England became the World Champions of the shortest format in the international arena. The English team defeated Pakistan in the finals to lift the trophy at MCG in 2022. The World Cup fever turned 2022 into one of the most happening years for T20 cricket. There were many close matches in T20Is this year, including the ones which showcased to us the immense masterclass of certain players in crunch situations. Here we have listed some of the most interesting T20I matches of the year, which kept us hooked for almost the entirety of the game.
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1- India vs Pakistan, ICC T20 World Cup 2022
India played against their arch-rival Pakistan at Melbourne Cricket Ground in ICC T20 World Cup 2022. With more than 90,000 fans at the stadium, the atmosphere was ecstatic at the game. Arshdeep Singh put the Pakistani supporters in a quiet place when he dismissed both Bahar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. However, on MCG’s lively pitch, Iftikhar Ahmed and Shan Masood helped Pakistan reach a target of 159 runs which was highly competitive.
In reply, the Indian batters had no answers against the Pakistani attack, which consisted of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah. India looked completely out of the game at one point, with only Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya being left as the last pair, which offered the Indian fans a bit of hope. However, India’s slow approach at the beginning of the chase, thanks to Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul, made sure that the Indian cricket team was always behind in the game.
In the last three overs, India needed 48 runs to win the match. Hardik Pandya was struggling to get the timing right, and the target seemed improbable to reach at one point. At this moment, the man of the big moments, the former Indian captain, the run machine of India and the ultimate clutch player in international cricket, Virat Kohli, set the stage on fire with his immaculate shots that flabbergasted the cricketing world. Kohli single-handedly won the match for India by smacking both Shaheen and Rauf in consecutive overs.
His straight six on the 19.5th delivery of the match bowled by Haris Rauf is probably the shot of the T20 format of all time. Moreover, the insane game awareness Kohli showed when he ran three after the ball hit his stumps on the free hit was something that made us all appreciate the masterclass of this man. India won the match, and many cricketers all around the world were stunned by what had just happened. One man stood tall and came back to form after three years in the most dashing way possible. The legend of Virat Kohli is still being written.
The match between India and Pakistan was not just the best T20I of the year but also one of the best T20Is of all time.
2- Pakistan vs Zimbabwe, ICC T20 World Cup 2022
When it comes to thrill and entertainment, no one can beat the Pakistani team. The game between Zimbabwe and Pakistan was an exhilarating encounter that ended with the former’s win. Zimbabwe made a wonderful comeback in the match thanks to its bowlers, who did not let the fire burn out until the last moment. Pakistan needed 3 runs on the last three balls to win the match but somehow ended up on the losing side with 1 run.
Zimbabwe has set the target of 131 runs for Pakistan, with Sean Willams top-scoring for his team by scoring 31 runs. No other batter managed to reach even 20 runs for Zimbabwe in the game. However, Brad Evans, 19 off 15 in the final overs, helped Zimbabwe put on a total which can be called competitive.
At the halfway mark of the match, everyone thought that Pakistan was easily going to win the game with a couple of overs to spare. However, the outcome of the game surprised everyone. Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam failed miserably in the match, but Shan Masood steadied the Pakistani chase with his 44 off 38. However, wickets kept tumbling from the other end. At one point, Pakistan was 94/6 in 15.1 overs.
But Mohammad Nawaz and Mohammad Wasim Jr brought Pakistan back into the game with a crucial partnership. Pakistan needed 11 to win the game in the last over. Nawaz and Wasim ran three on the first ball of the over. It was followed by a four by Wasim. Following this, Wasim took a single, and the equation was reduced to 3 off 3 for Pakistan to win. The fourth ball of the last over turned out to be a dot, and Nawaz was sent back to the pavilion on the 5th ball of the over.
Pakistan needed 3 off 1 to win the match and 2 runs for a super over. However, Shaheen Afridi ran out on the last ball of the match, and Pakistan lost the thrilling encounter by a run. Even then, the Pakistani team somehow managed to reach the finals of the T20 World Cup. Surely, no one can predict T20 cricket. This was definitely the second-best T20I match of 2022.
3- India vs England, 3rd T20I, India Tour of England 2022
Before the start of the 3rd match, India had already made sure of a victory in the series by winning the first two matches of the three-match T20I series. India lost this match by 17 runs, but Suryakumar Yadav made sure to bring out his best and get noticed by people all around the globe.
England batted first in the match and posted a huge total of 215 runs on the board. Dawid Malan smashed 77 off 39, while Liam Livingstone remained unbeaten on 44* off 29.
In reply, India started poorly and lost the wickets of Rishabh Pant, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma at the score of just 31 runs in 5 overs. Following this, the sheer brilliance of Suryakumar Yadav overshadowed every other significant performance in the game. He blasted 117 off 55 with the help of 14 fours and 6 sixes. He was caught out on the second last ball of the 19th over, which ended India’s cruise towards an insane victory.
Ultimately, India could only score 198/9 in the 20 overs. However, it was the beginning of Suryakumar Yadav’s rise in the T20 format.
Please let us know if we missed any game you consider to be among the best T20I matches of 2022.
