In a mission to make the younger generation aware of and interested in the game of cricket, the T20 World Cup happened. The first ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, formerly known as ICC World Twenty, was held in 2007 in South Africa. In its inaugural edition, India won the first-ever T20 World cup after a fierce final match against Pakistan. Over time, other countries went on to win the competition, including Sri Lanka, England, and Pakistan.
Nowadays, Cricket fans worldwide are fully immersed in the competition. The T20 World cup takes place every two years, except if an ICC cricket world cup is to be held in the same year.
Being a prestigious one, anticipation for T20 is, with punters and fans searching for cricket odds live to try their luck.
With that said, here’s a brief history of the T20 World Cup.
The Inaugural T20 World Cup Tournaments
The 2007 Tournament
The 2007 T20 World Cup was the very first event of its kind with12 competing teams, which were divided into four groups of three. In the quarterfinals, two teams were split into four and then, in the semi-finals, the top two groups competed. The 2007 T20 games took place in three different stadiums: Newlands, Kingsmead, and Wanderers in South Africa.
Overall, the 2007 T20 World cup has been regarded as a successful sporting event. India emerged victorious after beating Pakistan, and bowler Umar Gul took the most wickets. Mathew Hayden was the top run-getter with 265 runs and Craig McMillan hit 13 sixes in the tournament, which was the highest by any player in the competition.
The 2009 Tournament
The 2009 T20 tournament was at Nottingham, Lord’s and Oval, and London. The final saw Sri Lanka and Pakistan battling for glory. Ultimately Pakistan – who played in the 2007 finals –won the trophy defeating Sri Lanka with eight balls to spare. Yuvraj Singh hit the most sixes, while Umar Gul was the top wicket-taker with 13 wickets.
The 2010 Tournament
England hosted the 2010 T20 competition. Despite India being amongst the favorites to win, the team ultimately lost all three matches they played. England, on the other hand, went on to win the competition by defeating their fierce rivals Australia by seven wickets. It was the first time the English earned the World Cup title in the game of cricket.
The Sri Lankan Mahela Jayawardene scored 302 runs while Dirk Nannes from the Netherlands was the highest wicket-taker with 14 wickets. Finally, the Australian Cameron White had 12 sixes and topped the sixes chart.
Other T20 World Cup Competitions
The 2012 ICC World Twenty20
The West Indies defeated Sri Lanka in the 2012 ICC World Twenty20. This was a huge accomplishment as it was the very first time that the West Indies won the title. Shane Watson from Australia distinguished himself as he achieved 249 ins and ended up being the competition’s highest scorer.
The 2014 ICC World Twenty20
After losing to the West Indies in the 2012 finals, Sri Lanka went on to host and win the 2014 T20 competition after defeating India by six wickets. Virat Mohali from India topped the batting charts with 319 runs, and Tahir and Ahsan Malik had 12 wickets, making them the top wicket-takers of the competition.
The 2016 ICC World Twenty20
West Indies won the 2016 T20 World Cup for the second time in history, defeating England. Bangladesh’s Tamim Iqbal had 295 runs, making him the top batter of the tournament, and Nabi had 12, making him the leading wicket-taker of the competition.
The 2021 ICC World Twenty20
In the 2021 edition of the T20 World cup, Australia defeated their fierce rivals, New Zealand, and took home the tile. Babar Azam from Pakistan was the highest run batter with 303 runs while Wanindu Hasaranga for Sri Lanka topped the wicket list with 16 wickets in eight matches.
To conclude
Critics claim that the T20 World cup has made the game of cricket a cultural and international sensation with a much wider audience. To date, the West Indies remain the most successful team after winning the 2012 and 2016 editions of the tournament.
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