Top 5 Moments Of T20 World Cup 2024

Indian players with the 2024 T20 World Cup trophy (AP)Indian players with the 2024 T20 World Cup trophy (AP)

The 2024 T20 World Cup, hosted by the West Indies and USA in June 2024, featured a multitude of remarkable and historic moments spanning 55 matches across 29 days.

Celebrating the conclusion of the largest T20 World Cup in history, here at OneCricket, we take a look back at five of the best moments that lit up the tournament.

Top 5 T20 World Cup 2024 Moments

5. Pakistan stunned by USA to crash out of Super 8 race

The 2024 T20 World Cup witnessed its first major upset within the opening week itself when previous edition’s runners-up Pakistan were left shellshocked by tournament co-hosts and debutants USA. 

In a thrilling Super Over experience after the initial 159-run deadlock between the two sides in Texas, a wayward Mohammad Amir leaked three wides and conceded 18 runs to Aaron Jones and Harmeet Singh.

In response, Pakistan batters Iftikhar Ahmed and Shadab Khan failed to cope up with mounting pressure against India-born USA pacer Saurabh Netravalkar. 

The outcome, coupled with Pakistan’s subsequent defeat to India, set up an early exit from the tournament for the ‘Men in Green’.


4. Ferguson records 4-4-0-3 against helpless PNG

New Zealand’s thunderbolt speedster Lockie Ferguson gave nothing away, literally, when he took field against PNG in their final Group C match of a rather-disappointing T20 World Cup. 

Without conceding a run, the 33-year-old fast bowler picked up three key PNG wickets including that of captain Assad Vala off the first ball. 

By the time Ferguson was done, his figures read 4-4-0-3 as he became only the second cricketer (after Canada’s Saad Bin Zafar in 2021) in T20I history to concede four maidens in a game.

His ‘Player of the Match’ performance helped New Zealand skittle PNG for 78, before the ‘Black Caps’ mowed down their target with seven wickets to spare.

3. Because Patrick rhymes with Hat-Trick

On June 20 at Antigua, Australian skipper Patrick “Pat” James Cummins recorded the first hat-trick of the 2024 T20 World Cup; removing Mahmudullah, Mahedi Hasan and Towhid Hridoy in succession to restrict Bangladesh to 140-8. 

A couple of days later at Kingstown, the pace maverick achieved his second hat-trick, this time pegging down Afghanistan with a fresh three-wicket burst, albeit in a losing cause for Australia.

Regardless, Pat Cummins’ feat against Bangladesh made him only the second Australian cricketer after Brett Lee, and the seventh overall in history to bag a T20 World Cup hat-trick. 

Moreover, his spell against Afghanistan made Cummins the first cricketer from a Test playing nation to take successive hat-tricks, and only the fifth men’s player overall to record multiple three-wicket bursts to his name.


2. Afghanistan crashing Australia’s T20 World Cup 2024 dream

On June 22 at Kingstown, Afghanistan successfully buried their 2023 World Cup’s Wankhede demons by upstaging Australia in a hard-fought thriller. 

After openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran smacked calculated half-centuries to fuel Afghanistan’s 148-6, fast bowlers Naveen-ul-Haq and Gulbadin Naib collectively kept a star-studded Australian line-up down to 127.

Afghanistan’s 21-run win over Australia and their subsequent success over Bangladesh ensured a spot in the semifinals for Rashid Khan and co., and an early flight home for Mitchell Marsh’s troops.


1. Team India ending their 11-year trophy drought

After dealing with a decade-worth of heartaches, Team India finally ended their ICC trophy drought by lifting the 2024 T20 World Cup at Barbados on June 29. Coming up against first-time finalists and an equally-determined South Africa, Indian bowlers survived Heinrich Klaasen’s blinder to escape with a seven-run win.

Virat Kohli and Axar Patel played starring roles with the bat before Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh picked up early wickets for the ‘Men in Blue’. Hardik Pandya also delivered with the ball at the death with key South African wickets to tilt the tide back in India’s favor.

Shortly after India’s triumphant moment, seasoned veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli concurrently announced their retirements from T20I cricket.