T20 World Cup: Top 5 match-winning batting performances

60* by Brendon Taylor vs Australia, 2007

Brendon Taylor in action (PC: Twitter)

Brendon Taylor’s 60* in a tricky run-chase against pre-tournament favourites Australia set up one of the most incredible upsets in T20I history.

When Prosper Utseya-led Zimbabweans took on Ricky Ponting’s pantheons in Cape Town back at the inaugural T20I World Cup, few would have expected them to flatten the then ODI champions for just 138. Furthermore, even fewer would have placed them as favourites to overcome it, let alone near it.

However, a rebellious Taylor defied the likes of Brett Lee, Nathan Bracken, Mitchell Johnson, Brad Hogg to anchor an historic win for his side. The cricketer faced 45 tense deliveries in the innings, and smacked two of them for sixes and four of those for boundaries, including the famous leg-glance off Bracken that brought up the winning runs.

78 by Marlon Samuels vs Sri Lanka, 2012

Marlon Samuels hits a boundary in 2012 final (PC: Twitter)

Against hosts Sri Lanka at the 2012 final, Marlon Samuels charted 78, and had accounted over 70 percent of his team’s runs by the time of his dismissal.

On the momentous occasion, the West Indies were struggling at 32-2 after the half-way stage of their innings. Samuels, at number three, entered the crease and slowly switched from his anchoring role to become a death overs slogger as the innings progressed.

He faced just 56 deliveries and overcame the Lasith Malinga threat, all while keeping Ajantha Mendis and Angelo Mathews at bay on the other end. His knock sparked a historic World Cup win for the West Indies, an occasion he would re-create for his side four years later in India.

34* by Carlos Brathwaite vs England, 2016

Carlos Brathwaite celebrates 2016 World Cup win with Samuels (PC: Twitter)

Carlos Brathwaite’s match-turning effort against England in the 2016 final remains one of the most impactful knocks in the history of the tournament.

The burly all-rounder whacked 34 unbeaten runs off just 10 balls, and scored 24 of those off the first four deliveries of the final over. Leaving a charged-up Marlon Samuels stranded at the other end, Brathwaite took matters into his own hands against Ben Stokes in front of a packed Eden Gardens.

His short innings was glittered with four towering sixes and a boundary, and marked West Indies’ second T20I World Cup title in a space of four years.

82* by Virat Kohli vs Australia, 2016

Virat Kohli after sealing run-chase against Australia in 2016 (PC: Twitter)

In a virtual quarterfinal against Australia in 2016, Virat Kohli crafted a run-chase special for the ages. While the batter has notched up bigger scores than the 82* he slammed in Mohali, the manner in which he pierced the gaps and handled the pressure on the evening packs a highlight reel worth to behold.

His assault over the Australians single-handedly guided India into the semi-finals, where he slammed another 89*, albeit in a losing cause.

41* by Matthew Wade vs Pakistan, 2021

Matthew Wade celebrates Australian win in 2021 semis (PC: Twitter)

Shaheen Shah Afridi, who steamrolled a strong Indian batting line-up early in the 2021 edition, was taken to cleaners by Australia’s Matthew Wade in the semi-final.

The wicketkeeper-batsman only faced 17 deliveries on the evening but he made them count, hitting his stride with a dashing 41 not out. Moreover, he clubbed the in-form speedster for three successive sixes in the penultimate over of the match, and knocked the ‘Men in Green’ out of the competition.

Wade’s efforts took Australia into the final, and eventually, their first ever T20I World Cup glory.

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