Here is a look at the five best moments of the tournament.
1) It was destined in the eyes of their fans to be a final between India and Pakistan.
But no one told rookies Alex Hales and Jos Buttler as they gave an exceptional showing of batting in the semi-final against India in one of the finest British performances of all time.
In front of a packed pro-India crowd at the Adelaide Oval, the undefeated man on the pitch Hales blew 86 47 balls and skipper Buttler hit 80 without eliminating them in a hardly believable 10-wicket annihilation.
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It was especially rewarding for Hales, who only returned for the World Cup after more than three years spent in the international wilderness.
2) Ireland entered the Super 12 stage with a reputation as a killer of giants after taking out the two-time West Indies champions.
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But Andrew Balbirnie’s team didn’t finish there because he upset pre-tournament favorites and eventual England champions in a match in the rain.
Balbirnie drove from the front with a lively 62 in Melbourne to set a goal of 158 points and England were 105-5 when the rain stopped play, five points behind the DLS partial score.
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“It’s incredible, a little bit emotional,” said the man on the pitch Balbirnie after another famous win.
3) Australia’s title defense got off to a nightmare start and ended up costing them a place in the semi-finals.
The hosts, reigning champions and pre-tournament co-favorites, along with England, suffered an 89-point beating from New Zealand in their first Super 12 game.
He came back to haunt Aaron Finch’s men when they finished below New Zealand and England in Group 1 by a clear cut.
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“We were completely beaten in all three facets,” Finch said.
4) It was a sunny morning in Adelaide when the South African players started preparing for their must-see match against the Netherlands, but that was the only bright spot on a dark day for them.
Colin Ackermann led the Dutch underdog to a challenging 158-4 with his undefeated 41 at rapid fire and then the Dutch bowlers worked their magic.
A powerful lineup of batting Proteas crumbled under pressure and their World Cup was over in a flash when all they had to do was win to clinch a spot in the bottom four.
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In a shock-filled tournament, this was arguably the biggest – and it handed Pakistan or Bangladesh the last place in the semi-finals, which Babar Azam’s team grabbed.
5) Indian Virat Kohli arrived at the tournament on the back of his first century T20 in September and captivated over 90,000 delusional fans at the MCG with a winning 82 against Pakistan’s historic rivals.
(photo ANI)
His two sixes on Haris Rauf at the end of the 19th over turned folkloric as his team chased his goal of a 160 win on the final ball of a match that launched India’s campaign.
“King Kohli” went on to beat another three and a half centuries by beating former Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene’s 1,016 points total to become the top scorer in the history of the tournament.
