Chris Gayle struck the first-ever international T20 century in the opening match of the inaugural T20 World Cup, 117 off 57 balls, and Zimbabwe shocked Australia the next day, four years after England developed Twenty20 cricket. Gautam Gambhir’s 75 from 54 helped India score 157-5 in the final at the Wanderers in Johannesburg. Up until bowlers Irfan Pathan, RP Singh, and Joginder Sharma slowed them down, Pakistan was on pace. With one wicket remaining, Pakistan needed six runs off the next four balls. Misbah-ul-Haq then skied Sharma to Sreesanth at short fine leg.
Tournament MVP: Shahid Afridi, Pakistan
2009 in England
Final: Pakistan def. Sri Lanka by 8 wickets
The Netherlands defeated England at Lord’s in the group stage, but Australia was eliminated after losing both of its matches. Three months after twelve gunmen opened fire on the Sri Lankan cricket team bus and the match officials’ minivan in Lahore, Pakistan faced Sri Lanka in the championship match. Three of the seven injured players participated in the Twenty20 championship. At Lord’s, Sri Lanka batted first, and they quickly scored 2-2 and 32-4. They won 138–6 thanks to an anchoring 64 from Kumar Sangakkara. Shahid Afridi smashed the winning leg bye in an undefeated 54 thanks to a well-paced chase. With eight balls remaining, they reached 139-2, and Pakistan won its first global title in 17 years.
Tournament MVP: Tillakaratne Dilshan, Sri Lanka
2010 in Caribbean
Final: England def. Australia by 7 wickets
Afghanistan participated in its first major men’s event but lost all of its matches. Australia went unbeaten to the final at Kensington Oval. England advanced on net run rate despite not winning the first round and went on to win both its Super 8s group and quarterfinal. With 59 in a 147-6, David Hussey rescued Australia from an 8-3 deficit. England didn’t make the chase a race. Kevin Pietersen (47 off 31) and Craig Kieswetter (63 off 49) exchanged 111 for the second wicket. England achieved their first-ever global title with three overs remaining.
Tournament MVP: Kevin Pietersen, England
2012 in Sri Lanka
Final: West Indies def. Sri Lanka by 36 runs
Brendon McCullum of New Zealand still holds the record for highest score in tournament history with his 123 off 58 balls against Bangladesh. In the Super 8s, Sri Lanka defeated the West Indies by nine wickets. Marlon Samuels’ 78 off 56 in the Colombo final saw West Indies down to 137-6 from 87-5. They then pivoted and gave the home team a squeeze. Daren Sammy and Samuel Badree bowled a combined 13.4 overs, giving up 54 runs and taking seven wickets. Samuels, Sunil Narine — 3-9 off 22 balls. On the pitch, they performed a “Gangnam Style” dance in celebration.
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