It may only be 17 years old, but the ICC Men's T20 World Cup is already one of the most popular sporting events and is set to light up our screens for the ninth time in the USA and West Indies.
Five different teams have lifted the trophy and, after this tournament, an impressive 21 nations will have appeared at some stage, making it a proven petri dish for the growth of the game. We have seen teams score 260 and 39, combine for 459 runs in a single night, the Netherlands beat England and Zimbabwe beat Australia. It's as unpredictable as it is compelling.
So, with all these unpredictable matches, lets checkout teams with biggest wins by wickets remaining in T20 World Cup history:
1. Australia vs Sri Lanka, 2007 T20 World Cup
Win Margin: 10 Wickets and 58 balls remaining
This was the first time a team chased a total in the T20 world cup with all 10 wickets intact, making it the biggest margin of victory in terms of wickets. Stuart Clarke’s brilliant bowling performance by taking 4 wickets dismantled Sri Lanka at the score of 101 in 20 overs and Mathew Hayden quick fifty helped Australia to reach the Semis. Australia chased down the total in just 10.2 overs.
2. South Africa vs Zimbabwe, 2012 T20 World Cup
Win Margin: 10 Wickets and 44 balls remaining
South Africa’s ten-wicket win against Zimbabwe is the second biggest win by wickets in T20 World Cup history. It is also the second ten-wicket win in the Twenty20 World Cup after Australia's win over Sri Lanka in 2007, which occurred five years ago to the day.
South Africa bundled up Zimbabwe on the score of 93 with the help of Jacques Kallis spell of 4/15. South Africa chased the total in 12.4 overs.
3. Oman vs Papua New Guinea, 2021 T20 World Cup
Win Margin: 10 wickets and 38 balls remaining
In the group stage match of the 2021 T20 World Cup, Oman restricted the PNG team on the score of 129. Zeeshan Maqshood bowled a great spell of 4/20. Oman chased the total without losing any wicket in 13.4 overs with both the openers ( Aquib Ilyas and Jatinder Singh) scoring fifties.
4. England vs India, 2022 T20 World Cup
Win Margin: 10 wickets and 24 balls remaining
In the 2022 T20 World Cup semifinal, While batting first India managed a total 168 runs with the help of Hardik Pandya’s knock of 63 in just 33 balls. When England came to chase, they dominated Indian bowlers completely. Jos Buttler and Alex Hales completed the run chase comfortably in 16 overs.
5. Pakistan vs India, 2021 T20 World Cup
Win Margin: 10 wickets and 13 balls remaining
In the group stage match of 2021 T20 World Cup against Pakistan, India managed a total of only 151 in 20 overs. Pakistan openers chased down the total in 17.4 overs. Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam both scored fifties and comfortably navigated their team towards win.
With these dominant performances etched in history, the upcoming 2024 edition of the T20 World Cup promises to be another nail-biting spectacle. Will we see a new team pull off a historic upset, or will established powerhouses continue their reign?
Here are some other T20 World Cup records to explore:
