3 reasons why the 2024 T20 World Cup was the best in the competition's history
The ninth edition of the T20 World Cup saw India finally end their 11-year wait for an ICC Trophy. The Men in Blue clinched their second T20 World Cup crown by beating South Africa by seven runs in the final on Saturday, June 29.
The showpiece event was co-hosted by the USA and the West Indies, with one of the main objectives of the ICC being to grow the game in the United States. That objective certainly seemed to be fulfilled as the crowd did turn up in large numbers in Dallas and New York before the tournament moved to the Caribbean.
However, there are several other reasons why the T20 World Cup 2024 could be termed the best of the nine editions of the showpiece event so far.
Let's take a look at three of these reasons:
#3 Variety of pitches
Eventual champions India deservedly lifted the title after going through a series of examinations on the different kinds of pitches offered in the T20 World Cup. The Nassau County Cricket Club in New York had a lot of help for the fast bowlers and suddenly scores in the 120-130 region were highly competitive.
The caravan then moved to the Caribbean where Barbados and St. Lucia were good batting wickets with high-scoring games. The likes of Trinidad, Antigua, St. Vincent, and Guyana all had enough in it for the spinners, making games with scores of 150-160 competitive.
One can argue that such a variety of conditions and pitches weren't seen in any other particular edition of the tournament.
#2 Underdog stories ft. USA and Afghanistan
Everyone loves an underdog story and the 20-team competition meant that there were several games where the lesser-fancied teams stood out and punched above their weight against the favorites. USA beating Pakistan in the Super Over and then qualifying for the Super 8 was a massive feat for the co-hosts.
Afghanistan also pulled off a sensational victory against New Zealand in the group stage and qualified for the Super 8 at the expense of the Kiwis. However, the Afghans going all the way to the semifinal after beating Australia was something not many could have seen coming.
Scotland too almost made it to the Super 8, only to miss out on net run rate.
#1 Two unbeaten teams playing a thrilling T20 World Cup final
For the first time in the history of the T20 World Cup, a team has gone unbeaten on their way to the title, Team India. South Africa were also unbeaten coming into the final with seven wins from seven games and almost every single game of their campaign was a humdinger, thus adding more to the close encounters that make the 'best T20 World Cup' debate more relevant.
With 27 runs needed off 28 balls and six wickets in hand, many would have expected a comfortable South African win and a rather anti-climatic end to the competition with the game not going down to the wire.
However, the Indian team turned the tables and applied a squeeze that the Proteas couldn't withstand under pressure. India's unlikely win was the icing on the cake for the tournament to be considered the best of the nine editions.