The World T20 2016 was one of the best limited overs tournaments in recent history as it witnessed some great matches with close finishes. From high scoring matches to low scoring humdingers, the tournament had it all. It was T20 cricket at its best.
Now that the tournament is over, we can afford to relax and look back at some of those matches. Here's those special matches and those rare, breath-taking moments that brought us a lot of joy and excitement during the tournament.
Let us look back at the 5 most exciting matches from the tournament.
England vs South Africa at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai (Super 10, Group 1)
One of the earliest matches in the Super 10 stage of this the ICC World T20 2016 turned out to be an absolute humdinger. England and South Africa faced off in an epic heavy-weight clash on a flat Wankhede track that saw plenty of runs being scored and records tumble.
Quinton de Kock, a player who had an impressive run of form in the tournament, gave South Africa a blistering start. De Kock and Amla both scored half centuries and South Africa riding on a late surge from Duminy reached a mammoth score of 229 off 20 overs.
England's reply was just as remarkable as their opener Jason Roy got them off to a great start courtesy a 16-ball 43. Hales and Stokes got off to starts but failed to convert them into anything substantial. After that it was the Joe Root show.
Root stole away South Africa's thunder and set the tone for what was to be a remarkable tournament for him. Cover drives, flicks and outrageous scoops that sailed over the keeper's head for six, Root's innings had everything. He finished with 83 off 44 balls as England recorded a famous win.
India vs Bangladesh at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore (Super 10, Group 2)
Wicket, wicket, wicket. Nobody has forgotten that incredible last over by Hardik Pandya. That's how one of the most dramatic clashes in this year's World T20 ended after India, a side that looked well dead and buried, rose incredibly from the ashes. An almost teary Bangladesh captain Mortaza later said, "Nobody wants to lose like this."
India were never really in the game. Most of the batsmen got starts and Raina recorded a scratchy 30 as India somehow limped their way to a total of 146. It was below par and the Bangladeshi bowlers have to be given credit for a great performance. They varied their lengths and executed their yorkers perfectly at the death as India never really got going.
In reply, Tamim Iqbal seemed to be in a hurry as he dispatched Bumrah and company to the boundary with gay abandon. Sabbir Rahman and Shakib Al Hasan settled in when during the middle overs and Bangladesh seemed to be well on course of an easy win.
India just hung in there picking wickets and slipping through dot balls to stay in the game. Bumrah who had a horrendous day so far came back well to bowl some superb yorkers and pulled things back by bowling a good 19th over. Yet Bangladesh went into the 20th over with a set Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim, needing just 11 runs for victory.
No one gave India much of a chance as Dhoni threw the ball to Hardik Pandya. It was Indian cricket's Joginder Sharma-moment all over again. Rahim was trying to avoid such an encore as he smashed Pandya for two consecutive boundaries. The second four off the third delivery was a cheeky scoop and Rahim started celebrating early.
With 2 runs off 3 balls, the tournament seemed to be over for India. Rahim and Mahmudullah went for two big shots and got holed out incredibly. Hom missed the last ball and ran for a bye. But Dhoni was already waiting for with an ungloved hand. He sprinted through and took off the stumps just before Mustafizur could make his ground.
Afghanistan vs West Indies at the VCA Stadium, Nagpur (Super 10, Group 1)
By the time Afghanistan and West Indies faced off in Nagpur for their last group stage match of the tournament, there was nothing left to play for. Afghanistan were already out of the tournament and the West Indies had already made it to the semi-final.
But there was a lot of pride involved for Afghanistan. They had played some remarkable cricket in the tournament and given the mighty South African and England sides more than a scare. Their flair and determination suggested that they were reluctant to leave the tournament without a victory.
The inimitable Shahzad got them off to a decent start but their batting order faltered. At 5 for 56, they seemed to be in serious trouble at one stage until Najibullah Zardan performed the rescuing act with a valiant half century. They finished at 123 for 7, clearly not enough to challenge the mighty West Indian batting line-up. Or so you would have thought.
The Afghanistan spinners Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan spun a web around the West Indians and put the brakes on the scoring. The West Indians kept losing wickets and ultimately wilted under pressure losing a close match by only 6 runs in the end.
The victory meant a lot for Afghanistan who have arrived on the big stage with this tournament. It was great to see Gayle performing a celebratory dance with Shahzad after the victory. Afghanistan would ultimately be the only side to beat the eventual champions West Indies in the tournament.
India vs Australia at IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali (Super 10 Group 2)
With both teams locked on 4 points coming into their last match of the group stage, India and Australia faced off in a much anticipated clash with both teams needing a win to advance into the semi-final. The match thus became a do or die battle for both the teams adding to the intensity of the battle.
The match really lived up to the anticipation and will be remembered by everyone as an epic battle. The Australian openers got off to a flier as they raced to 50 off just four overs. Bumrah and Ashwin, India's two best bowlers in the tournament, were taken for plenty.
But after Khawaja was dismissed by Nehra, the Indian spinners pulled it back eventually as no other Australian batsman managed to make any meaningful contribution. The Aussies still managed to put up a total of 160 on the board.
India lost their openers early and when Raina departed the match seemed to have swung considerably in the favour of the Aussies. Shane Watson was bowling one of the best spells and trying to ensure that it would not be the last match of his career. Yuvraj Singh injured himself and kept refusing the extra runs.
Kohli was at the other end soaking in the pressure and finding the gaps at regular intervals. Yuvraj gave him good company for some time, even dispatching a couple of deliveries to the boundary. The match turned when MS Dhoni came in at the fall of Yuvraj's wicket.
Kohli and Dhoni strung together a memorable partnership and ran at a lightning speed between the stumps. With 39 required off 3 overs, Kohli launched a rare onslaught on Faulkner dispatching his first three deliveries to the boundary including a memorable lofted drive for six.
That over yielded 19 runs and in the next over, Kohli hit four more boundaries to bring the equation down to just 4 runs needed off the last over. He remained unbeaten on a match-winning 82 off 51 balls. Dhoni finished it off in his trademark fashion as the whole of India erupted in celebration.
West Indies vs England at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata (The final)
A popular saying goes that finals often turn out to be disappointing and one-sided. But the ICC World T20 2016 which has been a fascinating tournament was capped off by a final worthy of its name. The way the match ebbed and flowed with many twists and turns made it a fascinating and unpredictable contest.
West Indies seemed to have a firm grip on the match after the brilliant spell bowled by Samuel Badree. England did some rebuilding of sorts and after having crossed the 100 run mark in the 14th over, they seemed to be on course for a decent total.
But they then lost three quick wickets including that of Joe Root who had scored a brilliant 54. With the tail-enders pitching in, England managed to reach a score of 155 which nobody thought would be enough to trouble the West Indies.
Eoin Morgan however pulled a rabbit out of the hat by throwing the ball to Joe Root for the second over. The Windies openers Charles and Gayle tried to hit him out of the park and both perished in the process. There was much rebuilding to be done and Samuels played a match-winning knock of 85 off 66 balls.
But the asking rate had gone up and the Windies went into the last over needing an almost impossible 19 runs for victory. That did not seem to worry Carlos Brathwaite much as the burly all-rounder muscled four consecutive sixes leaving Ben Stokes in tears. The World T20 2016 could not have ended on a more dramatic and exciting note. The Windies were deserving champions.
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