World T20 2014 tournament review: Sri Lanka and the Netherlands star
Who won? How they won? And who else stood out?
By David Currie
Last Updated: 06/03/16 8:08pm
The 2016 ICC World Twenty20 begins on Tuesday - with each and every game live on Sky Sports.
But what happened last time out, at the World T20 two years ago? And are there any lessons to be learned going into this year's event.
Here's a look at the best (and worst) of the 2014 World T20 with our tournament review...
Winners: Sri Lanka
Always a bridesmaid, never a bride. Or at least Sri Lanka had been since their unexpected triumph in the 1996 World Cup. Beaten finalists in 2007 and 2011, Sri Lanka added further second-placed finishes at the 2009 World T20 and on home soil in 2012, before winning in 2014 with a solid, if a little unspectacular campaign.
Sri Lanka weren't represented in either the top 10 tournament run-scorers or top eight wicket-takers, but their success was built around a winning team effort, cultivated by coach-at-the-time, and now England number two, Paul Farbrace. A miserly bowling attack - Ajantha Mendis (10.28) the only one to play three matches or more and concede greater than 6.70 an over - who blasted out the Netherlands and New Zealand for 39 and 60 respectively, were backed up by a masterful batting line-up, with Kumar Sangakkara striking a crucial unbeaten 52 off 35 balls in the final win over India as Sri Lanka chased down 131 to win.
Top player: Virat Kohli
The tournament's top run-getter scored 319 across his six innings, turning four of those into fifties, tallying a stratospheric 106.33 average, and strike-rate of 129.14. He hit the third-most sixes in the competition with 10, trailing only Australia's Glenn Maxwell (12) and the Netherlands' unlikely superstar, Stephan Myburgh (13) - but more on him in a bit…
Sadly Kohli's efforts weren't quite enough to see India to a second World T20 success, although he did hit his highest score against Sri Lanka in the final, smashing 77 off 58 balls, and is set to be a key contributor once again in 2016.
Best innings: Alex Hales
Despite a dismal team tournament for England, on an individual note Alex Hales hit the highest score for the competition, an unbeaten 116 - the first century in T20Is by an Englishman - in the side's only win, against Sri Lanka.
Hales' efforts are all the more impressive because it came in a winning cause against the eventual champs, it was in response to a stiff target of 190 - Mahela Jayawardene having smashed 89 off 51 balls - and England were reduced to 0-2 in a double wicket-maiden opening over. Hales and Eoin Morgan (57 off 38) recovered the innings but the run-rate continued to climb, England requiring 12.18 an over at its peak. Hales wouldn't hit his first six till the 15th over, in which he tonked Mendis for three of them, and he hit a further three in three closing overs, including one to win the game for England with four balls to spare.
Over-achievers
The Netherlands were the true overachievers in a tournament that was full of them. Nepal went nuts for cricket with a win over Afghanistan in the initial group stage, while Hong Kong trumped that with a thrilling two-wicket triumph over Bangladesh.
Ireland also produced their standard upset-win for the tournament by beating Zimbabwe, but the Netherlands booked their spot in the Super 10 stage at their expense with an astonishing six-wicket win over the Irish, chasing down 190 inside 14 overs to boost their net run-rate sufficiently to qualify. Myburgh smashed 63 from 23 balls - including a staggering seven sixes and four fours - while Tom Cooper (45 off 15) went similarly berserk to see them over the line.
The Dutch weren't done there though, they had one more shock left in them, one that ended another world tournament in embarrassment for England. Having bettered them already in the 2009 World T20, the Netherlands coldly and clinically despatched a jaded England outfit fresh from a 5-0 Ashes drubbing down under. Set only 134 to win, interim coach Ashley Giles' hopes of earning the job full-time disappeared as swiftly as England's batsmen did, slipping to 88 all out with only three reaching double figures - Alex Hales (12), Ravi Bopara (18) and Chris Jordan (14).
Best match
There were a fair few thrillers, Hales' heroics mentioned earlier contributing to a cracking encounter between England and Sri Lanka. But it was South Africa who really provided value for money, with all four of their Super 10 games decided by six runs or fewer. They were on the wrong end of a five-run defeat to Sri Lanka, and bettered England by three runs to secure a semi-final spot. But it was their two wins over the New Zealand and Netherlands in between that were the most thrilling.
Against the upstart Dutch outfit - who had admittedly just been utterly trounced by Sri Lanka, losing by nine wickets, skittled out for 39 - South Africa struggled to 145-9, with Ashan Malik taking 5-19. Myburgh teed off at the top again, racing through to a 25-ball fifty and the Netherlands were well ahead of the rate at 80-2 when he fell in the eighth over, but Imran Tahir (4-21) tore through the middle order as the Netherlands slipped to 139 all out, falling short by six runs.
The game against New Zealand trumped even that though, with JP Duminy smashing an unbeaten 86 off 43 balls as South Africa set a stiffer score of 170-6. But again the chasing side looked to be cruising to the target, with Kane Williamson scoring fifty and Ross Taylor unbeaten on 62 off 36 balls going into the final over, with the Black Caps needing only seven to win. But Dale Steyn (4-17) took two wickets in a terrific final over, and Taylor was run out final ball to secure South Africa a two-run win.
Best of the T20 Zone
The best action wasn't just confined to the outfield, as there was star power a plenty in the Sky Sports studio as we brought you the very best analysis with England batsman Joe Root - who missed the tournament through injury - Australian legend Ricky Ponting and West Indies power-hitter Kieron Pollard were among those who stepped up.
We headed to the T20 Zone where Root showcased his range hitting, Ponting gave his thoughts on the pull shot, and Pollard, well he just smacked it! There were further and expert demonstrations by more familiar faces, Michael Atherton - who tried to perfect the ramp shot for surely the first time in his career - Dominic Cork, and Rob Key. Although the less said about the latter's questionable dance moves, the better…
Sky Sports is the only place you can watch all 35 games of the 2016 ICC World T20, starting with Zimbabwe v Hong Kong on Tuesday 8th March at 9am on Sky Sports 2 HD. Or watch from £6.99 without a contract, on NOW TV.
