After 27 days and 44 matches, the ICC T20 World Cup is headed towards the final showdown with Pakistan taking on England at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday. The two teams will battle it out on the field for T20I cricket's most prestigious trophy in a final reminiscent of the 1992 Benson & Hedges World Cup final.
But during these 27 days, the T20 World Cup saw some intense matches with narrow-margin victories, Australian rains washing out games and many underdog teams marking their impact in the tournament. The semi-final race saw a neck-to-neck battle with the final four being decided by the final matchday's outcome.
India, Pakistan, New Zealand and England made it to the semi-finals but the outcome of the semi-finals could have been very different. The defending champions and hosts Australia were knocked out of the tournament after England defeated Sri Lanka on the final day to confirm their berth in the semis. Pakistan would thank the Netherlands after the Dutch shocked the cricketing world with a victory against South Africa by 13 runs, which changed the course of its respective points table.
Both Pakistan and England are now just one victory away from adding a second T20 World Cup trophy to their national cabinet on Sunday. But these four weeks of cricket were also able to provide some viral moments for the fans, inside and outside the field and we take a look at them.
Also Read: How England Beat India To Setup Pakistan Clash In The ICC T20 World Cup 2022 Finals
India-Pakistan Fans Vibing To Pasoori At The MCG
Music is a great global unifier and the Indian-Pakistani fans presented a great example when they came together at the MCG, forgetting all rivalry and tensions, to vibe on Ali Sethi and Shae Gill's popular Pakistani Coke Studio track Pasoori.
These fans came in full support of their nations, 8000 kilometres away from their homes to create a historic crowd for the India-Pakistan match, making the MCG look like a normal match taking place in an Indian subcontinent stadium.
Zimbabwe vs Pakistan: The Pak Bean Saga
When Pakistan were about to face Zimbabwe for their Super 12 group fixture, a particular tweet stood out to create another viral moment before the match. A Zimbabwe fan going by the name of Ngugi Chasura spoke of revenge against Pakistan before the match for giving "Fraud Pak Bean" and this moment would leave the internet stunned.
Chasura would go on to introduce the internet to its latest sensation. "Pak Bean". Pakistani comedian Asif Muhammad, who is a doppelganger of Rowan Atkinson, the actor who played the role of Mr Bean was in Zimbabwe in 2016 where Chasura stated how this "Fraud Pak Bean" defrauded Zimbabwean people of their money.
Zimbabwe would go on to beat Pakistan by the narrowest margin of one run, successfully taking revenge for the "Pak Bean" saga. This moment also prompted the leaders of the two nations to participate in the debate and share a sporting moment.
Karthik Meiyappan's Hattrick vs Sri Lanka
The UAE were not able to make it to the Super 12 after conceding defeats against Sri Lanka and the Netherlands. But an Emirati bowler stood out for UAE with the ball as he made his mark in the history books of the ICC T20 World Cup.
UAE's Karthik Meiyappan stunned the Sri Lankans with a hattrick where he bagged the wickets of Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Charith Asalanka and Dasun Shanaka consecutively, helping the UAE get a major breakthrough against the Asian champions in the first inning. It was also the first hattrick of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022.
Meiyappan's hattrick would go in vain as Sri Lanka won the match by 79 runs, keeping their Super 12 hopes alive. But the history of the T20 World Cup will remember Karthik Meiyappan's hattrick bowling spell.
Netherlands Keeping Pakistan Alive In The Semi-Final Race
On the final match day, South Africa were just a victory away from the semi-finals when they faced the Netherlands. For the Proteas, the victory would have also ended Pakistan's campaign in the ICC T20 World Cup finals.
But the Dutch came with the surprise, shocking the cricketing world by defeating South Africa by 13 runs on the final matchday. Holland's victory also meant India automatically qualifying for the semi-finals, joining New Zealand and England.
For the South Africans, the semi-final races came to an unfortunate end, paving the way for Pakistan and Bangladesh to fight it out for the final semi-final spot. Before Pakistan faced Bangladesh, they had abrief moment at the Adelaide Oval with the Dutch players where one of them asked Babar Azam to win the game against Bangladesh.
This was in return to keeping Pakistan's chances alive for the semis. Pakistan went on to beat Bangladesh by five wickets and head to the semi-finals. Bangladesh's defeat also meant that the Netherlands finished fourth on the Super 12 points table, confirming their auto qualification for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, scheduled to take place in the West Indies & the United States.