This T20 World Cup has had it all, from upsets to stunning last-gasp victories. Shashwat Kumar argues that it is the best tournament that we have ever seen, and might see for a very long time.

Even before a ball had been bowled, this T20 World Cup was expected to be full of twists and turns. Australia, England and India might have cast themselves as frontrunners, but there was no overwhelming favourite even among them. Sri Lanka, who won the Asia Cup recently, had to go through the grind of the Group Stage, and the lower-ranked teams for the first time in quite a while had the luxury of playing – and winning – against higher-ranked T20I outfits.

Inclement weather does not play spoilsport as much in Australia as it does in some other cricketing nations, but Melbourne has been singled out by nature over the past week. According to some, it has exceeded the October average precipitation. Two high-profile games were abandoned on Friday, neither of which seemed likely to go ahead at any point, bringing the tally of no-weather outcomes to four. There have been several other rain-affected results. Worse, things do not promise to improve.

Yet, cricket has managed to triumph whenever weather gave it a chance. On Thursday, Pakistan and Zimbabwe played arguably one of the greatest T20 World Cup games ever, just days after another ‘greatest match ever’ contender when India beat Pakistan against all odds. Aside from the obvious depth of talent in Zimbabwe’s ranks, their victory was made all the more entertaining by what has bean been a stake off the field (more on that later).

The multitude of narratives running through this tournament have been made all the more intriguing by the build-up. Endless possibilities existed for upset and intrigue – a tournament where you feel almost anything and everything can happen. And, so far, it actually has.

This edition has already witnessed Virat Kohli reclaim the batting crease that used to be his until his prolonged slump. Pakistan have imploded twice to lose in spectacular fashion. New Zealand gave Australia an old-fashioned hiding to win their first match in the country since 2011 by a staggering 89 runs. Afghanistan have had their two games washed out after keeping England at bay, leaving them with two crucial points in the bank against teams they might (or not) have found themselves struggling against. West Indies, two-time champions and pioneers of the format, did not make it to the Super 12 altogether.

At the same time, the 17th-ranked Netherlands went toe-to-toe with India, matching them for a quarter of their match. South Africa have been denied by rain, their old World Cup nemesis, against Zimbabwe before Rilee Rossouw took Bangladesh apart. To top it all off, Ireland defeated England leaving their hopes of knockout qualification in the balance.

Zimbabwe’s iconic victory over Pakistan was billed on Twitter as the ‘Mr Bean Derby’, with two national leaders actually exchanging pleasantries on social media over a controversy no one knew they needed.

Group 1, in particular, has been so topsy-turvy that, barring Afghanistan, all teams might still have their destiny in their own hands after rain has reduced their league from five matches to four, or potentially even three. From here, every ball has the potential to shape the net run rate and their T20 World Cup fortunes, and every six hit for or against them take them a step towards or away from qualification.

This T20 World Cup has had everything. The only ways to improve on this are perhaps South Africa finding a new way to get eliminated; Rowan Atkinson acknowledging the drama of the masquerading Mr Bean in the build-up to the Pakistan-Zimbabwe thriller; and Ben Stokes announcing his undying renewed friendship with Alex Hales. To top that, if Kohli tweets in support of Babar Azam and Ian Smith calls another super over… well, pandemonium may unfold.

This tournament is a superb advertisement of truth being stranger – and, indeed, more remarkable than – than fiction. It feels almost absurd that the events in the above paragraph cannot, should not come true. Yet, the way this T20 World Cup has panned out, they might be. That is why this tournament will be remembered as one of, if not the best, long into the future.

Bet365 will be Live Streaming all of the T20 World Cup matches direct to your iPhone, iPad or Android device, as well as desktop. This means that every T20 World Cup fixture will be available to bet365 customers wherever they are in the world.