In T20 cricket, people expect lots of runs and exciting batting. But it’s not always about that. Sometimes, bowlers become the heroes.
In the T20 World Cup, there have been many games where teams were all out for surprisingly low scores. These matches show that even small scores can win games, changing the whole match and making unforgettable moments in cricket.
Let’s check out the top five of these games.
5. New Zealand beat India by 47 runs – T20 World Cup 2016
In the 2016 T20 World Cup, New Zealand surprised everyone by beating India in the first match held in Nagpur. India needed to score 127 runs to win, but struggled on a difficult pitch and only managed to score 79 runs before all their players were out. Mitchell Santner was the standout player for New Zealand, taking four wickets, while Ish Sodhi also did well with three wickets. This is still considered New Zealand’s best bowling performance when defending a total in a T20 World Cup match.
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4. Afghanistan beat West Indies by 6 runs – T20 World Cup 2016
In the 2016 T20 World Cup, Afghanistan, who were not one of the top teams, surprised everyone by beating the strong West Indies team in Nagpur. The West Indies chose to bowl first, and Afghanistan scored 123-7 runs. Najibullah Zadran played a key role by scoring 48 runs from 40 balls without getting out. Afghanistan’s bowlers also did well, especially Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan, who each took two wickets. This helped Afghanistan win the match by six runs against the team that eventually won the tournament.
3. Sri Lanka beat New Zealand by 59 runs – T20 World Cup 2014
In an important match, New Zealand’s batsmen had a terrible collapse while trying to chase 120 runs. Despite Kane Williamson scoring a good 42 runs, the rest of the team struggled. Rangana Herath was exceptional, taking 5 wickets for just 3 runs, which caused New Zealand to be all out for only 60 runs in 15.3 overs. Sachithra Senanayake, another spinner, also played a key role by taking two wickets on a pitch that favored spin bowling.
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2. India beat Pakistan by 6 runs – T20 World Cup 2024
In a cricket match between Pakistan and India at the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup in New York, Pakistan bowled well and limited India to 119 runs. India struggled after their top batsmen, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, got out early. At halftime, Pakistan seemed to be winning. But then, Jasprit Bumrah bowled exceptionally well for India, turning the game around with some great fast bowling. Even though Pakistan was in a good position at 80 runs for 3 wickets, they couldn’t score the remaining 40 runs they needed to win in the last 35 balls. In the end, Pakistan lost the match by six runs.
1. South Africa beat Bangladesh by 4 runs – T20 World Cup 2024
South Africa won a cricket match against Bangladesh in the T20 World Cup held in New York. They defended a low score of 114 runs, which is the smallest total ever defended in T20 World Cup history. South Africa’s bowlers did well, limiting Bangladesh to 109 runs, securing a narrow victory by four runs. Keshav Maharaj took three wickets, while Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje each took two wickets in the match.
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