The 2024 T20 World Cup ended with India winning the championship by beating South Africa in a thrilling final in Bridgetown. Hosted by the West Indies and USA in June 2024, the tournament lasted 29 days with 55 exciting matches.
The final match between India and South Africa was intense, swinging back and forth until India emerged victorious.
Throughout the tournament, India, South Africa, and other teams, including the associate nations, showed consistent and impressive performances.
Memorable moments included Virat Kohli’s crucial innings in the final, Suryakumar Yadav’s exceptional catch, Lockie Ferguson’s outstanding performance against Papua New Guinea, and the USA’s debut success in reaching the Super Eight stage.
Now that the 2024 T20 World Cup is over, let’s revisit the top five moments from the tournament.
5. USA beat Pakistan in a mouth-watering clash
During the first week of the 2024 T20 World Cup, new team USA, also hosting, surprised everyone by defeating Pakistan. In Dallas, USA bowled well to limit Pakistan to 159 runs. Nosthush Kenjige took three wickets, and Saurabh Netravalkar got two.
In a close match, USA matched Pakistan’s 159 runs, with captain Monank Patel scoring fifty runs. In an exciting super over after a tie, USA scored 18 runs against Pakistan’s nervous play, securing a historic win with Netravalkar’s superb bowling.
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4. Gulbadin Naib’s ‘injury’ against Bangladesh
During a tense match between Afghanistan and Bangladesh, controversy erupted when Afghanistan’s Gulbadin Naib was accused of pretending to be injured. Rain interruptions and Afghanistan leading by two runs in the 12th over of Bangladesh’s chase added to the drama. Naib suddenly fell, clutching his hamstring, just after Afghanistan’s coach Jonathan Trott signaled for the players to slow down.
Physiotherapists came onto the field to help Naib, causing a break due to rain. After a brief pause, the game resumed. Interestingly, Naib later bowled and took a wicket. Despite these events, Afghanistan won the match. However, Naib faced allegations of ‘cheating’ to give his team an advantage.
3. Pat Cummins’s double hat-trick surge
Australian fast bowler Pat Cummins took three wickets in a row against Bangladesh during the 2024 T20 World Cup on June 20 in Antigua. He dismissed Mahmudullah, Mahedi Hasan, and Towhid Hridoy in consecutive deliveries. Despite Cummins’ efforts, Australia limited Bangladesh to 140-8.
Just two days later, Cummins achieved another hat-trick against Afghanistan in Kingstown. Unfortunately, Australia lost the match despite his exceptional performance.
Cummins became the second Australian cricketer, after Brett Lee, to take a hat-trick in a T20 World Cup with his feat against Bangladesh. His back-to-back hat-tricks also made him the first cricketer from a Test-playing nation to achieve this remarkable feat.
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2. Afghanistan qualifies for the semifinals, eliminating Australia’s T20 World Cup 2024 campaign
Afghanistan, determined to avenge their tough loss to Australia in the 2023 World Cup, defeated them in a hard-fought match on June 22 in Kingstown.
Led by Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran scoring 50s, Afghanistan scored 148-6 batting first. Their fast bowlers, especially Naveen-ul-Haq and Gulbadin Naib, performed superbly to limit Australia to 127 runs.
This historic 21-run victory against Australia, along with a thrilling win over Bangladesh, secured Afghanistan a spot in the semi-finals of the 2024 T20 World Cup.
1. India end 11-year ICC title draught
India had come close several times but hadn’t won an ICC title since their 2013 Champions Trophy victory. After a heartbreaking loss in the 2023 World Cup final, India bounced back in the 2024 T20 World Cup. They reached the final unbeaten and faced South Africa in Barbados. India scored 176-7, thanks to key contributions from Virat Kohli, Axar Patel, and Shivam Dube. South Africa seemed poised to win but India’s bowlers made a remarkable comeback, defending 30 runs in the last five overs. Led by Rohit Sharma, India won by seven runs, ending their 11-year wait for an ICC trophy.
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