5 most thrilling last-ball finishes in T20I cricket 

T20 is one of the most watched and attractive formats of the game. Almost every second match goes down to the wire, keeping the cricket fans on the edge of their seats.

And T20 is such a short format that the game changes in a span of few deliveries. Hence, we see a lot of T20 games go into the final over of the match.

Many matches have also been decided on the last ball of the game and in such situations, the tension around is high and both the batsman and the bowler feel the pressure.

On that note, here we look at 5 most thrilling last-ball finishes in T20I cricket.

Note – Only matches where 3 or more runs required off the last ball are considered.

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#5 India vs England – Mumbai (2012)

The 2012 series in India was a historic one for England. They won the four-match Test series 2-1 after being 1-0 down after the first game. It was their first Test series win in India in 28 years.

Post the Test series triumph, England played a two-match T20I series before they went back to England for a Christmas break. In the first T20I, India eased to victory as they chased down 158 inside 18 overs.

In the second T20I, England won the toss and elected to field first. Most of the Indian batsmen got starts but no one could convert it into a big one. Hence, the hosts ended up with 177 in their 20 overs with skipper MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli making quick-fire 38s.

Chasing almost nine runs per over, England got off to a very good start. Michael Lumb and Alex Hales added 80 runs in just over eight overs before Yuvraj Singh’s triple strike dented England’s chase. However, skipper Eoin Morgan took it upon himself to take England home.

With 23 runs required off two overs, Morgan and Jos Butler fetched 14 runs off the penultimate over. Ashok Dinda bowled the final over and with nine runs in the bank, he bowled the first five deliveries superbly and gave away only six runs in them.

With three runs needed off the final ball, Morgan kept his cool and struck a superb six straight down the ground to help England level the series 1-1.

#4 New Zealand vs England – Hamilton (2018)

Tom Curran bowled superbly at the death to win England the game

The T20 tri-series featuring Australia, New Zealand and England played earlier this year was the first ever tri-series played in the shortest format. Even though Australia dominated the tournament, New Zealand and England played a thrilling game.

In the final group stage match, England needed to beat New Zealand by at least 20 runs to qualify for the final. Put into bat by the Kiwis, England on the back of Eoin Morgan’s 80 and Dawid Malan’s 53, helped England post a very competitive score (194).

Chasing 195, Martin Guptill and Colin Munro set the stage on fire as they scored 62 (in 47 balls) and 57 (in 21 balls) respectively and put the hosts on course for their second win of the series.

However, the England bowlers fought back well. They picked up wickets at regular intervals and brought the equation down to 29 in 3 overs. Tom Curran bowled a very good over where he gave away just eight runs and picked up the wicket of Ross Taylor.

Though England were knocked out, the game was still in the balance with 21 required off 2 overs. Jordan gave away nine runs in the 19th over and with 12 required in the final over, Curran did well to give only three singles on the first three deliveries.

Mark Chapman, however, scored a boundary on the fourth ball and took a bye on the fifth to inject life back into the game. With four runs needed off the final delivery, Colin de Grandhomme failed to finish it off for the Kiwis as Curran nailed a very good yorker to close the game for England.

#3 England vs South Africa – Taunton (2017)

South Africa fought back well to level the series 1-1

After losing the ODI series 2-1, South Africa had a poor Champions Trophy campaign as they lost to India and Pakistan and failed to reach the semi-final. They rested a few key players for the T20I series so that they were ready for the upcoming Test matches.

England crushed South Africa in the first T20I as they chased 143 in 14.3 overs. The hosts once again opted to bowl first in the second T20I. South Africa made 174 with AB de Villiers top-scoring with a 20-ball 46. Chasing 175, England lost Sam Billings in the second over, but that didn’t affect them as Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow added 110 runs for the second wicket.

When Bairstow got out, England needed just 46 off 38 deliveries. But Chris Morris (1/18), Dane Paterson (1/32) and Andile Phehlukwayo (1/34) executed their death bowling skills brilliantly as they prevented the hosts from getting away.

It came down to 12 in the final over and Phehlukwayo was given the ball. He bowled four excellent deliveries and gave away only four runs in them. But Liam Dawson struck a vital boundary to keep the game alive.

Phehlukwayo then bowled a brilliant yorker and defended four runs to help the Proteas level the series 1-1.

#2 India vs Bangladesh – Colombo (Nidahas Trophy 2018)

This knock from Dinesh Karthik will be remembered for a long time

India are going through an excellent phase in limited-overs cricket right now. They seem to be winning every limited-overs series they play. After losing the first game to Sri Lanka, India won three on the bounce and reached the finals of the Nidahas Trophy. Bangladesh, on the other hand, reached the final after a couple of tense wins against Sri Lanka.

In the final, Bangladesh were put into bat and were reduced to 33/3 inside the first six overs. But Sabbir Rahman’s 77 and Mehidy Hasan’s cameo at the end helped Bangladesh get to a competitive score of 166.

In reply, India were on course to chase 167 down, but Rohit Sharma’s dismissal for 56 turned things around. Manish Pandey and Vijay Shankar, who was promoted to bat at No. 6, struggled to score freely. With 35 needed in three overs, Mustafizur bowled an excellent 18th over as he gave away just one run and picked up the wicket of Pandey.

Pandey’s exit brought Dinesh Karthik to the middle. With 34 required off 12 balls, he struck the ball cleanly and scored 22 in the 19th over. The equation was down to 12 off the final over and Soumya Sarkar took up the responsibility. He bowled three very good deliveries and gave away just three runs off them. But Shankar found the fence on the fourth ball before holing out in the deep.

With five needed off the last ball, Dinesh Karthik struck a magnificent six over cover to win India the game and the final.

#1 South Africa vs New Zealand – Chittagong (World T20 2014)

Steyn was absolutely brilliant in the final over

South Africa and New Zealand both had contrasting starts to their World T20 2014 campaign. The Proteas suffered a 5-wicket loss to Sri Lanka while the Kiwis won their group encounter with the help of the DL method as they beat England by nine runs.

New Zealand won the toss and opted to field first. They had a wonderful start as they reduced the Proteas to 42/3 with big guns like Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis and AB de Villiers back in the hut. Walking in at 42/3 in the seventh over, JP Duminy played a blinder as he struck 86 in 43 balls to help South Africa post 170.

New Zealand were in total control of their chase as Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor struck fifties. It all boiled down to the final over of the game. Seven runs were required and Dale Steyn had the ball in his hand. For the Blackcaps, the well-set Taylor was batting with Luke Ronchi. New Zealand were favourites here.

Steyn gave South Africa just the start they needed defending seven runs in the final over. He dismissed Ronchi to throw the game wide open. The pacer then followed it up with a couple of crucial dot balls to Nathan McCullum. But the latter kept his cool and struck a vital boundary to bring the equation down to three runs off two deliveries.

But the premier pacer prized out McCullum on the penultimate ball of the game. However, importantly for New Zealand, Taylor was back on strike with three required off the final delivery. Steyn then bowled a brilliant wide yorker and ran out Taylor to help South Africa win the game out of nowhere.