2016 ICC T20I World Cup: Host Country and Tournament Format

The host country for the 2016 edition of the ICC T20I World Cup was India. It was the first time that this tournament was being played in India. The format of this event was similar to 2014 where there were 16 teams in the tournament. The Top 8 will qualify for the Super 10s and the remaining 8 teams will play Matches and from there 2 teams will join the Super 10s. From there the Top 4 teams will play the semi final and the winners of the semi finals will play the final.

2016 ICC T20I World Cup: Participating Teams

• India

• Australia

• England

• New Zealand

• Pakistan

• South Africa

• Sri Lanka

• West Indies

• Bangladesh

• Zimbabwe

• Afghanistan

• Hong Kong

• Ireland

• Netherlands

• Oman

• Scotland

First Round

There were 2 groups of 4 teams that were made. From the first group it was Bangladesh who qualified for the Super 10s. They won 2 out of their 3 Matches and the third match was a no result so they got 5 points. From the second group it was Afghanistan which was the dominant team. They won all 3 of their matches and they also qualified for the Super 10s stage of the tournament.

Super 10s

The teams that qualified for the Super 10s stage were England, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, Afghanistan, Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Let’s look at some of the matches

South Africa vs England

This is one of the highest scoring matches in the history of the ICC T20I World Cup. In the first innings,  South Africa made a massive 229 runs in 20 overs. Hashim Amla made 58 runs. It was considered to be enough but England had other plans. They chased down this total with 2 balls remaining and by 6 Wickets. Joe Root was the highest run getter with 83 runs.

South Africa vs West Indies

This was a low scoring thriller that happened in this World Cup. In the first innings , South Africa made 122 runs in 20 overs losing 8 wickets. In reply, West Indies took 19.4 overs to chase down this low total. They lost 7 Wickets. This match was played in Nagpur.

India vs Bangladesh

This was perhaps the match that is still remembered to this day. In the first innings, India made 146 runs in 20 overs. Bangladesh needed 2 runs from the last 3 balls and they lost the match by 1 run. MS Dhoni showed his quick reflexes to run out the batter of the last ball. They made 145 for 9 Wickets.

Australia vs India

It would not be complete without talking about this match. This was a virtual quarter final. In this match, Australia made 160 runs in 20 overs. India were in a spot of bother but the Innings that Virat Kohli played that day is among the Top 5  Greatest innings in T20I Cricket. He hit 82 unbeaten runs in 51 balls to win the match single handedly for India.

Semi Finals

The teams that qualified for the semi finals were New Zealand, England, India and West Indies . Let’s take a look at the Matches

New Zealand vs England

This was the first semi final and It was played on 30th March at the then Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi. New Zealand were batting first and they made 153 in 20 overs. England in reply were great and they were led by Jason Roy who made 78 Runs in 44 balls. England won the match by 7 Wickets with 17 balls remaining.

India vs West Indies

This was the second semi final and it was played on 31st March at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. India were batting first in this match. Virat Kohli played an incredible innings as he made 89 not out from 47 balls. West Indies in reply were clinical and Lendl Simmons made a match winning 82 not out to win the match for West Indies with 2 balls remaining. They made 196 runs for 3 Wickets.

The Final

The 2 teams that were in the final of the ICC T20I World Cup 2016 were West Indies and England. This is one of the greatest T20I Matches of all time. In the first innings. It was being played at Eden Gardens. England were batting first and they made 155 in 20 overs. Carlos Braithwaite took 3 wickets for 23 runs. West Indies chased down this total with 2 balls remaining. Marlon Samuels played the innings of his life as he made 85 not out from 66 balls. West Indies needed 19 Runs from the last over. Carlos Braithwaite hit 4 sixes in 4 balls to win a dramatic final. West Indies were the champions for the second time. Ian Bishop of West Indies had one of the most legendary commentary calls of all time as he said “Remember The Name” when Carlos Braithwaite hit the 4 sixes to win the World Cup for West Indies.

2016 ICC T20I World Cup: Player of the Tournament

Virat Kohli was the player of the Tournament in the ICC T20I World Cup 2016. He made 273 Runs in 6 innings at a mind boggling average of 136.50 and a strike rate of 146.77

2016 ICC T20I World Cup: Memorable Performances

• Chris Gayle made a sensational century against England in a match in the World Cup. He made 100 runs in 48 balls. He smashed 5 fours and 11 Sixes meaning 86 runs in boundaries. He had a strike rate of 208.33 in this innings.

• In the final of the ICC T20I World Cup 2016, Marlon Samuels played his best ever innings. He made 85* runs in 66 balls. He hit 9 fours and 2 sixes meaning 48 runs in boundaries. He held one side of the batting together. He has a strike rate of 129.

• Virat Kohli played one of the greatest T20I innings of all time in the match against Australia. He made 82 unbeaten runs in 51 balls at a strike rate of 160.78. He hit 9 fours and 2 sixes meaning 48 runs in boundaries. Virat Kohli was in a different zone.

• James Faulkner bowled one of the best spells of the tournament against Pakistan. He took 5 wickets while giving away just 27 runs in 4 overs. Australia won the match by 21 runs.

• Mitchell Santner is one of the most underrated bowlers of all time. In this match against India, he took 4 wickets for just 11 Runs at less than 3 runs per over. New Zealand won the match by a big margin of 47 runs

Key Statistics from 2016 ICC T20I World Cup

• Tamim Iqbal was the highest run getter in this tournament. He made 295 runs in 6 innings. He had an incredible average of 73.75 and a strike rate of 142.

• Mohammad Nabi from Afghanistan was the highest wicket taker of the tournament. He took 12 wickets from 7 Matches. He had an amazing economy rate of 6.07 runs per over.

• Mustafizur Rahman bowled the best bowling spell of the World Cup. He took 5 wickets for 22 runs against New Zealand. Bangladesh lost the match but Rahman got the spotlight.

• Tamim Iqbal from Bangladesh had the highest individual score of the World Cup. He made a brilliant 103 runs against Oman from 63 balls. He had a strike rate of 163.49.