Dead-eye Dwayne, and a fearless scoop

New Zealand were involved in two Super Overs in the space of five days in Pallakele during the Super Eights stage, and it was the way in which they reached the second one, against West Indies, which most sticks in my mind. Few people even knew the 12th man, Dwayne Smith, was on the field until he pulled off a direct hit from midwicket to run out Doug Bracewell on the last ball. Bracewell had sought a second run that would have brought New Zealand victory. Pallakele is a wonderful cricket ground, by far the finest Sri Lanka has ever produced, and moments like this brought the week alive.

With Sri Lanka needing five runs off two balls to win the opening Super Eights match against New Zealand, Lahiru Thirimanne's plight had become increasingly hopeless. Having come to the crease for the last over, he seemed clueless as to how to counter Tim Southee's unrelenting yorker barrage. He had tried to scoop the first ball he faced and was lucky to avoid being caught at short fine leg. Next up, he missed completely, this time trying to hit Southee through the off side. What Thirimanne did next showcased Twenty20 at its most compelling. Having already failed at the shot, this accumulator with a reputation for being a limited batsman, moved to the off side, went to one knee and shoveled the ball over the infield to tie the match. It might have looked like genius, but it was the shot of a madman, and one of the bravest things I have ever seen on a cricket field.

Two moments will stay with me for a long time, and both involve the respective winners. The first was after Australia Women had received the trophy and were done with the initial photographs. The Premadasa had already filled considerably with home fans ahead of the men's final and Sri Lankan flags were being waved all around. Suddenly, the Australian women ran across to the other side of the ground, opposite the dressing rooms, where the stands were filled the most. The crowd's response there was immediate, and heartwarming. They roared, cheering the victorious women. Sri Lankan flags was all they had, and they waved them for the champions, moving them to take a lap of the ground.

The second moment was when Chris Gayle did all sorts of antics after West Indies had won a rare title after a topsy-turvy final. He kept flinging himself to the ground; he did push-ups with both hands; he did them with one hand. To think this man was not part of this side for more than a year. To think he had been accused of not wanting to play for West Indies. It was hard to see him doing the same antics with the same raw emotion for any Twenty20 franchise team.