Lowest totals defended in T20 World Cup history
The T20 World Cup has served numerous high-scoring affairs in its glittering history, but every now and then the bowlers have put up memorable performances to outclass the batters in the ICC mega event. On that note, we list some of the lowest totals defended in the history of the competition.
126 by New Zealand against India, 2016
Home side India took on New Zealand in Nagpur in the 13th match of the Super 10 stage. The hosts restricted the Kiwis to a below-par total on a track that was assisting the spinners. The result seemed like a foregone conclusion after New Zealand finished with 126, but the Kiwi bowlers had other ideas. The Indian top order was blown away by the spin-bowling duo of Mitchell Santner and Nathan McCullum. The latter returned with exceptional bowling figures of 4/11 in his four overs as India succumbed to an embarrassing total of 79 runs, handing their opponents a comfortable victory.
123 by Afghanistan against West Indies, 2016
The 30th match of the 2016 T20 World Cup produced a nail-biting thriller as Afghanistan took on favorites West Indies in Nagpur. The Windies won the toss and elected to field first. The decision proved correct as the Caribbean side reduced their Asian counterparts to 56/5 after 12 overs into the match. However, Najibullah Zadran’s counter-attacking 40 took Afghanistan to a par total of 123 runs. But the Windies were shocked by the Afghans, who succeeded in defending the low total and completed a thrilling victory by six runs.
119 by Sri Lanka against New Zealand, 2014
Sri Lanka squared off against New Zealand in a group-stage match of the 2014 T20 World Cup in Bangladesh. The islanders batted first in the match and were restricted to an underwhelming score of 119 runs as Trent Boult, and James Neesham ran riot with the ball for the Kiwis. But the Sri Lankans did not have their batting performance deter their confidence as the bowlers put up a scintillating bowling display to restrict the Blackcaps to a meager 60 runs in their chase. New Zealand batters failed to come to terms with the spin on the track as Rangana Herath returned with mind-blowing bowling figures of 5/3 in the match.
