5 best T20 World Cup matches of all-time

DISCLAIMER: The views expressed are the authors own. They do not reflect those of the website as a whole.Right then, the statutory disclaimer is out of the way, and I can fully focus on the subject at hand.Seven years ago, a relatively lesser-known form of cricket made its first presence (arguably) on the world stage, with South Africa hosting the inaugural edition and witnessing many sparkling achievements be it Yuvraj Singhs six sixes in one over or Misbah ul Haqs rash scoop in a nerve-wracking final and thus the World Twenty20 championships came into existence.Since then, it has become a wonderful biennial event, surpassed only by the immense popularity of the cash-rich extravaganza called the Indian Premier League, and more often than not, one of the sub-continental powerhouses invariably makes it to the semi-finals. If India bagged the silverware in the first edition, Pakistan conquered all in 2009, with England and the West Indies being the other two non-Asian teams to have annexed the title in 2010 and 2012, respectively.Here is a list of the five best games of the World T20 championships over the years:

#5 Thunderbolt Raina - India vs South Africa, Gros Islet, St Lucia (2010 World T20)

His struggles with the short-pitched stuff are a regular feature now, but for a brief while, it looked as though Suresh Raina was well and truly on top of those dangerous deliveries. In that short span of time, he did what he was sent out there to do: whack the stuffing out of the white ball.

And he did in grand style, against a Protean attack consisting of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Rory Kleinveldt and Jacques Kallis – all of whom were hitting the deck hard, troubling the Indians with back-of-length deliveries – thus steering the Men in Blue out of troubled waters with an audacity now sorely missing in his game.

He was jittery, to begin with. Mis-hits in the initial part of his innings belied the carnage he was going to unfold later. Surviving two run-out attempts, Raina and the equally out-of-form Yuvraj Singh then began to attack, plundering runs off Roelof van der Merwe before turning on the pacers. One stand-out stroke was Raina’s well-timed hit off an Albie Morkel yorker past point for four.

In the process, the UP left-hander became the third player and the first Indian to get a Twenty20 International century, and despite valiant efforts from Kallis, skipper Graeme Smith & AB de Villiers, India coasted to their second straight win by 14 runs.