The Last Three Winners of the T20 World Cup

As the cricketing world turns its gaze towards the upcoming 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup, anticipation is building over who will claim the crown. Slated to run from June 1st to June 29th, the tournament is set to be groundbreaking primarily due to the fact that a number of matches will be hosted in the United States. The Land of the Free has notoriously never loved cricket, instead preferring baseball as their bat-and-ball sport of choice. But with the games set to be hosted in New York, Florida, and Texas, it will be interesting to see whether the Americans join us on the cricket bandwagon.

With India, England, and Australia emerging as betting favorites, the competition is expected to be fierce. The former's chances are particularly being talked up, bolstered by the potential presence of stalwarts like Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant. They have both just combined to dismiss the reigning champion English in the test arena, with a dominant victory in the pair's fifth test match underlining their supremacy. However, the Aussies aren't far behind.

The Baggy Greens stunned India in the recent 50-over World Cup final, despite initially losing to them in the group stage. The beaten finalists were on home turf and had over a billion rabid locals cheering them on. But it wasn't enough to stop Pat Cummins and Co. from upsetting the applecart, restricting the hosts to a paltry 240 all out before rapidly firing home the runs required to win with seven overs to spare. Despite that, it remains the Indians that cricket betting providers have made the +275 favorite, with the Aussies just behind them at +400 as they aim to become double world champions.

While it is the Aussies who are the dominant force at the longer format World Cup, with a mighty six titles to their name, who are the last three teams to have tasted success in the shortest former of the game? Let's find out.

England - 2022

England clinched the T20 World Cup trophy in 2022 and, just as the Baggy Greens are attempting to do this year, became double world champs in the process. Their journey to the final was marked by not victories but a shocking defeat, losing to rivals Ireland in the group stage via the Duckworth Lewis method. They also had a game washed out against hosts Australia which meant that they had to win their final two games against New Zealand and Sri Lanka, a test that they passed with flying colours,

Once they were into the final four, victory never seemed in doubt. They thumped India by ten wickets in the semifinals before holding their nerve and securing the win against Pakistan in the MCG finale. Ben Stokes was the man who steered his team to victory, just as he did in the 2019 World Cup final victory against New Zealand as well. The defence of that crown late last year was somewhat of a disaster however, and the English will be hoping that they can restore some pride this autumn.

Australia - 2021

Australia's triumph in the 2021 T20 World Cup was a testament to their resilience and strategic prowess. Having navigated through the group stages with some closely-fought matches, they demonstrated their championship mettle by overcoming challenges in the knockout stages. They managed to defeat Pakistan with just six balls to spare in the semifinals, with David Warner and his rapid-fire 49 off just 30 balls helping his side to the W.

In the final, they met a New Zealand side that was riding the crest of a wave. The Kiwis reached the World Cup final in 2019 which they eventually lost to England, as well as the inaugural World Test Championship, where they defeated India. This time around, however, their local rivals proved to be too strong in Dubai. Mitchell Marsh was the man responsible for securing the trophy, smashing a wonderful 77 to help his side to an eight-wicket victory.

West Indies - 2016

The West Indies' victory in the 2016 T20 World Cup remains one of the most exhilarating performances in the tournament's history. Known for their flamboyant style of play, the Caribbean side enthralled fans with their power-hitting and innovative cricket. However, no one could have anticipated what was about to come.

In the final against England, it looked as though it would be them who got the victory at the Windies' expense. They needed 19 runs to win off the final over, a herculean task considering their run rate up until that point. But when all hope seemed lost, step up Carlos Brathwaite. The slogger smashed Ben Stokes for four consecutive sixes to seal the victory and leave his team celebrating long into the night. For Stokes and England however, they were left in tears, and it would take years for their ginger-haired stallion to put the memory of the defeat to bed once and for all.