In pics: Reliving T20 World Cup 2021 as cricketing carnival ends with a bang in UAE

Aaron Finch-led Australia won the 2021 T20 WC, beating New Zealand by 8 wickets in the final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai on November 14 (Sunday).

Australia won their first-ever World Cup in the shortest format in the seventh edition, claiming their eighth ICC title overall.  Simply OUTSTANDING!!!

The Black Caps once again overachieved, playing their third successive finale in ICC events. While they came second, they have been the most consistent side in ICC tournaments since 2015. 

High time we stop terming them as 'darkhorses' or 'underdogs'.

Tournament-favourites India and West Indies failed to enter the semi-finals, despite many former cricketers and experts touting them to surely be in the semi-finals.

While India ended with three wins in a row, the defending champions Windies managed just a solitary win with many big names in their line-up.

India's unbeaten WC streak versus Pakistan also ended, losing to Men in Green by ten wickets. Both sides squared off against each other in their respective Super 12 openers, where Virat Kohli & Co. fell like nine pins.

Babar Azam-led Pakistan came to the T20 WC on the back of a heartbreak with teams not willing to tour the Asian country. Nonetheless, the one-time winners topped Pool B and remained unbeaten in the group stages before losing the semi-finals. 

Nonetheless, Babar & Co. had an emphatic campaign with many heroes such as Shaheen Afridi, Md. Rizwan, Asif Ali, Shoaib Malik, Haris Rauf, etc.

England, like Pakistan, topped their group (i.e. Pool A), but lost the semi-finals dramatically to eventual runners-up England. Eoin Morgan & Co., thus, missed out on being crowned the limited-overs champions.

Dasun Shanaka-led Sri Lanka punched above their weight to finish above two-time winners West Indies. They ended with two impressive wins in Super 12, over Bangladesh and England respectively.

Temba Bavuma-led South Africa impressed in Pool A, missing out on semis spot on NRR. They moved past various obstacles and beat England, West Indies, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. However, they couldn't go through to the last four; losing out to champions Australia.

Bangladesh returned being winless in the Super 12 round. Much more was expected of the Bangla Tigers, due to their rich experience, but Mahmudullah & Co. failed to win even a single game in the main draw.

While Afghanistan had their chances as well, Namibia and Scotland impressed particularly with their competitiveness in Pool B. The latter two associate nations surely have gained a lot from their experience and will be eager to get more chances versus the top teams.