Sportzwiki’s Year Review: Top 5 T20I Innings Of 2016

Dec 20, 2016 at 1:53 PM

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Sportzwiki’s Year Review: Top 5 T20I Innings Of 2016

Big bats, huge shots, small outfields and Twenty20 cricket, the four most talked about topics in the world of cricket in 2016. The newest format of the game which was conjured up around 13 years ago, threatens to better Tests & ODIs in the popularity index in near future.

With the advancing age, T20 flourished like anything in this leap year as more than 50 international games were played across nations and as many as handful of nail-biting finishes were seen taking place. So, it’s time to bring you the top five exciting yet impact-full T20 innings of 2016:

5. KL Rahul (110* vs West Indies, Lauderhill)

KL Rahul of India celebrates his hundred during the T20 match match between India and the West Indies at Lauderhill.

The fifth in the list is India’s new poster boy KL Rahul. The Karnataka born batsman was among the runs when India and West Indies squared off in two T20 matches in theUnited States earlier this year. In the first game at Lauderhill, the West Indies wreaked havoc by posting a mammoth 245 after batting first courtesy Evin Lewis, who scored a blistering 100 of 49 balls, smashing five consecutive sixes to Stuart Binny in an over.

In reply, India lost Ajinkya Rahane & Virat Kohli early on. Made his way next at the crease was the 24-year-old KL Rahul. The right-handed batsman took his time to settle down and then cut loose on the bowlers, whacking few deliveries out of the park. Continuing his purple patch from the Test series, Rahul punched some good looking drives straight over the boundary line. Bothering the opposition with his big heaves, Rahul in no time completed his maiden hundred and that too with a six over third man.

However, his jaw-dropping innings of unbeaten 110 went in vain as Dwayne Bravo’s smartness foxed Mahendra Singh Dhoni to lead the West Indies to a one-run win. The Windies won the two-match series 1-0, with the next game getting washed out due to rain.

4. Joe Root (83 vs South Africa, Mumbai)

During the World T20 event in India, South Africa and England locked horns at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai to script one of the best run chases in T20 history.

South Africa, after batting first, despoiled England’s bowling line-up with flurry of runs. Openers led to the cause as Quinton de Kock & Hashim Amla both scored fifties. A 28-ball 54 from Jean Paul Duminy later helped Proteas put on 229 runs on the board.

In reply, England lost two wickets within the power-play and Joe Root then stepped in to bat. Contrary to his reputation of a Test match player, the Lancashire born played a crackerjack innings of 83 in 44 balls. Looking at the collection of his shots, he did not seem to put a foot wrong.

His ability to find gaps in the later stage of innings guided England to chase down the hefty target with two balls to spare. Without much surprise, he was awarded as the Player-of-the-Match.

3. Virat Kohli (82* vs Australia, Mohali)

With an amazing year he has had with the bat, King Kohli, as Nasser Hussain calls him, stands third in the list. It was the quarter-final of the World T20 in Mohali, when like every other game, Virat stitched another match-winning innings to his name.

Australia started off well with the bat but couldn’t hold onto the momentum later in the innings. A 43-run knock from Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell’s 31 were all they could cheer about as the visitors after 20 overs, could manage 160 runs on the board. India, in reply, lost three wickets within eight overs and were left with Virat Kohli & MS Dhoni at the crease. Enough to scare the life out of Aussie bowlers, Virat injected his A game into play, not sparing any Aussie bowler.

His onslaught later in the innings made the crowd go mad as his 51-ball 82 helped India knock their age old rivals out of the tournament by sixwickets. For his heroics, he was bestowed as the Man-of-the-Match.

Glenn Maxwell (145* vs Sri Lanka, Pallekele)

Glenn Maxwell of Australia celebrates after bringing up his maiden T20I hundred against Sri Lanka.

Glenn ‘The Big Show’ Maxwell, as he is known, sits second in the list. Going by his pet name, he is a devastating beast on his day as his equation against India’s Ravichandran Ashwin will seal the argument.

In the T20 match against Sri Lanka at Pallekele, the hosts asked Australia to bat first, a decision they never thought would land them in trouble, a big trouble! Opening the innings for the first time, Glenn Maxwell went for a tear, as he made the crowd to do some catching rather than the fielders. In the quest to score the highest individual T20 score which was held by his teammate Aaron Finch, Maxwell was happy lofting the deliveries for a six. Managing nine massive hits and fourteen boundaries in the meanwhile, he fell short by 11 runs and remained unbeaten on 145.

Posting the highest ever T20 score of 263, Australia found success by 85 runs in the end.

Carlos Brathwaite (West Indies vs England, Kolkata)

Carlos Brathwaite, remember the name”, these iconic words were heard loud & clear in a growling tone of Ian Bishop from the commentary box. Such was the occasion to voice them, the final of the ICC World T20 in India between West Indies & England.

Chasing down a modest total of 156 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, the West Indies went for a hiding early on, losing three wickets for just 11 runs, including the big fish Chris Gayle. Relying on Marlon Samuels gritty efforts, Darren Sammy’s men failed to keep up the momentum going from the other end, finding themselves in a situation of chasing 19 runs off the last over with Carlos Brathwaite on strike.

What happened next took everyone by surprise. The lanky all-rounder whacked Ben Stokes for four consecutive sixes in four balls, each in different directions and stole the show like a boss. His innings bettered everyone’s in the list to take the pole position. Hitting four massive sixes in the last over, Carlos showed the world of what metal he is made of. England and Stokes were left stunned as the West Indies lifted the World T20 title for the second time.

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