2012 http://www.senore.com/Cricket/ICC-World-Cup-2011-c100625 World T20: Top ten impressive performances – Part I
The twenty-day long T20 extravaganza has finally reached an end with http://www.senore.com/Cricket/DJG-Sammy-c1382 led West Indies side emerging as the reigning champions. There were few impressive performances in the tournament that will linger in memories for a long time to come.
1. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758, October 7, 2012, Colombo)
Marlon Samuels' belligerent 78 against Sri Lanka in the World Cup final is unquestionably one of the best knocks played in the history of cricket, and finds the highest rank in bettor.com’s top ten performances of the tournament.
His performance comes at the top not just because of the startling strike rate of 139.2 in a low-scoring game, but because the stupendous knock was played against a high-quality Sri Lankan attack, featuring the world’s best spinners and pacers, in an extremely tense situation.
On a spin friendly R Premadasa wicket, the Caribbean side was struggling at 32 for 2 at the end of ten overs. Samuels single-handedly guided the tourists to a competitive 137 for 6 at the end of their stipulated twenty overs, smashing six towering sixes and three muscular fours during his more than an hour stay at the crease.
After having managed just 26 runs from the first 37 deliveries he faced, Samuels scored whooping 52 runs from the next 19 balls. The Jamaican right-hander opened up in the 13th over looting http://www.senore.com/Cricket/SL-Malinga-c2540 for three sixes in an over that went for 21. Samuels smashed five of his six sixes against Malinga, before being caught by Jeevan Mendis off Akila Dananjaya. The Windies won that match by 36 runs to lift their first World Cup since 1979.
2. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/CH-Gayle-c1221 (75*, West Indies v Australia, October 5, Colombo)
The talismanic West Indies opener had two whirlwind half-centuries in his name before coming into the tournament semi-final against the rampaging Australians. But the true Gayle onslaught came in the knockout game against the fierce Australian pace attack at the R Premadasa Stadium of Colombo, on October 5. The Jamaican left-hander batted through the innings, smashing a sparkling 75 off just 41 deliveries to guide the Caribbean side to a tournament-high 205 for 4, putting the opposition under immense pressure.
Gayle, who scored the maximum sixes in the marquee tournament, scored runs at an impressive strike rate of 182.92 in that match, plundering six lofty sixes and five fours. In reply, Australia never looked in a position to challenge the intimidating total, losing that match by 74 runs, as West Indies confirmed their first World T20 final berth in the history.
3. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/BAW-Mendis-c1127 (6/8, Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe, September 18, Pallekele)
After http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Zimbabwe-c3045, Mendis, playing his first T20 international in ten months, scythed through the opposition batting line-up returning with record figures of six for 8 from four overs, to bundle out the opposition for an even 100.
Mendis’ impressive show against the lowly-ranked Rhodesians allowed him to surpass his own previous best of 6 for 18.
Mendis emulated the brilliant display of conventional and unorthodox spin bowling against the Windies in the World T20 final, returning with impressive figures of 4 for 12. His wickets included those of dangerous Chris Gayle and the hard-hitting middle-order batsman http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 in the semi-final.
Continued...
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