Ahead of the start of the 10th edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup (February 7), cricket fans will be reminiscing about the past individual performances of the premier event in the shortest format. From India’s first win in 2007 to the edition two years ago, many players have created history with their extraordinary, catch-all performances.
2007: Six sixes in an innings by Yuvraj Singh
In the first T20 World Cup in South Africa, Yuvraj Singh created history by hitting England’s Stuart Broad for six in one over. Yuvraj became the first player to achieve this feat in T20 cricket, while also holding the record for the fastest half-century in 12 balls, which stood until 2023. India then defeated Pakistan in the final to win the title.
2009: Shahid Afridi’s brilliant all-round performance
In the semi-final of the 2009 World Cup, Shahid Afridi performed brilliantly against South Africa in both the batting and bowling departments. Afridi scored 51 runs off 34 balls and then took 2 wickets for 16 runs, helping Pakistan reach the final and later win the title.
2010: Michael Hussey’s semi-final heroics
In the 2010 edition held in West Indies, Australia’s Michael Hussey played an incredible game against Pakistan in the semi-final. Scoring 60 runs off 24 balls, he reached his target of 18 runs in the last over and took Australia to the final.
2012 : Magic Sunil Narayan
In the 2012 final, Sunil Narine of West Indies took 3 wickets for 3 runs against Sri Lanka. Due to his brilliant bowling, Sri Lanka failed to chase down 138 runs and West Indies won the T20 World Cup for the first time.
2014: Rangana Herath’s disastrous bowling
In the crucial match against New Zealand, Sri Lanka’s Rangana Herath took 5 wickets for just 3 runs. Chasing a target of 119 runs, the Kiwis were bowled out for 60 runs and Sri Lanka reached the semi-finals.
2016 : Carlos Braithwaite, remember the name!
In the 2016 final, West Indies’ Carlos Braithwaite hit Ben Stokes for four consecutive sixes in the last over to win the match and the title.
2021: The historical adventures of Mitchell Marsh
In the 2021 final, Australia’s Mitchell Marsh scored an unbeaten 77 to easily reach his target against New Zealand. He was man of the match and Australia won the T20 World Cup for the first time.
2022: Ben Stokes returns
In the 2022 final, England’s Ben Stokes scored 52 to lead the team to victory. Earlier, Sam Curran’s brilliant bowling restricted Pakistan.
2024: Virat Kohli shines in the final
In the 2024 final, Virat Kohli played a brilliant 76 under pressure to take India to 176 runs. South Africa lost by seven runs. Kohli was named player of the match, and this turned out to be his last T20 International.
It must be noted that these memorable individual performances of the T20 World Cup are still a bright spot in the history of cricket and in the new edition, the fans hope that new heroes will emerge once again.
