Relive top moments from T20 World Cups so far

T20 World Cup since its inception has been a treat to watch given the shorter format of the game makes it susceptible to guaranteed fireworks for the fans to get hooked on.

The upcoming T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia is just days away and promises the same glitz and glamour if not more. And as we inch closer to the curtain raiser of the tournament, we take a look at the best moments from all previous seven World Cups in ascending order.

2007 World T20: Yuvraj Singh’s six consecutive sixes

To this day, Yuvraj Singh’s six consecutive sixes in an over is fondly remembered by fans. The fact that Andrew Flintoff provoked Yuvraj right before Stuart Broad bowled the over is something fans love to recall every time. English loyal supporters surely want to keep no memory of the incident.

2009 World T20: Angelo Matthews pushing the boundaries

2009 World T20 saw the experienced or much-patient version of Shahid Afridi leading Pakistan to a World Cup success two years after they painfully conceded the final to India in Johannesburg. However, Angelo Mathews charismatic effort at the boundary is something that stood out as the moment of the tournament as it left the umpires scratching their heads.

Aiming to take a catch at the long-on boundary against West Indies’ Ramnaresh Sarwan, Matthews went over the rope to retrieve the ball. However, realising that a catch was out of the equation, the quick-witted Lankan pushed the ball away from the boundary into the field.

MCC at the time backed Matthews’ effort as fair but a year later added to its rule that a fielder can’t anymore retrieve the ball from behind the boundary.

2010 World T20: Mohammad Amir W,W,W,W,0,W

The 2010 World T20 was special for England as the makers of the game finally lifted a World Cup. The triumph came in West Indies, a team that defeated England twice in the 50-over World Cup final. However, it was Mohammad Amir’s special maiden over in that left the crowd stunned. The incident happened during a Group A match against Australia, who were looking to go past 200 with 191/5 at the end of 19th over.

Amir, however, was accurate with his yorkers on the day as it resulted in five wickets and a dot. It wasn’t a hat-trick for Amir though, as two of the dismissals were back-to-back run-outs. Watch the video below.

2012 World T20: West Indies Gangnam Style celebration

West Indies ended their 33-year-old wait for a World Cup title by defeating Sri Lanka by 36 runs in the final. The victory came in front of the team supported by their fans at Colombo’s Premadasa Stadium. However, the way the Windies celebrated their win by dancing to the tune of viral Gangnam Style song by Korean singer PSY, won the crowd over.

2014 World T20: Rangana Herath’s magical spell

Sri Lanka won their maiden T20 World Cup in 2014 in Bangladesh defeating India, leaving behind the disappointment of losing the 2012 World Cup final at home to the Windies. It was also sort of revenge over India, who defeated them at the Wankhede in 2011 in the 50-over World Cup final.

However, they wouldn’t have reached the semi-finals at the least if not for Rangana Herath who produced a magical spell of five wickets for just three runs to beat New Zealand while defending a mere 119-run target.

2016 T20 World Cup: Carlos Brathwaite’s ‘Remember the Name’ moment

Carlos Brathwaite made the 2016 T20 World Cup his when it mattered the most as the burly all-rounder single-handedly won West Indies the final when the odds were heavily in favour of England. Fairly new at the crease, facing just six balls, the burly Caribbean was demanded to chase 19 runs off the final over to be bowled by Ben Stokes. Brathwaite responded with four sixes on the trot as commentator Ian Bishop famously said the lines “Carlos Brathwaite, remember the name!”

2021 T20 World Cup: Pakistan end World Cup drought against India

After being mocked for always losing to India in a World Cup encounter for ages, Pakistan finally had their moment under the sun when Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan stitched together an unbeaten partnership of 152 runs in the opening group clash. The defeat virtually sealed India’s exit from the tournament as well.