Interesting Facts About ICC T20 World Cup

Cricket is one of the most loved and accepted games worldwide. It has the unique power to unite world nations. Moreover, it is a great platform that provides billions of people with joy and entertainment. Here we will discuss some facts about the T20 world cup, which every cricket lover will find interesting.

Interesting Facts About ICC T20 World Cup

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The first T20 World Cup – The first T20 World Cup tournament was conducted in the year 2007. The tournament was conducted in South Africa, where India and Pakistan competed for the world cup trophy in the final. India defeated Pakistan in the final match held at Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, and raised the first trophy.

The fastest century of the T20 World cup – The record for the fastest century in the T20 world cup is currently held by the great Jamaican player Chris Gayle. He scored the fastest century in the match held in 2016, which was against England. It was merely 48 balls that he scored the century.

The fastest half century – The great Indian player Yuvraj Singh is the one who holds the record for scoring the fastest 50 in the T20 world cup. During the match with England in the 2007 world cup, he scored his quick fifty. He took only 12 balls to complete 50. Moreover, it was the exact match in which he scored six sixes in an over, making up 36 runs in a single over.

The record for most ducks – When we mention the records for fastest scores, it would be interesting to mention some of the unlucky records too. The well-known Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi holds the record for getting out at zero scores, which is a golden duck. Until today, he has got out at zero runs five times.

The first hat trick – Getting consecutive three wickets is considered an excellent record for the bowlers. The first hat-trick in the T20 world cup belongs to the Australian fast bowler Brett Lee. He scored the first hat-trick of the T20 world cup during the match held in 2007. The hat-trick was against Bangladesh.

The record of wickets – When we speak of the records for scoring runs, we can never forget to mention the record of wickets, as we know that runs and wickets are equally important in any cricket match. Currently, Bangladesh cricketer Shakib Al Hasan holds the record for the highest number of wickets. He has overtaken Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi’s record grab current record. 

Wins and Losses – If we are to count the number of wins and losses of each team in the world cup to date, the record for the most wins is held by Srilanka. Srilanka has managed to win 22 wins to date throughout their T20 world cup journey. On the other hand, Bangladesh is the team who have lost matches the maximum number of times, which is 19.

Highest number of dismissals – The former Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, also called ‘Captain cool,’ holds the record for most dismissals in the T20 world cup. He is the only captain to date to lead the team in all formats of the T20 world cup. He had already made 32 dismissals in the world cup.

Record for the highest innings total – It is already evident from the facts mentioned above that Sri lanka is a very successful team in the T20 world cup. Sri lanka is the team who holds the record for scoring the highest score in an innings. They managed to grab this record by scoring 260 runs for six wickets against Kenya. This was during a match held in the 2007 world cup tournament.

West Indies – The most successful – If we try to measure the level of success of each team based on the number of trophies they have won till today. They have won two titles which were in the years 2012 and 2016.

Lowest score – When we mention the highest runs scored by Srilanka against Kenya, it is worth mentioning the lowest score. The lowest ever score in the T20 world cup was scored by the Netherlands, which was in the match against Srilanka. This took place back in the year 2014. 

Centuries from different nations – Scoring a century in the T20 format is never an easy task, as we all might know. As of now, there have been seven centuries scored, and the exciting fact is that all these centuries were scored by seven different batsmen who belong to seven different nations.

The conducting body – Officially known by the name ICC Men’s T20 world cup, the T20 world cup is conducted by the International Cricket Council (ICC), which is the international cricket governing body. It is an event that is generally conducted every two years. Only seven tournaments have been played till this year because the 2020 edition could not take place due to the covid pandemic.

The history of the T20 World cup – It was back in the year 2002 that the Benson and Hedges cup, which was a one-day competition, ended. The England and Wales Cricket Board, popularly known as ECB, strongly felt that there should be another one-day competition focussing on fast-paced, exciting cricket rather than the more extended versions such as test cricket.

Stuart Robertson, a person among the authorizing body of ECB, was the person who proposed the idea of a 20-over match which evolved to become the T20 world cup.

The name ‘T20 world cup’ – The name T20 is derived from its format, which consists of only twenty overs. It was initially known as ICC world twenty 20, which later evolved to the current name / ICC Men’s T20 world cup’.

The hosts – Countries interested in hosting the tournament put forward their bid to the conducting body, which is the ICC. The members of ICC, after considering different factors vote for the host, and the country with the maximum number of votes will get the chance to host the tournament. The first host of the ICC world cup was South Africa. In the later years, England, West Indies, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and India also won the chance to host the tournament. 

Most number of runs – The Srilankan Cricketer Mahela Jayawardene holds the record for scoring the most runs in the tournament. He managed to score 1016 runs during the years between 2007 and 2014. He is also a part of the record for highest partnership as he, along with Kumar Sangakara, scored 166 runs in a match against West Indies in 2010.

Most runs in a single tournament – The record for scoring the most number of runs in a single tournament is held by the Indian cricketer and the former Indian captain Virat Kohli. In the T20 world cup conducted in the year 2014, Kohli scored 319 runs.

Also Read This => Facts About Indian Cricket Team

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Who won the first T20 world cup trophy?

The first T20 world cup held in the year 2007 in South Africa was won by India. India and Pakistan competed in the final match, and India defeated Pakistan to become the first T20 world champion.

Who are the top scorers of T20 in terms of runs and wickets?

Mahela Jayawardene, the Srilankan player who scored 1016 runs, is the top scorer of T20 in terms of the number of runs. Shakib Al Hassan, the Bangladeshi bowler, is the top scorer in wickets, as he has taken a total of 41 wickets to date.

Who owns the most catches in the T20 world cup?

A.B de Villiers, who belong to South Africa, owns the record for the most catches in T20. He owns 23 catches in the world cup.