5 best individual performances at T20I World Cups

Cricket is a sport where 11 men play on each team. It is certainly a team game where the collective effort of the individuals is what defines the outcome of the game. But, sometimes, some very, very, rare times, a team wins because of the effort of one certain individual.Michael Bevan is one of the most synonymous names with match-winners. Another player who was responsible for making India win many games with his individuality was Kapil Dev. Even VVS Laxman, to some extent, in Tests was the cause of many glorious victories for India.Castrol Activ’s Actibonds help cling on to the engine and protect it from wear and tear, even when it is shut off. In the same way, these individuals protected their team from tricky situations and led them to wins.Castrol TVCBut we will not go into that as we look at the 5 best individual performances in World T20 –

#1 Marlon Samuels vs Sri Lanka

This was perhaps the greatest knocks ever played in T20I cricket. In the 2012 World T20 tournament, West Indies were, without a shadow of a doubt, the best team, but they needed total individual brilliance in the final to grab the trophy.

From the very beginning, wickets kept tumbling as West Indies won the toss and decided to bat first. In the tempest, however, Marlon Samuels stood unmoved like a mountain and engineered his team to a respectable 138 runs off the allotted 20 overs.

What made this knock so special is that he played with utmost diligence to keep his wicket intact, while wickets kept falling on the other side. At 87-5 after 15.3 overs and the Calypsos struggling to time the ball, not many thought that they would mount a fighting total.

However, they not only reached a competitive score on a difficult pitch, they also defended it spectacularly as Marlon Samuels ended up taking a wicket in 4 overs, giving away only 15 runs.

#2 Michael Hussey vs Pakistan

Australia enjoyed a long spell of total dominance in international cricket. Many great players from their domestic circuit could never get a look in as the main team was brilliantly rounded and complete.

There was so much talent in the team that when match-winning finisher Michael Bevan retired, there was another Michael already in place to be his natural successor.

Michael Hussey took the international scene by storm when his belated arrival finally took place. The ease of transformation was such that Australian fans did not miss Michael Bevan. The irony, though, is that they seem to be missing the legendary Hussey because of the lack of an apt successor.

The left-handed batsman won the Kangaroos many games, but the best one of the lot would be his match-winning performance against Pakistan in the semi-final of the ICC World Twenty20.

When Pakistan set a difficult target of 192 for their opponents to chase, Australia were in a state of bother when they were reduced to 105-5 and then 144-7.

Mr. Cricket, as he is so fondly known, though, didn’t let the pressure get to him as a calm yet furious innings of 60 off 24 balls finished the game in his team’s favour with just a ball to spare—and this came at a time when all hope was gone.

#3 Yuvraj Singh vs Australia

People will forever remember the game before more because of Stuart Broad’s bowling getting belted by Yuvraj Singh. However, the next match—the semi-final against Australia—was even better because he played a bigger and better knock to get India to the finals.

He might not have hit six sixes in an over in this game, but his 30-ball 70 became the ultimate difference—maker in a game which the Men in Blue won by just 15 runs. As openers Sehwag and Gambhir were gone even before the score reached 50, the onus was on Yuvraj Singh to pick up where he left off against England and play an innings of the highest calibre.

And he didn’t disappoint as he hit five sixes and five fours to take India to a handsome total of 188.

#4 Rangana Herath vs New Zealand

Without a shadow of a doubt, this is one of the greatest spells of bowling in T20I cricket. Bangladesh is known as the land of the sacred, thanks to the many shrines, monuments and temples rooted in the country—and that is perhaps one of the reasons why some significant cricketing events have taken place here.

For instance, Sachin Tendulkar played his last ODI in Bangladesh and it was also there that he got his 100th century in international cricket.

Rangana Herath’s blistering spell of bowling against New Zealand falls in that category too. After posting a miserly score of 119, Sri Lanka looked all but doomed even though the pitch was a potato patch.

Enter the slow-left-armer.

3.3 overs, 5 wickets and 3 runs later, New Zealand didn’t know what hit them and before they could try to comprehend, they were knocked out of the tournament by this other-worldly spell of bowling which allowed them to post only 60 runs on the board.

#5 Mitchell Santner vs India

This is the most recent of the lot, but just as individually brilliant as the rest. India are the hot-favourites to win the tournament that is currently ongoing. So when a Brendon McCullum-less New Zealand took on them, not many expected the Kiwis to put up a fight.

And their expectations were starting to manifest as the Islanders posted a target of only 128 runs—a relatively simple one for the best batting line-up of the tournament, statistically speaking.

However, the supposed best were bested by a relative newcomer, Mitchell Santner. The slow-left-armer put in a performance to remember as he gave away just 11 runs in his 4 overs and took 4 wickets in the process, befuddling the Indian cricket team and its fans.