With Pakistan needing 13 runs off the final over to win the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup, Misbah-ul-Haq, the man who had brought Pakistan on the cusp of victory from a hopeless situation through the middle of the run-chase against India, smashed Joginder Sharma for a six off the second ball, and brought the equation down to another six runs off four balls.
The Pakistani hopes were raised multifold at the time. However, just then seeing that India captain MS Dhoni had got the fine leg inside the circle, Misbah took a calculated risk and went for a scoop shot. But not getting enough pace on the shot from Joginder's delivery, meant that the ball instead of flying over the fielder popped up in the air and was caught by him. That moment changed the world of cricket forever.
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Recalling the unforgettable game played in front of a packed crowd in Johannesburg, former Pakistan all-rounder Azhar Mahmood rued why didn't Misbah go straight again for his big shot rather than trying the scoop he did.
"Unfortunately, Pakistan was on the losing side. Misbah Ul Haq was playing so well but in the end, he tried to play that scoop shot. He could have hit a straight six off Joginder Sharma but he tried to go with a fancy scoop. I jumped on my sofa, when I saw, but then when the catch was taken, I was like ‘what’s happening’," Mahmood said on Wisden’s 'The Greatest Rivalry' podcast.
While the planning around the Indian Premier League (IPL) had already begun off the field, India's victory in the T20 World Cup really helped in audiences here accepting the shortest format and the league's impactful launch in the following year. And the rest, as they say, is history.
"India were not keen [playing T20s] before the T20 World Cup. They were concentrating more on Test match cricket and one-day cricket. It was a massive boost for Indian cricket to win the T20 World Cup, which eventually led to the birth of IPL. It was great to see," said Azhar, also lauding Dhoni's captaincy throughout what was his first major competition as skipper in South Africa, especially during the final.
"It was a great game of cricket, especially for Indian cricket. It was the birth of a great leader in Indian cricket - MS Dhoni. He changed the mindset and a lot of things in Indian cricket, for which he deserves credit," he concluded.
