T20 World Cup 2024 - Moments that transport you back to field
Cricket
Here are some of the standout happenings from this thrilling mega event.
By Anees-ur-Rehman
The ninth edition of the T20 World Cup concluded in a dramatic fashion, with India emerging victorious and ending a 17-year wait to reclaim the title under the astute leadership of Rohit Sharma.
The victory was significant as it not only brought the trophy back to India after nearly two decades but also served as a grand farewell to Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma who announced their retirement from T20I cricket following the win.
South Africa's hopes of winning the T20 World Cup were dashed by the disciplined Indian bowling attack, spearheaded by Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, who applied relentless pressure on batsmen, making every run hard to come by.
Besides batting, the Indian fielding in the final was at its agile best which made the team’s victory clinical.
Highlights of T20 World Cup 2024
The T20 World Cup 2024 was a rollercoaster of emotions, filled with unforgettable highs and dramatic lows.
Here are some of the standout happenings from this thrilling mega event:
Top scorer
Afghanistan's Rahmanullah Gurbaz remained the highest run-scorer with 281 runs in 8 matches in the T20 World Cup.
Former Indian captain Rohit Sharma finished as the second-highest run-getter, with 257 runs in eight matches while Australian batter Travis Head is third on the list with 255 runs.
Highest wicket-taker
In the list of the highest wicket-takers, Afghanistan’s Fazalhaq Farooqi and India's Arshdeep Singh finished as the joint top wicket-takers in the world cup with 17 scalps each.
Jasprit Bumrah ended up on third place with 15 wickets in 8 matches.
Most sixes in a single edition of World Cup
As many as 517 sixes were hit in the tournament, making it the first T20 World Cup with 500-plus sixes. The previous highest was 405 in 2021.
The balls-per-six ratio was 21.35, the best ever. Also, the ratio between fours and sixes hit in this world cup was 1.86, the lowest across all the editions.
USA shock Pakistan
The USA pulled off one of the biggest upsets in cricket’s history by beating Pakistan in their T20 world cup encounter in Dallas.
Pakistan bounced back from a shaky start to post 159-7. However, the US scored 14 runs in their final over, tying the match at 159-3 and forcing a Super Over.
In the Super Over, the US scored 18-1, and then held Pakistan to 13-1, clinching a remarkable victory.
Later, Pakistan were knocked out of the first stage and debutant USA qualified for the Super Eight.
India edge Pakistan in New York thriller
India narrowly defeated Pakistan by 6 runs at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on June 6.
Chasing 120, Pakistan was well-placed at 73 for 3 in 12.1 overs, needing 47 runs from 47 balls. However, Jasprit Bumrah's exceptional bowling, taking 3 wickets for 14 runs in his 4 overs, turned the game around.
Pakistan could only manage 113 for 7 in their 20 overs.
Earlier, Pakistan’s bowlers shone by dismissing India for 119 runs. Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf took three wickets each, while Mohammad Amir claimed two.
USA become first casualty of stop-clock rule
In a historic match on June 12, the USA became the first team to have been penalised under the new stop-clock rule designed to speed up play.
The penalty cost them five runs in the 16th over, which allowed India to reduce their target to 30 runs from 30 balls.
India capitalised on this advantage, winning by seven wickets with 10 balls remaining.
Afghanistan stun New Zealand
Afghanistan stunned New Zealand by 84 runs in the encounter. Opening batsmen Rahmanullah Gurbaz (80) and Ibrahim Zadrau (44) led the charge with a partnership of 103 runs, propelling Afghanistan to a total of 159-6.
In response, Afghanistan's bowlers took full advantage of a pitch favouring both pace and spin. Left-arm seamer Fazalhaq Farooqi and captain Rashid Khan secured four wickets each, as New Zealand collapsed to just 75 all out.
Afghanistan upset Australia to reach semis
Afghanistan continued to shock the world, collecting their first-ever win over cricketing powerhouse Australia.
It ended the Aussies' impressive unbeaten run at the T20 world cup.
Afghanistan 148 for 6 (Gurbaz 60, Ibrahim 51, Cummins 3-28, Zampa 2-28) beat Australia 127 (Maxwell 59, Gulbadin 4-20, Naveen 3-20) by 21 runs.
After this victory, Afghanistan went on to defeat Bangladesh to qualify for the semi-final for the first time.
Lockie Ferguson's record-breaking spell
Lockie Ferguson made history with an unprecedented spell of 4-4-0-3 as New Zealand crushed Papua New Guinea by seven wickets in their final world cup match.
Ferguson’s performance was the most economical in T20I history, equalling Canada’s Saad Bin Zafar for sending down four maidens.
New Zealand bowled out PNG for just 78 in 19.4 overs and chased the target comfortably in 12.2 overs, finishing at 79 for three.
Gulbadin Naib’s ‘fake injury’
Afghanistan made history by defeating Bangladesh and reaching the T20 World Cup 2024 semi-final for the first time.
However, a controversy arose when Gulbadin Naib was accused of faking a hamstring injury during the 12th over. Shortly after head coach Jonathan Trott signalled to slow the game, Naib fell to the ground.
The match then paused due to rain with Afghanistan leading by 2 runs on the DLS method. Upon resumption, Naib appeared fit, leading to accusations of cheating from fans and experts.
Three hat-tricks
This edition of the T20 world cup featured three thrilling hat-tricks. Australian fast bowler Pat Cummins achieved two consecutive hat-tricks in the Super Eights against Bangladesh and Afghanistan, becoming the first player to accomplish this feat in back-to-back T20 world cup matches.
Cummins first took a hat-trick over two overs against Bangladesh, and then again against Afghanistan, dismissing Rashid Khan, Karim Janat, and Gulbadin Naib with three consecutive deliveries.
England’s Chris Jordan also left his mark, claiming a hat-trick against co-host USA, adding to the tournament’s excitement with his impeccable pace bowling.
South Africa set new record
South Africa set a new record for the most consecutive wins in the tournament's history. The Proteas won 8 matches in a row in this event, the highest by any team in a single T20 world cup.
Sri Lanka holds the second spot with six wins in the 2009 T20 World Cup, tied with Australia, who also had six wins in the 2010 and 2021 tournaments.
Players who retired after T20 World Cup 2024
Virat Kohli: The star Indian batter retired from T20Is right after winning the Player of the Match award for his 76 runs in the final. He played 125 matches, amassing 4,188 runs, the second-most in T20I history.
Rohit Sharma: Former Indian captain retired following India's victory over South Africa in the final. With 159 matches and 4,231 runs, he leaves as the top run-scorer in T20Is.
Ravindra Jadeja: The Indian all-rounder announced his retirement the day after India's title win, ending his T20I career with 74 matches, 515 runs, and 54 wickets.
David Warner: The Australian opener retired after the mega event, having played 110 matches and scored 3,277 runs, ranking seventh-highest at his retirement.
Trent Boult: Bowed out after New Zealand’s last match in the Super 8 stage. He took 83 wickets in 61 T20Is and was his team's top wicket-taker in the 2024 tournament with 9 wickets in 4 matches.
Mahmudullah: Bangladesh veteran player retired after the world cup, having played 138 T20Is with 2,394 runs and 40 wickets.
David Wiese: The Namibian legend retired after final group stage game. He finished with 54 matches, 624 runs, and 59 wickets.
Sybrand Engelbrecht: The Netherlands veteran retired following his team's last match. In his 12 T20Is, he scored 280 runs at an average of 31.11 and a strike rate of 132.7.
Brian Masaba: The Ugandan cricketer retired after their T20 World Cup campaign, concluding with 61 T20Is, 437 runs, and 23 wickets.
