circumstances, a decent bowling attack would do well to defend such a competitive score but when the West Indies began their run-chase, they were buoyed by their Jamaican master-blaster who batted like a man possessed. Chris Gayle was something else that day.
After opener Johnson Charles was dismissed for a two-ball duck, England’s hopes of a vital victory were quickly snuffed out as Chris Gayle proved that the early blemish in their run-chase was merely a false dawn.
He wasted no time dismantling England’s wretched bowling attack, scoring a ridiculous 100 runs off just 48 balls which featured a whopping 11 sixes. It was destructive batting at its finest, with coach Phil Simmons later stating that Gayle’s innings was “up there with Sir Vivian Richards” due to the aggressive manner in which he tore apart England’s bowling. A win was never in doubt for the West Indies, who cantered home with 11 balls to spare.
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.”
Bangladesh’s reputation for being a dark horse in major ICC tournaments was on show once again in this thrilling match, as they gave World Cup favourites India a mighty scare in the Super 10s.
In all honesty, it was a lackadaisical affair from both sides in this low-scoring encounter, as only a spirited bowling effort from Hardik Pandya in the final over of the match ensured that India managed to just escape the Bangladeshis’ bloodthirsty pursuit for victory.
Set 147 to win after Bangladesh bowled well to contain India, thanks to the miserly spin of veteran Shakib al-Hasan and pace of Mustafizur Rahman and Al-Amin Hossain, the Tigers were cautiously optimistic of their chances of toppling the tournament heavyweights.
A measured 35 off 32 balls from Tamim Iqbal emphasised Bangladesh’s careful approach to the run-chase, but things quickly went pear-shaped once he departed in the eighth over.
The wily spin of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja combined to prise four key Bangladeshi wickets, delivering some significant blows to their run-chase. When their main man Shakib al-Hasan was dismissed in the thirteenth over, things started to look even more wobbly despite the required run-rate being manageable, as India were now coming in for the kill.
Yet Bangladesh continued to scrap, and one of the main reasons why they brought the game into the final over was due to that man Mahmudullah, whose resolute 18 off 22 balls ensured that his side would bring the fight to very end, even as wickets tumbled around him.
The final equation – Bangladesh needing 11 runs to win off the last six balls with four wickets in hand. Should be easy, right? Wrong. Horribly, horribly wrong. Oh how they messed it up, despite getting so close.
After Mahmudullah took a single off the first ball of Pandya’s over, wicket-keeper Mushfiqur Rahim sent shivers down India’s spine as he manufactured two fours in the next two balls to get the Bangladeshi dressing room up and about in excitement. With just two runs to win, history was beckoning for Bangladesh, but what followed next was a comedy of errors that nobody saw coming.
Mushfiqur attempted yet another big hit and was caught at deep-wicket off the fourth ball, and his team’s jubilation was instantly replaced with panic and confusion. Further disaster was to follow, as Mahmudullah was caught at cover the very next ball thanks to a brilliant diving catch by Ravindra Jadeja. With two runs now required for Bangladesh off the final ball of the match, it was now or never, and unfortunately on this occasion, it was never. Agonisingly never, by just one run.
A suicidal run-out from Mustafizur Rahman off the last ball of the game meant India completed a team-hattrick that ensured that they managed to escape with one of the unlikeliest victories, and Bangladesh were left forever wondering how they imploded and botched such a simple run-chase.
South Africa needed to secure a vital victory in this game against the West Indies to keep their World Cup hopes alive, but unfortunately they fell just short of the mark thanks to the never-say-die batting of Marlon Samuels and Carlos Brathwaite.
The Proteas batted poorly throughout their innings, with only a solid performance from Quinton de Kock and small cameos from David Wiese and Chris Morris providing some respectability to their sub-par team score of 122.
Sensing an emphatic victory, the West Indies wasted no time asserting their dominance in the run-chase, however the South Africans had every reason to hope and believe when Chris Gayle departed in the first over, his stumps rattled thanks to a beautiful inswinger from Kagiso Rabada.
With South Africa now up and about having dismissed the dangerous Chris Gayle cheaply, the hunt was on to press further for more early wickets.
Legspinner Imran Tahir and David Wiese bowled beautifully to strangle the West Indies run-chase, but as long as Marlon Samuels was there, the men in maroon would continue to fight.
His uncharacteristically subdued 43 was an important knock that ensured the West Indies would creep over the line and into the semis.
South Africa didn’t make it easy though. When Samuels departed off the fifth ball in the penultimate over, the tension in the West Indies team camp was palpable, as many expected him to comfortably take his team to victory. All hopes fell on the little-known Carlos Brathwaite at the other end, who at that point had scored just three runs despite facing seven balls.
Needing nine runs off the last over to win, Brathwaite landed a heavy blow off Rabada’s second ball, launching it high into the stands at deep midwicket for a huge six! All hope seemed to vanish from the Proteas’ body language at that point, as the final three runs were quickly scored by Denesh Ramdin and Carlos Braithwaite to ensure the West Indies would come roaring into the semi-finals.
Prior to this game, both the West Indies and England had previously tasted T20 World Cup final winning success, and so most of the players in either side were well accustomed to knowing what it takes to claim the coveted trophy.
Although the West Indies had obliterated England once in the Super 10 phase of the tournament, Joe Root and his defiant team were keen to put that haunting loss behind them, but their wobbly start suggested otherwise.
England were teetering at three for 23, before Joe Root and Ben Stokes combined forces to lift their side to 155. Ducks from danger man Jason Roy and Moeen Ali showed that some of that World Cup final pressure was getting to England, but Joe Root’s composed half-century ensured that his team remained competitive. Veteran pace bowling all-rounder Dwayne Bravo and Carlos Brathwaite were the picks of the West Indies bowlers, taking three wickets apiece.
In reply the West Indies run-chase also had a wobbly start, with Chris Gayle back in the shed cheaply as the score stood at just three for 11. You should have heard how vociferously England screamed when they dismissed Gayle, who fell innocuously to the part-time off-spin of Joe Root. Marlon Samuels was still at the crease then, and all he had for company was Dwayne Bravo and later on Carlos Brathwaite as their other seasoned hitters were also dismissed quickly for not very many.
A vital 75-run partnership between Samuels and Bravo quickly turned the momentum back the West Indies way, but when the latter departed at the end of the fourteenth over, England began to believe. When the dangerous Andre Russel and captain Daren Sammy also went out inside the same David Willey over, the match was poised on a knife-edge.
Enter Carlos Brathwaite. The big Barbadian had showed glimpses of his obvious hitting talent throughout the tournament, but tonight would be his night. In the final over, the West Indies required a daunting 19 runs to win with Stokes to bowl it. Brathwaite wasted no time at all and did the unthinkable, hitting four consecutive sixes to give the West Indies their second World T20 title in the most characteristically Caribbean way possible.
Carlos Brathwaite. Remember the name.