Sri Lanka spinner Ajantha Mendis ripped through the Zimbabwe line-up in the first match of the tournament, registering the best T20I bowling figures of 6 for 8. He went on to finish as the highest wicket-taker in the tournament•Associated Press

Shapoor Zadran was the face of Afghanistan's exciting presence in the tournament; they gave India a scare in their first match, before eventually going down by 23 runs •AFP

West Indies, the eventual champions, suffered under the onslaught of Australia's Watson, but Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels dazzled•ICC/Getty

Bangladesh's blitz with the bat against Pakistan, led by Shakib al Hasan's 84 off 54 balls, indicated a prospective upset in an important game, but Imran Nazir overshadowed Shakib with 72 off 36 balls to underline why Pakistan were strong contenders for the World Twenty20•AFP

But the most dominant match-winner was Watson, who proved unstoppable as he laid into the Indian bowling attack for a 42-ball 72, that badly dented India's net run rate•AFP

The hugely-anticipated India versus Pakistan encounter turned out to be a one-sided affair as India's No. 3 batsman Virat Kohli scored an unbeaten 78 to calmly guide India to a low target•ICC/Getty

Pakistan bounced back strongly from their loss to India, as their spinners restricted Australia to 117 for 7 to win by 32 runs. It was the first match in which Watson failed to fire in the tournament•Getty Images

The win looked unlikely halfway with Sri Lanka's modest total of 139, but Rangana Herath & Co delivered the win with effective bowling•AFP

But they were still one step away. And they weren't looking like champions when they scored just 32 runs in their first ten overs of the final against Sri Lanka•Getty Images

West Indies were the deserved winners, and with their stylish games and joyous celebrations, it made for quite a spectacle•Getty Images

Just weeks before the World T20, Australia had slipped to No. 9 in the rankings and were keen to prove their detractors wrong. They began by beating Ireland comprehensively thanks to an all-round show by Shane Watson•AFP

New Zealand's campaign began with a belligerent 58-ball 123 by Brendon McCullum, his highest T20I score, as his team raced to 59-run win against Bangladesh•Associated Press

India's Rohit Sharma, by scoring a crucial half-century against England, ended his run of low scores, but the match will be remembered more for Harbhajan Singh's match-winning spell of 4 for 12 on his return to the team•Getty Images

Sri Lanka's first Super Eights game provided the tournament's first tie. New Zealand lost in the ensuing Super Over•AFP

As a strong Sri Lanka defeated West Indies in the Super Eights, Jeevan Mendis decided to copy Gayle's 'Gangnam Style', but he couldn't quite match the West Indian's flair•Associated Press

Some average performances by both New Zealand and West Indies created a situation in which one of the two teams would be knocked out by the other in the virtual quarter-final. New Zealand's campaign ended in heartbreak, with their second Super Over loss•Getty Images

On the same day, India won a thrilling match against South Africa by one run, but failed to qualify for the semi-final for the third time in a row•Associated Press

West Indies chose the semi-final against Australia to showcase their style to the fullest. Gayle top scored with an unbeaten 75 off 41 balls as his team amassed 205 •Associated Press

Marlon Samuels, however, revived his team, smashing Lasith Malinga on his way to a 78 off 56 balls•Associated Press

It was their first victory in a global event since 2004. This was the 'Gangnam Style' West Indies World Twenty20•Getty Images

England's Luke Wright also dished out a thrashing, scoring an unbeaten 99 off 55 balls to contribute to a 116-run win against Afghanistan•Associated Press

As Ireland were knocked out of the tournament after a washed-out game against West Indies, the enduring image of the contest was the 'Gangnam Style' dance of Chris Gayle, which became the defining Caribbean celebration over the course of the tournament•Associated Press

Umar Gul became a hero for Pakistan with the bat, as he smashed 32 off 17 balls to power his side to an unlikely come-from-behind victory over South Africa•Getty Images

Watson muscled Australia to the semi-final with 70 off 47 balls against South Africa, to win his fourth straight Man-of-the-Match award. His golden touch deserted him after this game and Australia couldn't make it past the semi-final•ICC/Getty

The West Indies win meant defending champions England had to beat hosts Sri Lanka to stay in the tournament but they lost early wickets and fell chasing to go out•AFP

In the semi-final, Sri Lanka's captain Mahela Jayawardene played a crucial knock of 42 to guide his team to a 16-run win against Pakistan•Getty Images

Watson didn't fire in the game, and Australia kept losing wickets regularly to lose by a huge margin of 74 runs. It was this game in which West Indies were at their best•Associated Press

A target of 138 wasn't imposing, though, and Sri Lanka fancied their chances of winning their first world event since 1996. That wasn't to be, as the chase went haywire due to a slew of wickets•ICC/Getty