West Indies and T20 cricket have become synonymous over the last couple of decades. Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo among many others have embraced the format and etched themselves into the history books while adding a much-entertaining calypso brand to the game.

The success of West Indies’ players across the various franchise leagues has also enabled the team to write its own chapter at the international level in T20Is. The Caribbean side has won the T20 World Cup twice – in 2012 in Sri Lanka and 2016 in India – becoming the first and only team so far to lift the trophy twice.

However, the team did not have the best of starts at the showpiece event, which began in 2007.

Chris Gayle was at the fore in the first game of the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup against South Africa in 2007. Gayle smashed the first century in T20I history, scoring 117 runs from 57 balls which included 10 monstrous sixes.

However, that was the only highlight for the West Indian cricket team in 2007. South Africa chased down the West Indian score of 205 and Bangladesh inflicted a six-wicket defeat in the second game to end the Caribbean side’s journey.

West Indies’ first win in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup came in the 2009 edition when they beat Australia by chasing down 170 runs. Despite the defeat against Sri Lanka in the following game, West Indies reached the Super 8s.

The Caribbean side were victorious against India and England in the Super 8s, helping them make the semi-final. Yet again, Sri Lanka proved to be too hot to handle for the West Indian team as they lost by 57 runs in the final four.

A year later, West Indies hosted the T20 World Cup for the first time in 2010. The hosts won comfortably against Ireland in their first game while sealing a last-over thriller against England in a reduced game.

It was not a case of third-time lucky for West Indies against Sri Lanka in the Super 8s as Mahela Jayawardene starred in another 57-run Lankan victory. Even though the hosts beat India in the following game, a heavy loss against the Aussies ended the Caribbean dreams in 2010.

West Indies at the T20 World Cup 2012

Considering their torrid record against the Lankans in the previous editions, West Indies had a score to settle in the 2012 T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka. 

In a rain-affected opening game against Australia, West Indies were unable to contain the Aussie batters and lost by 17 runs (D/L method) after the rain stopped play during the run chase.

The game against Ireland was washed out as both teams shared the points. Owing to a higher net run rate, the Caribbean side made it to the Super 8s.

Johnson Charles’ whirlwind knock helped West Indies beat England by 15 runs in the first Super 8 game. The Sri Lankan jinx caught up with the West Indians once again, as they suffered a fourth defeat in a row against the hosts in the T20 World Cup.

In their final Super 8s match, West Indies beat New Zealand in a nail-biting super over. New Zealand scored 17 runs but Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels were the heroes for West Indies as they chased down the target on the penultimate ball to seal an enthralling victory.

West Indies faced Australia in the semi-final and batting first, Chris Gayle’s unbeaten knock of 75 runs guided them to 205/4. The Australian batters never got going in the run chase as Ravi Rampaul’s spell of 3/16 enabled West Indies to make their first-ever final.

In the 2012 T20 World Cup final, West Indies faced their nemesis, Sri Lanka. Marlon Samuels scored a half-century to take West Indies to 137/6 after 20 overs. However, the Caribbean side finally buried the ghosts of previous unsuccessful games against the Lankans as Sunil Narine and Daren Sammy’s efforts with the ball earned a 36-run victory in the final. It was the first T20 World Cup title for the West Indies cricket team.

West Indies could not defend their title in 2014, losing to Sri Lanka in the semi-final.  Lahiru Thirimanne and Angelo Mathews’ valiant knocks ensured Sri Lanka got to the 160-run mark. Lasith Malinga dismantled the West Indies top order and knocked them out of the tournament.

West Indies at the T20 World Cup 2016

The 2016 edition of the T20 World Cup was hosted by India. Chris Gayle scored his second T20 World Cup century as the Windies cruised home in the first Super 10 game.

Then, the West Indies cricket team beat Sri Lanka by seven wickets in a low-scoring encounter. In the third match, the Caribbean side won a thrilling clash against South Africa, chasing down the target of 123 runs in the final over. 

However, their last Super 10 match ended with a defeat in another low-scoring game, as the Windies fell six runs short of Afghanistan’s total of 123. Despite the defeat, West Indies finished atop Group 1 with six points.

West Indies faced India, who were touted as one of the tournament favourites, in the semi-final at the Wankhede Stadium. Virat Kohli inspired India with his 89-run knock of just 47 balls to a total of 192/2. However, Johnson Charles and Lendl Simmons’ half-centuries along with a late blitzkrieg from Andre Russell ensured a seven-wicket win and a place in the final for the Windies.

In the T20 World Cup 2016 final, England batted first and posted 155 runs on the scoreboard, thanks to Joe Root’s efforts with the bat. Marlon Samuels held the Windies run chase together as a flurry of wickets fell through at the other end. 

Carlos Brathwaite provided one of the most iconic T20 World Cup moments of all-time in the final over of the game. Needing 19 runs in the final over, the West Indian all-rounder took a liking to Ben Stokes, smashing him for four consecutive sixes to win the game for the team. The Daren Sammy-led team won their second T20 World Cup title and the phrase “Remember the name” was etched into history.

The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 was a forgettable tournament for West Indies, who won only one of their five matches in the Super 10s. They beat Bangladesh by three runs while being second-best against England, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Australia.

West Indies at the T20 World Cup: Top Individual Performances

Chris Gayle is the only batter to score two centuries in the T20 World Cup. Gayle is also the leading run-scorer for the West Indies in the history of the tournament. 

The Universe boss also tops the six-hitting charts with 63 sixes in the T20 World Cup, 30 more than the second-best, Yuvraj Singh. Meanwhile, Gayle is fifth on the list of most fours hit by a batter in the tournament, considering his tally of 78 fours.

Dwayne Bravo has picked up 27 wickets in 27 innings in the tournament, the most wickets by a West Indian bowler in the T20 World Cup.

The best figures by a West Indian bowler at the T20 World Cup belong to Samuel Badree, who scalped four wickets while conceding only 15 runs against Bangladesh in the 2014 edition.

Meanwhile, Marlon Samuels’ knock of 85 runs in the final of the 2016 edition is the highest individual score by a batter in the T20 World Cup final.

West Indies at the T20 World Cup: Results and records

Edition	Result	Top run-scorer	Top wicket-taker
2007	Group stage	Chris Gayle (117)	Ravi Rampaul (3)
2009	Super 8s	Chris Gayle (193)	Dwayne Bravo (10)
2010	Super 8s	Chris Gayle (132)	Daren Sammy (6)
2012	Champions	Marlon Samuels (230)	Sunil Narine (9)
2014	Semi-final	Chris Gayle (143)	Samuel Badree (11)
2016	Champions	Marlon Samuels (181)	Samuel Badree (9)
2021	Super 10s	Shimron Hetmyer (127)	Akeal Hosein (5)