Combined

From Virat to van der Merwe: Top 5 game-changing moments of the T20 World Cup

Combined
The tournament that had it all | ICC Men's T20 WC 2022

The tournament that had it all | ICC Men's T20 WC 2022

We take a look at five moments that shaped their matches and changed the face of the tournament in the process...

Netherlands were well in the game but certainly not over the line when David Miller went after a short Brandon Glover delivery.

A looping top edge had Dutch veteran Van der Merwe scampering back, and the 37-year-old timed it perfectly to take the catch on the run, watching the ball drop over his shoulder.

Stunning catch off South Africa dangerman David Miller sets up Netherlands triumph | T20WC 2022

Roelof van der Merwe takes a stunning catch off South Africa dangerman David Miller to set up Netherlands' triumph at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022

It was a stunning piece of fielding and set up the win for the Netherlands – a victory that knocked South Africa out of the tournament and turned the World Cup on its head.

Miller was well set and ready to unleash at that exact moment, and had he been in for the remaining 28 deliveries it would have been extremely likely that the Proteas would have chased down 158 and moved into the semi-finals.

India were in trouble, it seemed like they’d left it too late with 28 required off just eight deliveries. Haris Rauf had been bowling superbly, leaking just 24 runs with two balls of his four overs to go. It was now or never for Kohli and India.

The delivery was a good one, decent pace, cramping Kohli for room, and the Indian star had absolutely no right to do what he did.

A flick of the wrists combined with a short-arm jab sent the ball sailing through the Melbourne sky and deep into the stands in a moment that will go down in cricket history.

Nissan POTD: Virat Kohli's game-changing six

Another maximum off the next ball suddenly had India back in the hunt with one over to go, and we all know what happened from there.

But it was that first six in the penultimate over that set up the subsequent drama. It would have been a brilliant shot regardless of the context. But given the match situation, it was extraordinary; arguably the greatest single T20 shot of all time.

A glance back at the scorecard makes England’s 20-run win over New Zealand seem straightforward. But nerves were beginning to jangle when Phillips hit the accelerator towards the death.

It was the first of four consecutive must-win games for England, and memories of their dramatic loss in the 2021 semi-final were flooding back as the boundaries flowed.

But eventual Player of the Tournament Sam Curran had other ideas, bowling into the pitch to draw a rare miscue from Phillips, with substitute fielder Chris Jordan making no mistake in the deep.

Wicket - Glenn Phillips - England v New-Zealand ICC T20WC 2022

Had Phillips stayed out in the middle for the final three overs it was no guarantee that England would have gone on to win the game.

But his wicket halted the charge and set the eventual champions on a winning path.

It was a decent catch in the deep from Shaheen to remove England’s Brook in the World Cup final.

But the moment ultimately proved damaging for Pakistan’s chances of pulling off a late comeback.

Wicket - Harry Brook - Pakistan v England ICC T20WC 2022

Brook had looked solid but unspectacular, yet his wicket brought Moeen Ali to the crease, and the all-rounder’s 19 from 13 deliveries removed the pressure on England late on.

Not just that, but the injury that Afridi aggravated in the process of making the catch meant he was unable to bowl the remainder of his four overs.

Pakistan’s strike bowler finished 11 balls short of his full allocation, and who knows what would have happened if a fired-up Afridi had been available at the death.

One of the tournament's best games and most dramatic finishes saw Zimbabwe stun Pakistan and leave them teetering on the brink of a World Cup exit after just two group games.

Pakistan looked in a strong position in their chase of 130 in Perth, with Shan Masood and Shadab Khan settled in the middle having built a partnership worth 52 runs.

But star man Sikandar Raza stepped up just when his team needed him, first getting the key scalp of the dangerous Shadab and then trapping Haider Ali in front off the very next ball.

Highlights: Raza takes match-turning 3/25 to win POTM

In a matter of seconds the game had flipped on its head and all of the pressure was on Pakistan.

Raza’s removal of Masood in his next over continued the slide towards what was Group 2’s biggest upset at that stage.

Roelof van der Merwe 12/31/1984EnglandShadab Khan 10/04/1998Virat Kohli 11/05/1988Glenn Phillips 12/06/1996ZimbabweSouth AfricaIndiaNetherlandsNew ZealandPakistanSikandar Raza 04/24/1986ICC Men's T20 World Cup, Australia, 2022David Miller 06/10/1989Chris Jordan 10/04/1988Sam Curran 06/03/1998Shaheen Afridi 04/06/2000Pakistan vs England - FinalHaris Rauf 11/07/1993Harry Brook 02/22/1999Men's News