ICC World T20 2016: Top 5 moments of the week

As the first week of the ICC World T20 2016 Super 10s came to an end on Tuesday, there have been many moments that caught all of our attention. 11 matches were played during the week, starting from the World T20 opener between India and New Zealand to Tuesday's match between New Zealand and Pakistan.

The week has been filled with many events or incidents that changed the course of a match or added more spice to an encounter. We take a look at five of the best moments from all the matches that took place so far. The list exemplifies the magic of a world tournament and how any side can produce moments that take the fans’ breath away.

Here are the top five moments of the week:

Mohammad Shahzad handed send-off by Chris Morris

After South Africa posted their second 200-plus of the World T20 in their match against Afghanistan at the Wankhede Stadium, the Proteas would have had memories of the previous match against England when they were unable to defend 229.

Afghanistan's entertaining opener, Mohammad Shahzad got his team off to a great start and were cruising at 47/0 in just three overs, chasing 210. Shahzad had faced the majority of the number of balls as he was on 44 off just 17 balls. This is when Faf du Plessis introduced Chris Morris into the attack.

The tall all-rounder was brought into get a breakthrough and that is exactly what he did in the last ball of his over as he went through the gates of Shahzad's defence and knocked his stumps off. Morris made sure that Shahzad knew exactly how he felt about taking his prized wicket giving him a proper send-off infuriating Shahzad's opening partner, Noor Ali Zadran.

When Jordan denied Gayle a world record

It is a very well-known fact that Chris Gayle is, arguably, the best batsman in the T20 format currently. If the big Jamaican gets going, then there is not much the opposition bowlers can do other than watching him in full flow.

That is exactly what Gayle did in West Indies’ World T20 opener against England when he scored a match-winning 100* off 48 balls to help his side chase down a total of 182 with almost two overs left.

In the process of getting to his century, Gayle had the opportunity to create the record for the fastest century in T20Is when he was on 97 off 43 balls. For at batsman like Gayle, all that was needed was one scoring shot, which usually ends up in the stands.

However, a couple of low full-tosses from Chris Jordan in the 17th over restricted Gayle from beating Richard Levi's 45-ball record. However, Gayle did get the record of having scored the fastest hundred in World T20s.

Colin Munro invents a new stroke

Since the advent of limited-overs cricket, batsmen have invented new shots to take on the bowlers and score runs in a new manner. Be it the reverse sweep, the dilscoop or the switch hit, all these shots are difficult to master and pull off in the pressure situation of a match.

New Zealand's Colin Munro put his name on the map of the cricketing world when he scored the second fastest half-century in T20 in 14 balls against Sri Lanka earlier this year. Munro has displayed an array of shots in his armour and this has been one of the major reasons for his success.

In the match against Australia at Dharamsala, Munro introduced the cricketing world to a new stroke – ‘the reverse late cut’. Being a left-handed batsman, Munro seemed like attempting the switch hit off Glenn Maxwell's bowling. However, the ball was too far wide and Munro comes up with an innovative late cut to dab it past the wicketkeeper, a perfect shot for a right-hander.

Munro showed this was not a one-time thing as he did the same in Tuesday's match against Pakistan off the bowling of Shahid Afridi.

Soumya Sarkar's brilliant composure to complete an unbelievable catch

One thing that every world tournament has is an outstanding catch. In the second match of the Super 10, between Bangladesh and Pakistan, Soumya Sarkar came up with what might already be termed as the catch of the tournament.

Pakistan were cruising along at 163/2 in 16.3 overs with Mohammad Hafeez having scored 64 runs off 41 balls batting. Looking to help his side put on a score of above 200, Hafeez went for the big hit and connected it well and seemed like clearing the boundary. However, that was before Soumya Sarkar came up with a brilliant display of calm and composed play to latch onto what was an amazing catch.

The ball was destined to cross the boundary at cow corner, but, Sarkar came in running from the mid-wicket region and leaped up to grab the ball and throw it back up in the air before landing outside the boundary. The Bangladesh player had the presence of mind to step back in and then complete the catch showing excellent skills to balance himself within the field of play.

Virat Kohli bowing down to the Little Master after a masterclass

Any cricket fan when asked who the best chaser in international cricket right now is will utter the name of just one person – Virat Kohli. Kohli has had an unbelievable start to the year and does not seem like stopping his outrageous displays with the bat.

Every match between India and Pakistan is watched with much interest across the sporting world. And on Saturday's World T20 match between the two sides, the rivalry between the sides was quite evident with eminent personalities like Sachin Tendulkar, Amitabh Bachchan thronging the stands at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

After restricting Pakistan to a modest total of 118 in 18 overs, India got off to a terrible start losing three quick wickets. However, Indian fans knew not to give up with their best batsman – Kohli – still at the crease. Kohli came up with a masterful display of batting, soaking in the pressure and helping his side to another famous win over their rivals with a 37-ball 55*.

Following his fifty, amidst the celebrations around the ground and on the pitch, Kohli pointed to the stands where Sachin Tendulkar was applauding the knock. What followed was one of the most impressive gestures when Kohli bowed down to Sachin, symbolising the respect that he has for one of the greatest cricketers who ever graced the game.