10 World Cup T20 deliveries that will always be remembered

Most of the T20 games that are played end up being a close contest between bat and ball. Fortunes change very quickly in a T20 game, sometimes even with a single delivery. Here is a compilation of 10 such deliveries that decided matches. Since they happened during the World Cup, they had a say in the tournament, as well.

#10 Morne Morkel to Umar Akmal (Pakistan vs. South Africa, Colombo, 2012)

Chasing 133 to win, Pakistan needed 9 runs off the final over with two wickets in hand and Umar Akmal at the crease. Morkel faltered and bowled a juicy full toss the second ball, and Akmal was quick to send it out of the ground: it was the killer blow. Pakistan won by 2 wickets, with 2 balls left in the game, and proceeded to the semi-finals.

#9 Ian Butler to Abdur Rehman (New Zealand vs. Pakistan, Barbados, 2010)

Pakistan needed 2 to win off the last ball with Abdur Rehman on strike. Man-of-the-Match Ian Butler bowled just the perfect delivery angling it in; Rehman tried to sneak a single with a loft that only ended down the throat of deep square leg fielder Martin Guptill. All watchers had their hearts in their mouths when they saw the ball in the air, but Guptill did no mistake.

It was Pakistan who proceeded to the semis on the basis of net run-rate, though, and not New Zealand.

#8 Wayne Parnell to Jacob Oram (New Zealand vs. South Africa, Lords, 2009)

New Zealand needed 15 off the last over to win. Jacob Oram had batted superbly to reduce the target to 4 from the last ball. Having hit a boundary the previous ball, and having got the better of Parnell throughout the over, the odds were in his favour. Lining up to deposit another over the ropes, Oram made room but was able to hit it only to long on. They completed only 2 by the time the throw came in. Parnell failed to collect the ball at his end, seeing which Scott Styris scampered for another run to try and level scores. The ball hadn’t gone any further than cover, from where it was sent in quickly for Smith to remove the bails and run out Oram, leaving the Kiwis one run short.

Both of them, having had the better of Scotland, proceeded to the Super 8s.

#7 Lasith Malinga to Nathan McCullum (Sri Lanka vs New Zealand, Guyana, 2010)

After a missed run out off the second ball, a boundary conceded off the third delivery, and a successful run out off the fourth delivery of the final over of the game, Malinga had mixed feelings and a responsibility at hand: not to give away 3 runs in the next two deliveries. Nathan McCullum, who was on strike, had other ideas, though. Malinga bowled the next one outside the off-stump to try and get him to miss it. McCullum, on the other hand, saw room to free his arms and sent the ball flying over long off to hand New Zealand a 2-wicket win with still a ball to spare.

Both teams went ahead to enter the Super 8s.

#6 Marlon Samuels to Doug Bracewell (New Zealand vs. West Indies, Pallekele, 2012)

2 runs needed to win off the last ball, and it was very clear that nerves had taken over the Kiwis big time: they had already lost a Super Over eliminator just 4 days back. They had lost a game after that, too, which meant if they lose to the Kiwis again, they would surely be out. Doug Bracewell, who was on strike, drove the final delivery to deep square leg. A direct hit ensured that he could not complete the 2nd run that wasn’t there in the first place. It again boiled down to the Super Over, and they did a good job getting 17 runs. Gayle, however, made a mockery of that total and gave West Indies a win with a ball to spare.

#5 Ashish Nehra to Chamara Kapugedera (India vs. Sri Lanka, St Lucia, 2010)

Sri Lanka needed 3 off the last ball to win. Having affected a run out the previous ball to send back the dangerous Angelo Mathews for 46, Nehra probably was in high spirits. To the very next ball, though, Kapugedera charged down the track and hit him over sweeper cover for maximum, and Sri Lankan players took no time to rush on to the field and surround their hero. They had successfully chased down the target set by the Indians, and in style.

It was an important win because it gave Sri Lanka hopes of entering the semi-finals, which, after another deciding game, they did. India, on the other hand, having won none of their Super 8 games, were effectively ousted from the tournament.

#4 Stuart Broad to Edgar Schiferli (England vs. Netherlands, Lords, 2009)

youtube-cover

A dramatic game, a dramatic last over. Netherlands beating England could easily be regarded as one of the greatest upsets ever. 2 runs were required off the last ball, which was preceded by Broad getting advice from James Anderson and the fielders coming in. Having given away only a run in each of the first 5 balls, Broad had had a pretty decent over till then. He just had to contain the batsman this time for no run. Sadly, it did not happen. He was able to grab the ball in his follow-through but failed to hit the stumps, with the batsmen completing the runs courtesy of the overthrow.

Eventually, however, it was England who proceeded forward to the next round. Each team had won one game, and Netherlands were left behind on net run-rate.

#3 Shanthakumaran Sreesanth to Misbah-ul-Haq (India vs. Pakistan, Durban, 2007)

youtube-cover

MS Dhoni’s first match as captain was dramatic in many ways. Pakistan needed 12 off the last over, and Misbah clubbed Sreesanth, who was trusted with the last over duties, for two boundaries to reduce the equation to 1 run from 2 balls. It was the turn of Sreesanth to show some real character. First he made him miss a short one outside the off-stump. Next ball up, Misbah did drive it to cover, but the bowler did no mistake in collecting Yuraj’s throw and dislodging the bails before Misbah could cover his ground.

In the resulting bowl-out, the Indians struck the wood with perfection (3 out of 3), while the Pakistanis missed all their first three chances. India pulled off a thrilling win after looking certain to lose at one stage.

#2 Saeed Ajmal to Michael Hussey (Australia vs. Pakistan, St Lucia, 2010)

youtube-cover

With 18 needed off the last over, it was almost certain that Pakistan would pull off a win and enter the finals for the second consecutive time. Michael Hussey was the only obstacle in their way, and he single-handedly proved to be their undoing finally. It is difficult to pinpoint one delivery here. Hussey started with a pull for a six off the second ball, followed by another six over long-on. This reduced the difference to just 4 runs, which was taken care off with a slash past backward point in the very next delivery. With just 1 needed off 2, Hussey swung his bat hard to see the ball sail over long on for another maximum, thereby taking Australia to the finals. They had won the game by three wickets.

The last six was symbolic of the absolute dominance with which Hussey ousted Pakistan and made the 190 plus target look so easy. He described it as the best feeling of his career in the post-match presentation, and rightly so: he had handed Australia an almost improbable win at the knockout stage.

#1 Joginder Sharma to Misbah-ul-Haq (India vs. Pakistan, Johannesburg, 2007)

youtube-cover

This was probably the most dramatic game of all time and so worthy of being the inaugural T20 World Cup final. Arch rivals India and Pakistan made sure they gave a juicy contest for everyone to enjoy. Misbah was at it again in the final stages of the game, trying to revive his team and proving to be the last ray of hope. Pakistan, chasing India’s total of 157, had gotten very close. Dhoni took a gamble by tossing the ball to not-so-known Joginder Sharma for the last over.

They needed 6 from 4 deliveries; Misbah, having narrowed the margins with a six the previous ball, looked certain to take his team all the way. They had lost 9 wickets already; thus, the onus was on him to get the victory for them. This may have been the reason for him panicking and trying a fancy scoop over short fine leg. The dreaded shot went nowhere, as Sreesanth held on to the catch. Joginder Sharma attained the status of a hero overnight, while Pakistan were left all miserable having lost a close encounter.

Check RCB Squad 2024 Details. Follow Sportskeeda for IPL 2024 Live Score, Schedule, Points Table

Quick Links

Edited by Staff Editor