Hosts India and top ranked Test and ODI team Australia, launched the World Twenty20 as favourite teams. It’s interesting to note that Australia, the winners of five 50-overs World Cup titles, could not clinch a single world title in the shortest format of the game in their previous five attempts.
Pakistan’s ICC Elite Panel umpire Aleem Dar, who created history last month with his 100th Test match appearance in South Africa, bagged yet another feat in the first qualifying round match of World T20.
On March 8, the match between Zimbabwe and Hong Kong was his 30th in World T20 tournaments, the most by any umpire. Previously, Australian Simon Taufel had the honour with 29 T20 internationals. Till the filing of this report, Dar has stood in 32 matches of World T20s. Overall, he has officiated 38 T20 Internationals, the most by any umpire in the world.
West Indian master blaster Chris Gayle and Pakistan T20 skipper Shahid Afridi can also achieve such honours in the remaining matches of the ongoing grand event.
Gayle, who has scored 807 runs in 23 matches of World T20s, requires 210 more runs to cross the aggregate of 1,016 runs set by retired Sri Lankan great Mahela Jayawardene. Keeping in view his glorious form, it is expected that he will gather the required number of runs comfortably.
Pakistan T20 captain Shahid Afridi, who has grabbed 35 scalps in 30 matches, is only four wickets short of the rare feat. Right now, Sri Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga topped the list with 38 wickets followed by Saeed Ajmal with 36 wickets.
A brief history of ICC World T20 tournaments:
The inaugural ICC World Twenty20 tournament was played in a South Africa in 2007. India emerged winners in a nerve-wrecking title clash against Pakistan at Johannesburg.
The tournament was a huge success. It had everything required for top quality entertainment, including the world's best players and packed out stadiums. The tournament got underway with a stunning display of power hitting from Chris Gayle against South Africa. He hammered 117 off 57 balls including 10 sixes.
The stunning victories of minnows Bangladesh and Zimbabwe against mighty opponents the West Indies and Australia, respectively, also grabbed extraordinary attention across the cricketing world.
M. Ashraful of Bangladesh showed great talent, spanking a 20-ball half-century to humble the West Indies by six wickets. Ashraful broke Jayasuriya's record (23 balls) for the fastest T20 half-century, but Yuvraj upstaged him later in the tournament. Chasing the Windies tally of 164/8, Ashraful came into bat at 28/2 and punished Windies bowlers Darren Powell, Rampaul and Dwyane Bravo to set up an upset win for his team.
Zimbabwe thrashed Australia by five wickets which remains their finest win in T20 cricket. Zimbabwe first had Australia reeling at 19/3 with Hayden, Gilchrist and Ponting back in the dug-out. Chasing Australia's moderate tally of 138/9, Zimbabwe were well on course before wobbling a bit towards the end. Needing 12 runs off the last over, Zimbabwe sneaked home by virtue of 4 leg byes with just one ball remaining.
Yuvraj Singh's 6 sixes off Stuart Broad was another unforgettable happening of the inaugural World T20. Yuvraj’s whirlwind performance left pacer Broad and England shell-shocked.
India were 171/3 at the end of the 18th over. Yuvraj was batting on 14 off six deliveries when Broad came on to bowl the 19th over. As six consecutive sixes flew into the stands and beyond, the southpaw batsman entered history books by lashing the fastest half-century in T20 off just 12 balls. His every shot one was sweetly timed and went off the middle of the bat.
India, of course, went on to win the match by 18 runs and capped it off by winning their maiden title by beating Pakistan in the final. The final match went down to a final-over thriller, with Pakistan needing six from the last four balls but India eventually triumphed as Misbah-ul-Haq's attempted scoop landed in the hands of Sreesanth at short fine-leg.
England were the hosts of second edition of World T20 in 2009. Pakistan, the finalists of inaugural event, emerged winners under the captaincy of stylish batsman Younis Khan.
It was a competition full of surprise victories, as favourites fell at the hands of underdogs. The hosts, England, set the ball rolling in the first match of the tournament as they were embarrassed by Netherlands in a last-ball thriller. Australia were dominated by the West Indies, largely thanks to a thunderous innings by Chris Gayle, as he hit 88 off 50 balls, including some of the largest sixes seen in England.
South Africa hadn't lost a group stage match going into the semi-finals against Pakistan, but Shahid Afridi produced a match-winning performance with both bat and ball. He blasted his way to 51 and bagged two wickets for 16 runs to secure victory.
The final at Lord's was a repeat of a group stage match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Pakistan managed to remove dangerman Dilshan, the Player of the Series, without scoring, which had a big impact on the Sri Lanka innings. Sangakkara put up a fight scoring an unbeaten 64, but his team could post a meagre target of just 138. Afridi once more showed his magnificent form, hitting an unbeaten 54 and won the trophy with 8 balls to spare.
Pakistan’s reign as World T20 champions remained only little over 10 months instead of two years due to some scheduling problem faced by the ICC. Pakistan won the title on June 21, 2009, at Lord’s, but after less than a year, England were crowned next World T20 champions on May 16, 2010 at Bridgetown, Barbados. New champions England outplayed their arch-rival Australia by 7 wickets in the title clash.
England proved the surprise package, winning their first major limited-overs trophy with a comprehensive victory over Australia in the final. The Australians had provided amazing fireworks in the semi-final when Pakistan appeared on course for a second final, only for Michael Hussey to smash 26 from five deliveries to win the game with a ball to spare.
It was a gallant knock from a gallant Aussie. It looked over and out for the Aussies at 144/7 as they still needed 48 runs off the last 17 balls to beat Pakistan and make the final. Mike Hussey along with Mitchell Johnson plundered 18 runs off the 18th over and 16 from the 19th, leaving Australia needing 18 off the final over from Saeed Ajmal. After Johnson took a single, Hussey smacked Ajmal for two consecutive sixes and a four to tie the scores before hitting another six to seal an amazing victory.
The next World T20 event was staged in Sri Lanka in 2012, when the West Indies emerged triumphant against hosts Sri Lanka after a see-saw final.
The tournament heralded the West Indies' resurgence in the global game as they danced their way to a first World title since 1979. Middle order batsman Marlon Samuels struck one of the best T20 performances - 78 off 56 to seal victory in the final. It wasn't a faultless campaign, but they avenged their group losses to Australia and Sri Lanka in the knockouts.
Sri Lanka's consolation came in the form of Ajantha Mendis, who took 15 wickets, the most in a World T20 including 6/8 against Zimbabwe, the best figures in T20s. Brendon McCullum of New Zealand became the only man to score two international T20 hundreds.
Two years later, Bangladesh hosted the 5th World T20 Championship. Now it was Sri Lanka’s turn to clinch the title against former champs India in the 16-team tournament.
Veteran duo Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene marked the event as their T20 swansong. Both the veterans played key role throughout the tournament and ultimately won the first world title for their country in 18 years. Sri Lanka handed India a 6-wicket thrashing in the title clash.
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