ICC T20: Interesting Facts to Know About This Unusual Tournament

Governed by the international cricket council, the ICC World Twenty20 started in 2007. The event is the pinnacle of all T20 cricket tournaments and takes place every two years. However, the ICC T20 could be rescheduled if the ICC Cricket World Cup is scheduled for the same year.

The event’s inaugural edition featured 12 teams, 10 of which are full members of the ICC board. The remaining two teams, Kenya and Scotland, qualified through the 2007 ICC World Cricket League Division One, a 50-over game played in Nairobi. This inaugural edition ended with India and Pakistan facing off in the Finals, with India clinching the title.

Today, the ICC T20 World Cup is played by 16 teams. All full members of the ICC are qualified to play in the event, while other ICC members take the remaining spots via the T20 World Cup Qualifier, which the ICC introduced in 2009. Also, the ICC has announced that upcoming editions from 2024 will feature 20 teams.

A Brief History

In June 2009, the World T20 had six participants, and the two last-standing teams, Sri Lanka and Pakistan had the final faceoff, with Pakistan winning the tournament by eight wickets. West Indies hosted the ICC World T20 in 2010, and the final was played between England and Australia when England won with seven wickets. In 2012, West Indies battled the Finals against Sri Lanka and won the cup.

In 2014, the event expanded to accommodate sixteen teams. In the same year, Sri Lanka made it to the finals for the third time, winning the tournament by seven wickets against India in the finals. In 2016, West Indies bowled against England in the final stage and won the Cup by four wickets, making it their second win.

The 2018 edition of the game was canceled and postponed to 2020 because most of the participants had their bilateral tournaments in the same year. However, the Covid-19 pandemic caused the edition to be canceled yet again. The seventh edition eventually took place in 2021, when Australia defeated New Zealand by eight wickets in the tournament’s final round.

It is great news for cricket fans that the eighth edition of the ICC T20 tournament started in Australia in October, and the final match is scheduled to be held on November 13th. As this year’s edition heats up and the Final approaches, this article spells out some interesting facts about ICC T20. However, note that all facts in this article are gathered until the 2021 edition of the tournament.

The Two-Time Champions

The West Indies are the only two-time champions in the history of ICC T20. They first took the cup in 2012 when they defeated Sri Lanka and their second win was in 2016 when they bowled against England in the Finals.

Most Appearances in the Final

One team which has made the most appearances in the T20 World Cup finals is the Sri Lankan team. The team had reached the finals thrice. First, in 2009, when they lost to Pakistan, the second was in 2012, when they also lost to the West Indies, and the third was in 2014 when they beat India in the finals to clinch the title.

Fastest 50

The fastest 50, also known as a half-century in a T20 World Cup, is no other than the 6 consecutive sixes in a single Stuart Broad over hit by Indian Yuvraj Singh. Singh holds the record for the fastest fifty scored against England in the first edition of ICC T20 in 2007.

Fastest 100

The record for the fastest hundred, also known as the century in a T20 World Cup, this held by the West Indies opener, Chris Gayle. He scored a hundred off 48 balls against England in 2016 during the Super 10 Group 1 match.

Chris Gayle

Chris Gayle is a prominent name in the history of the T20 World Cup. He holds the record of having two fastest 100. One in 2007, when he scored 117 off 57 balls against South Africa, and the second in 2016, when he scored 100 off 48 balls against England.

Players With the Most Runs Overall

• Jayawardene Mahela, an old Sri Lanka captain, had 1016 runs in 31 matches.
• Virat Kohli, a retired Indian captain, had 319 runs in 6 games, the highest number of runs in the 2014 edition of the T20 tournament.

Players With the Highest Wickets Overall

• Shakib Al Hasan, former Bangladesh captain, scored 41 wickets In 31 matches.
• Wanindu Hasaranga, Sri Lanka’s captain, holds the record for the highest wicket in a single edition. He scored 16 wickets in 8 matches in the 2021 edition of T20.

Number of Players for the Past Seventh Edition

A total of 653 players have played in the T20 World Cup for the past 14 years. However, only six players have played in the past seven editions. They include:

• Rohit Sharma
• Shakib Al Hasan
• Dwayne Bravo
• Chris Gayle
• Mahmudullah
• Mushfiqur Rahim.

Conclusion

Like many other cricket tournaments, the ICC T20 World Cup has many interesting facts, records, and events, some of which are mentioned above. The latest edition of the tournament is still on, and we anticipate more exciting events on the pitch as the final approaches. While you watch your favorite cricket team bowl hard for the title, you can visit Parimatch for great betting odds on the tournament.