T20 World Cup 2016: Some memorable moments from this mega event

With the conclusion of the tournament, Abhishek kumar lists down 16 such memorable moments which are full of sportsmanship and are truly iconic.

The recently concluded T20 World Cup 2016 was probably the best edition of tournament as compared to the previous editions. Throughout this mega event, no team had an easy run, whether full member teams or the associate members. The whole tournament was unpredicted and only a few would have thought that West Indies and England will meet in the final which will have a dramatic end. With the conclusion of the tournament, Abhishek kumar lists down 16 such memorable moments which are full of sportsmanship and are truly iconic.

1.  Gary Wilson backpedals to save a six

Played in the first round, it was the fourth match of the tournament which was played between Ireland and Oman at Dharamsala. Everyone witnessed an excellent fielding effort by Gary Wilson in the match, when it was needed the most. On the fourth ball of the 18th over, when Oman were struggling in their chase, Amir Ali hit a good length delivery by Kevin O’Brien towards midwicket boundary. Wilson, who was positioned on the boundary-line, backpedalled himself on the rope and clawed the ball back to the field of play to save five crucial runs.

2.  Oman’s maiden win in a World T20 match

This was truly astonishing when Oman surprised the whole cricketing world by defeating Ireland in their first match of the tournament. This was Oman’s first appearance in the World T20 tournament and in their first game; they pulled off an exciting chase which will be remembered for a long time in the history of Oman cricket. They had almost lost the game as wickets kept falling but it was Amir Ali who held on to his nerves and somehow managed to chase the target of 155 with his excellent batting in which he scored an unbeaten 17-ball 32.

3.  Mohammad Shahzad’s bump-crash celebration

 

 

No one would have imagined such type of celebration in the game of cricket. It’s the young and emerging team Afghanistan in the world of cricket that gave a moment to be cherished for a long time with their unusual and hilarious celebration style. This was first seen after they beat Zimbabwe in the first round of the tournament to book their berth in the Super 10 stage. As soon as this way of celebration came into notice, this image went viral on social media. No idea about where it came from and what’s the story behind this celebration but this is truly one of the most memorable moments of the tournament.

4.  Suresh Raina’s agile piece of fielding to dismiss Ross Taylor

It was India’s first match of the tournament, which was played against New Zealand, whom they had never beaten in any T20I. During this match, an excellent piece of fielding was shown by Suresh Raina. On the third ball of the 11th over of the match, New Zealand batsman Corey Anderson played a shot which went towards the bowler’s left and in order to collect the ball to avoid any run, Raina moved quickly and dived to field the ball. In this course, he collected the ball and threw it towards the stump to run out Ross Taylor, who was short of crease at that moment. On field umpires were not sure so they asked the third umpire, who ruled Taylor out. Raina’s excellent and unbelievable piece of fielding earned tremendous accolades.

5.  Moeen Ali’s winning hit against South Africa

The match between England and South Africa at Mumbai in the Super 10 stage of the tournament was probably the best ever chasing match in the history of World T20. South Africa, who were asked to bat first, posted a mammoth total of 229. England had no option but to go for the chase anyhow as this loss could have thrown them out of the tournament. It started with Jason Roy’s hammering start followed by Joe Root’s excellent knock. But in the end it was Moeen Ali who hit the winning the runs when any result looked possible as two wickets fell on the first ball of the final over. Since only one run was needed in the penultimate over to win, Ali somehow managed to pull off the historical chase. Notably, it was the highest score ever chased in a World T20 game.

6.  Amitabh Bachchan singing national anthem

 

The #IND National Anthem sung by @SrBachchan ahead of #INDvPAK #WT20https://t.co/NdXaA7665y

— ICC (@ICC) March 19, 2016

 

It was one of the most iconic matches of the tournament as it was played between two of biggest cricket rivals — India and Pakistan at Kolkata. On this special occasion, Bollywood’s legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan was invited to sing Indian National Anthem prior to the start of the match. The crowd inside the stadium and even the spectators who were watching it on their television cheered massively as this moment was heart-wrenching for every Indian fan.

7.  Virat Kohli bows in front of Sachin Tendulkar

It’s always special to perform against Pakistan for an Indian cricketer in a World Cup match and when that performance comes in front of Sachin Tendulkar, it becomes more special. Virat Kohli was that special player who scored a match winning half-century against Pakistan in the World T20 match. And Kohli made it look more memorable when he bowled down in front of India’s greatest batsman — Tendulkar.

8.  Umpire Ian Gould stopping Chris Gayle from entering the field to bat

 

This was truly an epic moment when fourth Umpire Ian Gould stopped Bangalore’s local boy Chris Gayle from batting. It was the match between Sri Lanka and West Indies at Bangalore. Bangalore is like the home ground for Gayle as this is the home venue for his Indian Premier League (IPL) team Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Almost the whole crowd at stadium came to see Gayle storm but they were very unfortunate.

West Indies were easily moving towards the total and in between they lost their third wicket of Denesh Ramdin on the fifth ball of the 13th over. Everyone expected Gayle to come out but because of his off field time in the first innings, he was expected to wait more before he came out to bat. What made it look more interesting was, when he deliberately came out with the pads, gloves, helmet and bat. The whole crowd erupted in joy, the moment he came out to but then came the spectators’ villain in the form of fourth Umpire Ian Gould who took him back towards the dressing room and asked him to stay there till the next wicket falls. But no wicket fell and Gayle couldn’t bat, making the crowd sad.

9.  MS Dhoni’s sharp stumping against Bangladesh

 

Indian captain MS Dhoni is no doubt the best wicketkeeper in the current cricket world and from time to time, he keeps proving it with his excellent stumping. During the match between India and Bangladesh, Sabbir Rahman was taking the game away from hosts’ reach. Indian bowlers were unable to take his wicket, so Dhoni decided to send him back in his own style. On the third ball of the 10th over, Raina bowled a wide delivery and Rahman took a very short jump in order to adjust himself after missing the ball. During this course, Dhoni in no time took the bails off from the stumps while Rahman’s foot was in the air for a fraction of a second. Dhoni appealed and leg umpire Aleem Dar referred it to third umpire and in the replay, it was a clear out. Full marks to Dhoni for that wicket and that should have come in his account instead of the bowler.

10.  The final ball of India vs Bangladesh match

That was amazing stuff from MS Dhoni behind the stumps. It just showed how quick and clever he is. That was surely the best match of the tournament. Bangladesh would have won the match but their over excitement led them to lose it. Thanks to Dhoni, who did an extra-ordinary job in the last ball when Bangladeshi batsman Shuvagata Hom tried to hit bouncer by Hardik Pandya when they needed two to win and missed it. Dhoni had already removed his right glove and the moment ball came into his hands, he ran like a bull towards the stump and ran out Mustafizur Rahman. It was heartbreak for Bangladesh and their fans as they lost a winning match. That should be the moment of the tournament.

11.  Chris Gayle’s epic reaction after taking David Miller’s wicket

 

The Caribbean cricketers are known for their extraordinary celebration and Gayle did something similar during the match between South Africa and West Indies at Nagpur. South Africa were already on back-foot after being four wicket down in just eight overs and on that, Gayle added a bit more salt after taking the wicket of David Miller in the second ball of the ninth over. It was a straight delivery by Gayle, which Miller missed completely while trying to play. Gayle’s reaction was epic as there was no expression and he stood still, with no celebration like an emotionless human as if nothing happened.

12.  The Champion dance after Afghanistan’s win over West Indies

 

EPIC! @MShahzad077 @ACBofficials & @henrygayle‘s dancing cut to the new ‘Champion’ song by @DJBravo47! Enjoy!! #WT20https://t.co/ZiGobA7ZGx

— ICC (@ICC) March 29, 2016

This is probably the best sporting moment anyone has ever seen in the history of World T20. It was a dead rubber, as the Caribbean team had already qualified for the semi-final and the other team were already out of the tournament. But what made it look more interesting was the dramatic end of the match. Chasing a low total of 124, West Indies failed and lost the match by six runs but it was not the end, in fact it was the beginning of epic celebration of both the teams. Both Afghanistan and West Indies players joined when it came to celebrate and did the champion dance.

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