Key Takeaways

• Inaugural Event: The first ICC T20I World Cup was held in 2007.

• Host Country: South Africa hosted the tournament.

• Format: 12 teams participated, divided into four groups, progressing to Super 8s, semifinals, and the final.

• Champion: India won the first-ever T20I World Cup, defeating Pakistan in the final.

• Notable Performances: Chris Gayle, Yuvraj Singh, and Gautam Gambhir delivered standout performances.

The T20I format was new and the year was 2007 and the ICC thought that a World Cup should be introduced for this format. Thus in 2007, the first ever T20I World Cup was held. The tournament was held from 11th September 2007 till 24th September 2007.

2007 T20 World Cup: Host Country and Tournament Format

The hosts of the first ever ICC T20I World Cup were South Africa. The tournament was held between 12 teams and it was a format where the 12 teams were divided into four groups of 3 Teams each. From the four groups, 2 teams would advance to the Super 8s stage where the Top 4 teams would play the semi final and the winners of the 2 semi finals would play the final.

2007 T20 World Cup: Participating Teams

The 12 teams that took part in the 2007 ICC T20I World Cup are-

• South Africa

• West Indies

• Bangladesh

• Australia

• England

• Zimbabwe

• Sri Lanka

• New Zealand

• Kenya

• India

• Pakistan

• Scotland

Group Stage

There were a lot of matches in the group stage but there were a few big matches that set the stage for the tournament. Let’s look at some of the matches

South Africa vs West Indies

This was the first match of the tournament and it was the perfect start. West Indies were batting first and they made 205 in their 20 overs. In reply, South Africa chased down this total in 17.3 overs and they won by 8 Wickets. This match took place at Johannesburg. Herschelle Gibbs made 90 runs to win the match. Chris Gayle made 117 runs in this match but was on the losing team.

England vs Australia

The other big match of the group stage was between England vs Australia. This was always a big match. This match was held at the Newlands Cricket Stadium in Cape Town. England were all out for 135 in the first innings and then Australia chased down the target in 14.5 overs with Matthew Hayden making 67 not out.

Sri Lanka vs New Zealand

The Group C of this tournament had one big match and that was between Sri Lanka vs New Zealand. This match was being played at Johannesburg. New Zealand made 164 in their 20 overs with Ross Taylor making 62 runs. However, Sri Lanka chased down this total in 18.5 overs. Sanath Jayasuriya top scored with 61 runs.

India vs Pakistan

The Big match in Group D was between India vs Pakistan. India needed to win this match to advance. This match was played in Durban. Both teams made 141 runs and at that time there was a bowl out. India won the bowl out 3-0 and advanced to the Super 8 stages. Mohammad Asif took 4 Wickets for 18 runs for Pakistan.

Super 8s

The teams that reached the Super 8s stage were Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka. In the India vs England match Yuvraj Singh smashed 6 sixes in an over against Stuart Broad and India won that match by 18 runs. Australia vs Pakistan was a great match as Pakistan chased down 165 runs with 5 balls remaining.

Semi Finals

The four teams that reached the semi finals were New Zealand, Pakistan, India and Australia.

New Zealand vs Pakistan

The first Semi final was between New Zealand and Pakistan and it was held on 22nd September 2007. It was being played at Newlands Cape Town. New Zealand were batting first and they scored 143 runs in their 20 overs. Umar Gul was the best performer with 3 Wickets for 18 runs. Pakistan chased down this Target in 18.5 overs.

India vs Australia

The second semi final was between India vs Australia and it was played on 22nd September 2007 at Durban. In this match, India were batting first and they made a good score of 188 in 20 overs. Yuvraj Singh played a Blinder as he made 70 runs from 30 balls. Australia could only make 173 runs in 20 overs. Matthew Hayden was the top scorer with 62 runs and Sreesanth took 2 wickets for just 12 Runs.

The Final

The Final of the first ever ICC T20I World Cup was between India vs Pakistan. It was held on 24th September 2007 at Johannesburg. India made 157 in 20 overs and Gautam Gambhir was the top scorer for India with 75 runs from 54 balls. Pakistan were close in this match as they only lost the match by 5 runs. Irfan Pathan took 3 Wickets for 16 runs for India. India had won the first ever ICC T20I World Cup in 2007.

2007 T20 World Cup: Player of the Tournament

Shahid Afridi from Pakistan was named the player of the Tournament in the 2007 T20I World Cup. He scored 91 runs and took 12 wickets in the tournament in 7 matches.

Memorable Performances

• Chris Gayle hit the first century in the ICC T20I World Cup when he smashed 117 runs against South Africa. He hit 7 fours and 10 Sixes In this innings meaning 88 runs in boundaries.

• Sanath Jayasuriya made a brilliant 88 runs in 44 balls against Kenya. He hit 11 fours and 4 sixes meaning 62 runs in boundaries. Sri Lanka made 260 in the first innings.

• Mohammad Asif bowled a memorable spell of 4 Wickets for 18 runs against India. He gave away less than 5 runs per over in this match.

• Yuvraj Singh played an all time great innings against England in the Super 8s. He smashed the fastest 50 from just 12 balls. He smashed 6 sixes in the 19th over against Stuart Broad. He made 58 runs from 16 balls

• RP Singh bowled one of his best spells when he took 4 Wickets for just 13 runs against South Africa in a must win match for India.

• Yuvraj Singh again played an incredible innings in the semi final against Australia. He scored 70 runs from 30 balls. He hit 5 fours and 5 sixes meaning 50 runs in boundaries. He had a strike rate of 233.

• In the final, Gautam Gambhir played the match winning innings when he made 75 runs from 54 balls. He hit 8 fours and 2 sixes meaning 44 runs in boundaries.

Key Statistics from the 2007 T20 World Cup

• Matthew Hayden made the most runs in the tournament with 265 runs from 6 innings. He had an average of 88.33 and a strike rate of 144.80.

• Umar Gul took the most Wickets in the tournament with 13 Wickets from 7 Matches. He had best figures of 4 Wickets for 25 Runs.

• Chris Gayle made the highest score of the World Cup when he made 117 runs in the first match of the tournament against South Africa.

• Mark Gillespie had the best bowling performance in the tournament when he took 4 wickets for 7 runs for New Zealand against Kenya.