Over the years, the T20 World Cup has produced many exciting matches. On the other hand, there have been some games, where the winning team has thoroughly dominated the proceedings and has had massive victory margins. We will now have a look at the highest victory margins in T20 World Cup matches (by runs).
10. Sri Lanka (2012)
Sri Lanka was the host of this edition of the T20 World Cup. This game was in the first round of the T20 World Cup, and their opponent was Zimbabwe. Ajantha Mendis was a Sri Lankan bowler, who, during his initial playing days, was an extreme threat to opponents. But his strength was now waning. However, in this match, he bowled in a remarkable manner. Sri Lanka batted first. During Sri Lanka’s bowling, Mendis took 6-8, and skittled Zimbabwe for just 100 runs. Sri Lanka won the match by 82 runs.
9. Pakistan (2009)
Pakistan faced Netherlands in this game. Despite Pakistan being the favourites in this match, it was not that straightforward. Pakistan had just lost to England in the previous game, whereas, the Netherlands clinched a thrilling victory against the same England, when they faced them. Now, Netherlands suddenly had a chance to progress to the next round. However, their fairy tale journey ended when they lost to Pakistan by a massive margin. Pakistan won the match by 82 runs.
8. New Zealand (2009)
This game occurred just two days after the game previously discussed. New Zealand was the outright favourites for the game against Ireland. Predictably, they crushed Ireland by a significantly high margin. New Zealand won the match by 83 runs.
7. West Indies (2014)
This West Indies vs Pakistan game was the final group stage game, and the team which won the game was to face Sri Lanka in the semifinals. West Indies rose to the occasion magnificently. They batted first and posted 166 runs. The score was a pretty normal one, but it proved to be very high for Pakistan, who got bowled out for just above 80 runs. West Indies won the match by 84 runs.
6. Bangladesh (2021)
Bangladesh faced Papua New Guinea in this match. Bangladesh’s shock defeat to Scotland earlier in the tournament meant that they had to win this game to be sure of qualification. They did win the match in the end. Thanks to an all-round show from Shakib-Al-Hasan, who scored 46 runs and also took four wickets. Bangladesh won the match by 84 runs.
5. India (2012)
India faced England in the first round after both of them defeated Afghanistan. India batted first and posted 170. England’s chase was horrible, as they got bowled out for a paltry total, thanks to Harbhajan Singh’s 4-12. India won the match by 90 runs.
4. England (2012)
This game occurred just two days before the match previously discussed. England faced Afghanistan for the first game of their tournament. With Afghanistan having lost their match against India, all England needed was to win the game, in order to progress to the next round. England not only won the game, but they also did it by more than 100 runs. England won the match by 116 runs.
3. South Africa (2009)
South Africa faced Scotland in this game. South Africa was not only the favourites for this game but also for the tournament. In this game, they showed, why they were considered so. South Africa batted first, and posted a daunting total of 211, thanks to AB de Villiers’ 79 not out. Later, they completely routed Scotland’s batting lineup and won magnificently. South Africa won the match by 130 runs.
2. Afghanistan (2021)
Afghanistan faced Scotland in this game. The tournament this edition was notorious for being heavily in favour of the team batting second. However, in this game, Afghanistan did something opposite. They batted first, scored a massive total, and while bowling, they bowled Scotland out for just 60. Afghanistan won the match by 130 runs.
1. Sri Lanka (2007)
Sri Lanka faced Kenya in this game. The difference in skill levels became explicit, right since the game started. Sri Lanka dominated Kenya throughout the game, in all departments. Sri Lanka batted first and scored 260, the highest T20I score by a team for nearly nine years. Sri Lanka also bowled out Kenya for a meagre total and won the match by a heavy margin. Sri Lanka won the match by 172 runs.
