ICC Men's T20 World Cup History

Tournament history

From the moment Chris Gayle smashed the first delivery of the inaugural ICC Men's T20 World Cup for four, a new form of entertainment was born.

The West Indies opener ushered in a new era of cricket with a blistering 117 against South Africa, the first of countless unforgettable T20 World Cup moments.

This year's Men's T20 World Cup will feature 20 teams for the first time, with a new host and three new teams set to make their bows on the biggest stage.

Ahead of the ninth edition of the tournament, let's take a look back at its past.

A beast is born

Four years after T20 cricket was introduced into the English county game, the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007 catapulted the new format into the mainstream at a time when today's global leagues had yet to be born.

Two weeks of exhilarating cricket culminated in a final for the ages between arch-rivals India and Pakistan in Johannesburg.

Misbah-ul-Haq took Pakistan to the brink of victory, but a mistimed scoop with just six runs required from four deliveries gave India the trophy.

It was a dramatic finish to what Wisden described as a "dream" debut tournament as the new format became an instant hit.

Creating legends and unforgettable moments

From Yuvraj Singh to Carlos Brathwaite, there has been no shortage of spectacular moments at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup.

Yuvraj's six off Stuart Broad's bowling remains unmatched, while the bowl-out match between India and Pakistan in the group stage of the inaugural tournament stands alone for its absurdity.

Pakistan avenged their 2007 final defeat two years later at Lord's, the site of one of the great World Cup upsets when the Netherlands stunned hosts England.

England recovered quickly to win their first white-ball silverware in the Caribbean a year later.

The West Indies then lit up Colombo with their Gangnam Style-inspired celebrations in the 2012 final, before beaten finalists Sri Lanka won it for the third time in 2014, a fitting T20 swansong for the legendary pairing of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara.

After five different winners in the first five tournaments, the Windies became the first team to win two Men's T20 World Cups after Brathwaite's last-over heroics broke English hearts, hitting four consecutive sixes off Ben Stokes to seal a four-wicket win.

Despite their dominance at the ODI World Cup, Australia will have to wait until 2021 to lift their first T20 World Cup, leaving New Zealand as the only finalists without a victory in 2024.

England holds the title after winning in Australia two years ago when Player of the Tournament Sam Curran produced a Player of the Match display to see off Pakistan in the final.

There are more teams than ever before

The 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup will break new ground by featuring 20 teams for the first time.

It will also be the first ICC World Cup to be played in the United States and the biggest cricket tournament in ICC history with 55 matches.

Three new teams will be welcomed to the top flight, with hosts the United States, Canada, and Uganda all playing in their first T20 World Cup.

With new faces and new pitches to discover, the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 promises to be more unpredictable and memorable than ever before.