Cover Drive Six
First Class Star
- Joined
- Mar 29, 2021
- Runs
- 4,172
Ater a tournament that saw an abundance of individual brilliance, we look back on the ten best performances that played a key role in deciding a contest at the T20 World Cup.
Curtis Campher 72* and 2/9 vs Scotland
At 61/4 chasing 177 for a win in the First Round, Ireland looked down and out until Curtis Campher injected some adrenaline into the run chase, slamming a brilliant 32-ball 72 in a partnership of 119 with George Dockrell that came in less than 10 overs.
Campher lit up the Bellerive Oval with some outrageous stroke play as Ireland smashed more than 10 runs off every over starting from the 12th. With the pressure of wickets and required run rate, Campher's sizzling knock remains one of the tournament's highlights. The knock overshadowed his spell of 2/9 with the ball earlier in the game that put a leash on Scotland's attack.
Virat Kohli 82* vs Pakistan
With questions around his form still floating around despite a hundred in the Asia Cup leading up to the tournament, Virat Kohli silenced his critics with a mind-blowing innings against arch-rivals Pakistan, headlined by two stunning sixes off Haris Rauf in the penultimate over of the run chase.
At 31/4 chasing 160, India had lost their way until Kohli and Hardik Pandya resurrected the innings with a defiant stand. The required run rate still made India's chase highly improbable until Kohli's twin sixes off Rauf changed the course of the game. He finished on a 53-ball 82* to lead India to a memorable win.
Lungi Ngidi 4/29 vs India
The South African seamer sent back India's top three batters and then added the scalp of Hardik Pandya to produce one of the best spells of the tournament in the clash against India.
Ngidi reduced India to 41/3 after his first two overs produced the wickets of KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. He returned after the Powerplay to dismiss Pandya too to dent India's fight significantly.
Sikandar Raza 3/25 vs Pakistan
A game-changing spell from Sikandar Raza produced one of the greatest upsets in the tournament. Chasing 131, Pakistan were 88/3 when Raza landed a double blow that turned the game on its head.
He sent back Shadab Khan and Haider Ali off successive deliveries to reduce Pakistan to 88/5. Shan Masood had held the innings together until then, but Raza sent him back as well in his next over to nearly seal Pakistan's hopes.
To top it all, he showed appreciable game awareness off the final ball with Pakistan needing three runs to win (and two to tie) by identifying the right end to throw the ball to effect the crucial run out that saw Zimbabwe through by one run.
Marcus Stoinis 59* vs Sri Lanka
An 18-ball 59* from Marcus Stoinis blew Sri Lanka away in Perth in the Super 12 clash. The fifty that came off 17 balls, the joint-second-quickest in the men's T20 World Cup, was an audacious display of stroke-making that included a hat-trick of boundaries off the tournament's highest wicket-taker, Wanindu Hasaranga.
Glenn Phillips 104 vs Sri Lanka
Phillips made a whopping 62% of his team's runs in this SCG match that saw the second hundred of the tournament.
The New Zealand middle-order batter slammed four sixes and ten fours to make a 64-ball 104 with the next highest score in the team being 22.
Shadab Khan 52 and 2/16 vs South Africa
A knock that turned the tournament around, Shadab Khan's innings against South Africa was one of the turning points of Pakistan's campaign. At 95/5 in 23 overs, Pakistan were seemingly going nowhere when Shadab walked in.
He went on to smash the Proteas quicks with disdain to make 52 off 22 balls and take Pakistan to 185, a total that appeared well out of their reach before he came in. Shadab went on to take two wickets with the ball in Pakistan's big win.
Brandon Glover 3/9 vs South Africa
You could look back at the Super 12 match between Netherlands and South Africa as a course-defining one in the tournament. The Proteas were set to take a semi-final spot and knock Pakistan out of the tournament on the final day of the Super 12, but Netherlands produced a brilliant all-round showing that sent the Proteas packing instead.
The star of the show with the ball against a formidable middle-order was Brandon Glover, the Netherlands seamer, who returned figures of 3/9, including the wickets of Rilee Rossouw, David Miller and Wayne Parnell, to play a key role in the win.
Alex Hales 86* vs India
The high point of Alex Hales' eye-catching comeback story in the tournament was his unbeaten 86 against India in the semi-final that saw England scale a target of 169 with ease.
Hales' unbeaten 86 came off 47 balls and was studded with seven maximums. He set the tone in the run chase, racing to a 28-ball fifty in the 8th over.
Sam Curran 3/12 vs Pakistan in the final
While the England all-rounder had excelled through the tournament, including a career-best 5/10, his most telling contribution came in the final against Pakistan.
With Pakistan openers putting on a dangerous stand, Curran sent back Mohammad Rizwan to break the partnership. He went on to dismiss Shan Masood, Pakistan's top-scorer, and Mohammad Nawaz to finish with figures of 3/12.
ICC
Curtis Campher 72* and 2/9 vs Scotland
At 61/4 chasing 177 for a win in the First Round, Ireland looked down and out until Curtis Campher injected some adrenaline into the run chase, slamming a brilliant 32-ball 72 in a partnership of 119 with George Dockrell that came in less than 10 overs.
Campher lit up the Bellerive Oval with some outrageous stroke play as Ireland smashed more than 10 runs off every over starting from the 12th. With the pressure of wickets and required run rate, Campher's sizzling knock remains one of the tournament's highlights. The knock overshadowed his spell of 2/9 with the ball earlier in the game that put a leash on Scotland's attack.
Virat Kohli 82* vs Pakistan
With questions around his form still floating around despite a hundred in the Asia Cup leading up to the tournament, Virat Kohli silenced his critics with a mind-blowing innings against arch-rivals Pakistan, headlined by two stunning sixes off Haris Rauf in the penultimate over of the run chase.
At 31/4 chasing 160, India had lost their way until Kohli and Hardik Pandya resurrected the innings with a defiant stand. The required run rate still made India's chase highly improbable until Kohli's twin sixes off Rauf changed the course of the game. He finished on a 53-ball 82* to lead India to a memorable win.
Lungi Ngidi 4/29 vs India
The South African seamer sent back India's top three batters and then added the scalp of Hardik Pandya to produce one of the best spells of the tournament in the clash against India.
Ngidi reduced India to 41/3 after his first two overs produced the wickets of KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. He returned after the Powerplay to dismiss Pandya too to dent India's fight significantly.
Sikandar Raza 3/25 vs Pakistan
A game-changing spell from Sikandar Raza produced one of the greatest upsets in the tournament. Chasing 131, Pakistan were 88/3 when Raza landed a double blow that turned the game on its head.
He sent back Shadab Khan and Haider Ali off successive deliveries to reduce Pakistan to 88/5. Shan Masood had held the innings together until then, but Raza sent him back as well in his next over to nearly seal Pakistan's hopes.
To top it all, he showed appreciable game awareness off the final ball with Pakistan needing three runs to win (and two to tie) by identifying the right end to throw the ball to effect the crucial run out that saw Zimbabwe through by one run.
Marcus Stoinis 59* vs Sri Lanka
An 18-ball 59* from Marcus Stoinis blew Sri Lanka away in Perth in the Super 12 clash. The fifty that came off 17 balls, the joint-second-quickest in the men's T20 World Cup, was an audacious display of stroke-making that included a hat-trick of boundaries off the tournament's highest wicket-taker, Wanindu Hasaranga.
Glenn Phillips 104 vs Sri Lanka
Phillips made a whopping 62% of his team's runs in this SCG match that saw the second hundred of the tournament.
The New Zealand middle-order batter slammed four sixes and ten fours to make a 64-ball 104 with the next highest score in the team being 22.
Shadab Khan 52 and 2/16 vs South Africa
A knock that turned the tournament around, Shadab Khan's innings against South Africa was one of the turning points of Pakistan's campaign. At 95/5 in 23 overs, Pakistan were seemingly going nowhere when Shadab walked in.
He went on to smash the Proteas quicks with disdain to make 52 off 22 balls and take Pakistan to 185, a total that appeared well out of their reach before he came in. Shadab went on to take two wickets with the ball in Pakistan's big win.
Brandon Glover 3/9 vs South Africa
You could look back at the Super 12 match between Netherlands and South Africa as a course-defining one in the tournament. The Proteas were set to take a semi-final spot and knock Pakistan out of the tournament on the final day of the Super 12, but Netherlands produced a brilliant all-round showing that sent the Proteas packing instead.
The star of the show with the ball against a formidable middle-order was Brandon Glover, the Netherlands seamer, who returned figures of 3/9, including the wickets of Rilee Rossouw, David Miller and Wayne Parnell, to play a key role in the win.
Alex Hales 86* vs India
The high point of Alex Hales' eye-catching comeback story in the tournament was his unbeaten 86 against India in the semi-final that saw England scale a target of 169 with ease.
Hales' unbeaten 86 came off 47 balls and was studded with seven maximums. He set the tone in the run chase, racing to a 28-ball fifty in the 8th over.
Sam Curran 3/12 vs Pakistan in the final
While the England all-rounder had excelled through the tournament, including a career-best 5/10, his most telling contribution came in the final against Pakistan.
With Pakistan openers putting on a dangerous stand, Curran sent back Mohammad Rizwan to break the partnership. He went on to dismiss Shan Masood, Pakistan's top-scorer, and Mohammad Nawaz to finish with figures of 3/12.
ICC
Last edited by a moderator:
