Revision as of 18:26, 12 July 2024

History

Trivia

Oct 18, 2022: The Times of India

The eighth edition of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup began in Australia last Sunday with the qualifying-stage matches, from where four teams will join the top eight in the 'Super 12' phase beginning October 22.

While the tournament gathers steam leading up to the high-octane India vs Pakistan clash on October 23, here are some very interesting facts and trivia about the T20 World Cup, which is the biggest stage in the shortest format of the sport.

((All statistics in this article are updated till the last edition of the T20 World Cup in 2021))

Australia can create history: Hosts Australia have the rare chance of becoming the first team to successfully defend their T20 World Cup crown.

Two-time champions: The West Indies are the only team to have won the T20 World Cup two times - in 2012 and 2016.

Players to have played in all seven T20 World Cups so far: Rohit Sharma, Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim are the six players who have featured in all seven T20 World Cups held till date.

Most appearances in the final: Sri Lanka is the team to have reached the final of a T20 World Cup the most times. They have played three finals so far (2009, 2012, 2014), winning the title once, when they defeated India in the summit clash of the 2014 edition.

Fastest 50: The mention of the fastest half-century in a T20 World Cup straight away brings back the memory of six sixes in a Stuart Broad over hit by Yuvraj Singh, who still holds the record for the fastest fifty that he scored in the same innings against England in the inaugural edition in 2007.

Fastest 100: This record stands in the name of West Indies opener Chris Gayle, who notched up a hundred off just 48 balls against England in a Super 10 Group 1 match in the 2016 edition.

Chris Gayle: Only batsman to have scored two T20 World Cup centuries (117 off 57 balls vs SA in 2007 & 100* off 48 balls vs Eng in 2016) Biggest win by runs: Sri Lanka scored a mammoth 260/6 in 2007 against Kenya and then went on to dismiss the opponents for just 88 runs to register a huge 172-run victory.

Most runs overall: Former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene -- 1016 runs in 31 matches

Most runs in a single edition: Former India captain Virat Kohli -- 319 runs in six matches in the 2014 edition

Most wickets overall: Former Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan -- 41 wickets in 31 matches

Most wickets in a single edition: Sri Lanka's Wanindu Hasaranga -- 16 wickets in 8 matches in the 2021 edition

Most dismissals by a wicketkeeper overall: Former India captain MS Dhoni - 32 dismissals (21 catches and 11 stumpings)

Highest Team Total: 260/6 by Sri Lanka vs Kenya in 2007

Lowest Team Total: 39 by Netherlands vs Sri Lanka in 2014.

India’s results

2007-21

Partha Bhaduri, Oct 21, 2022: The Times of India

India’s results in the T20 World Cup, 2007-21
From: TNN, Partha Bhaduri, Oct 21, 2022: The Times of India

See graphic:

India’s results in the T20 World Cup, 2007-21

Minnows, so-called

2021, 22

TNN, Oct 22, 2022: The Times of India

The first round games between the so-called biggies and the so-called minnows, in 2021, 2022
From: TNN, Oct 22, 2022: The Times of India

If there is one thing the group 1 stage of this T20 World Cup has driven home, it is that there are no longer any 'minnows' at the event. The stage started with former champions Sri Lanka being thrashed by Namibia and ended with Ireland dumping the West Indies, the only team to have won the Cup twice, out of the competition.

But it isn't just anecdotal evidence that suggests a narrowing of the gap between the so-called 'minnows' (a group in which most people include Test playing nations Zimbabwe and Ireland) and the 'biggies'. A comparative look at the combined results of matches involving one of the minnows and a biggy in the last edition in 2021 and the current one bears out this gut feel.

There were six games involving one of the big teams (Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in 2021 and West Indies and Sri Lanka this time) against one of the others in the group 1 stage in both 2021 and 2022. If we treat the two big teams as one entity and the rest as the other entity, the net run rate between the two was +2. 75 for the biggies.

That's collapsed to just +0. 05 in 2022, which is as close to even as you can get.

The average margin of victory across the six matches has also come down drastically. In 2021, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh won three of the six games batting first and Bangladesh lost out narrowly to Scotland while chasing. The average margin in favour of the biggies (counting the six-run deficit as a negative margin) was 43.5 runs. Two games were won by the big two while chasing with 58 balls or nearly ten overs to spare on average.

Switch to 2022 and five of the six games were won by the team batting first, two of them by the minnows (Scotland vs West Indies and Namibia vs Sri Lanka) and the rest by the big two.

The average margin in favour of the biggy across these five games (again counting a deficit as a negative margin) was just 5.8 runs.

India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and South Africa might be celebrating the fact that they will have neither West Indies nor Sri Lanka in their group, but they would do well to jettison any notions that it makes things easier for them.

Financial rewards, 2024 and 1983

Gaurav Gupta, July 1, 2024: The Times of India

Mumbai : In times when cricketers make news for making money when they are sold for huge sums in the IPL auction, Team India’s victorious cricketers have just broken the bank after winning the T20 World Cup.


In a move which reflects why BCCI is a financial superpower in the cricketing world and calls the shots in the game, board secretary Jay Shah announced prize money of Rs 125 crore for Team India. 
“The team has showcased exceptional talent, determination, and sportsmanship throughout the tournament.

Congratulations to all the players, coaches, and support staff for this outstanding achievement!” Shah posted on X.


“Under the exceptional leadership of Rohit Sharma, this team has shown remarkable resolve and resilience, becoming the first team in the history of the ICC T20 World Cup to win the tournament unbeaten. They have faced and silenced their critics with stellar performances time and again,” Shah added.

Each player in the team may get 5cr as reward

The massive booty of Rs 125 crore awarded to players and support staff tells you about the BCCI’s unbridled joy at Team India finally ending a desperate wait for its first T20 World Cup title since 2007, the first World Cup crown since 2011, and the first ICC title since 2013.


It’s not clear how this massive prize money will get distributed amongst the players and the support staff. India had picked a 15-member squad, with four reserve players, for the Cup. The roughly 15-member support staff was led by head coach Rahul Dravid, and included the batting (Vikram Rathour), bowling (Paras Mhambrey) and fielding coach (T Dilip). Then, there were three throwdown specialists, three physios (two initially, and then another one flew on after one fell ill), one trainer, manager, logistics manager, the video analyst, security and integrity officer. There could still be more members of the support staff added to this list.


It is estimated that all the 15 players of the squad could end up receiving at least Rs 5 crores each, while the four reserve players and the members of the support staff too will receive at least Rs 1 crore.


It is learnt that the prize money amount is more than six times of what the team received from the ICC ($2.45 mil- lion, or Rs 20.37 crore) for winning the World Cup.


Compare this to what the then much financially weaker BCCI rewarded to ‘Kapil’s Devils’ 41 years ago for upsetting the mighty West Indies at Lord’s on June 25 to win India’s maiden limited overs World Cup! Recently, at an event in Mumbai, former India skipper Dilip Vengsarkar, who was a member of that team, recalled, “When we won the World Cup in 1983, the then BCCI president, NKP Salve, announced a prize money of Rs 25,000 per player. At that point, when Lata Mangeshkar (legendary singer) heard that we would get this prize money, she said: ‘I’ll have an evening (concert) for the players, and subsequently, she had an evening for the players in Delhi, and we received a cheque of Rs 1 lakh each for the first time in our lives!”


However, in 2024, a time where the players have often been accused of prioritising the IPL over national duty, this kind of a sum, while it appears a tad extravagant at first, is par for the course. “In the age of the IPL, where players are paid handsomely by their franchises, Rs 125 crore to a team for winning the T20 World Cup is a simple message to the players — win trophies for India and you’ll be cash-rich,” a BCCI member told TOI.

See also

T20 World Cup (Men’s)

T20 World Cup (Men’s), 2021

T20 World Cup (Men’s), 2022

T20 World Cup (Men’s), 2024