Top 10 Moments of the Asia Cup T20 2016

The recently concluded Asia Cup T20 has been nothing short of memorable. While the tournament has been viewed by many as a preview to the World T20, the players have certainly treated the coveted tournament as an opportunity to hold the iconic and prestigious Asia Cup. There have been an infinite number of moments thrown up during the course of the tourney. That said, we take a look at the top 10 moments of the Asia Cup T20 2016.

1. Hardik Pandya’s hat-trick that wasn’t:

For the Indian cricket fan, watching Hardik Pandya taking a wicket is close enough to jump off their seats. The exciting all-rounder’s wild celebration each time he picks up a wicket. Incidentally, Hardik picked up three wickets in three consecutive balls. Why wasn’t it deemed a hat-trick? He completed the feat in two different matches. He dismissed Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Sami in the final two balls of his spell against Pakistan and removed Tillakaratne Dilshan with his first ball in the match against Sri Lanka. 

2. Sabbir Rahman steps up to the plate:

Not many people knew the gritty Sabbir Rahman prior to the start of the Asia Cup. However, a one-man act against Sri Lanka saw the Bangladeshis clinch the tie. Although a case can be made for the absence of Lasith Malinga, Bangladeshi openers Mithun and Sarkar were back in the hut without troubling the scorers too much. Sabbir’s 54-ball 80 saw the hosts toil their way to 147. The total proved to be too much for the Islanders. The hosts picked up an impressive 23-run win.

3. Mashrafe Mortaza’s ‘smash n grab’ against Pakistan:

When Soumya Sarkar fell for 48 against Pakistan, the match seemed done and dusted with Pakistan firm favourites to claim an easy win. Expecting Mohammad Mithun to make his way out to the middle, the Dhaka crowd instead saw skipper Mashrafe Mortaza walk out to chase down 26 of 16 balls. Mortaza smashed the first two deliveries to the boundary, thus helping his side achieve a hard fought win with 5 wickets and 5 balls to spare.

4. Jeff Crowe stays on to officiate despite death of Martin:

Clearly one of the most memorable moments of the Asia Cup was the presence of Jeff Crowe. It was reported that Crowe had been allowed to leave to attend to his brother Martin Crow funeral. However, Jeff stayed back to officiate the match between India and UAE, stating that “Martin would have wanted him to do so”. He flew home after the end of the match.

5. Shikhar Dhawan peaks at the right time:

Shikhar Dhawan’s form in the initial stages of the Asia Cup was nothing short of terrible. The selectors, however, kept faith in the dashing southpaw despite calls for his exclusion. Dhawan repaid the faith with a masterful 60 in quick time in the final to help India claim a win in the final of the Asia Cup. No wonder he has the reputation of being a big match player.

6. Tillakaratne Dilshan finally strikes the ball:

A destructive batsman during his time, Tillakaratne Dilshan is reaching the swansong of what has been an illustrious career. However, his form wasn’t on his side when he failed to find the middle of the bat on several occasions. Sri Lanka’s final match against Pakistan saw the irresistible Dilshan finally find the meat of the bat. He took the Pakistan bowling apart, smashing an unbeaten 75 in a losing cause.

7. Mahmudullah decimates Indian death bowlers:

The moment of the final came towards the end of the first innings. The Indian bowlers had done a decent job to restrict the Bangladeshis. Enter Mahmudullah Riyad. Mahmudullah smashed the ball with stern ferocity and intensity, taking the hosts to a well-deserved and competitive total of  121. He smashed 33 of just 13 balls including 2 fours and 2 sixes.

8. Shakib Al Hasan’s moment of madness:

If there was any controversy in the Asia Cup T20, it would certainly be Shakib’s moment of madness against Pakistan. The southpaw was clean bowled by Mohammad Amir without adding much to the Bangladesh total. In a horrible rush of blood, Shakib smashed the stumps with his bat. He got away with a warning from the ICC.

9. Mohammad Amir blows away Indian top order:

Plenty of speculation arose when Mohammad Amir was drafted into the Pakistan national side immediately upon the completion of his five-year ban. However, he bowled as if he had never been banned, taking wickets for fun. In Pakistan’s opening fixture against India, Amir showed his lethal bowling prowess. He dismissed Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina in quick succession as he made a paltry target of 83 seem un-gettable.

10. MS Dhoni seals it with a six:

MS Dhoni has always been a man for the moments. The six over long off that sealed the 2011 World Cup has been repeated in ads, channels, magazines and other such publications. Dhoni emulated the historic feat by smashing yet another six over the mid-wicket stand to conclude the Asia Cup T20 2016. Clearly the most memorable moment of the tournament.

Dhoni finished off the game with a magnificent six – Watch: MS Dhoni finishes off the Asia Cup T20 with a massive six