Top 3 catches of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021

The ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021 drew to a close on Sunday, with Australia defeating New Zealand by eight wickets to clinch the title.

It was Australia's first men's T20 crown at the end of what was their second appearance in a men's T20 World Cup final.

The 2021 T20 World Cup threw up many jaw-dropping moments that left viewers awestruck. Be it extravagant strokeplay, innovative pyrotechnics or crafty bowling spells, the T20 World Cup certainly had all of it in abundance.

Australia were crowned champions of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021

Another area that left viewers impressed was the fielding - from Ravindra Jadeja's almost incredible catch against Afghanistan, to Daryl Mitchell's brilliance near the ropes. The 2021 T20 World Cup was lit up by these moments of brilliance.

Of course, the catches were a sight to behold. It is tough to handpick a select few considering the number of spectacular takes through the tournament. Yet, there were a select few that would linger in the memories of viewers even after years to come.

Here, we list the top three catches from the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021.

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#3 Aiden Markram against Australia

Aiden Markram could have been mistaken for Superman without a cape during the first game of the T20 World Cup. South Africa were defending a modest 118 against Australia in Abu Dhabi. Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell took control of the chase to put Australia in front.

However, the fifth ball of the 15th over, bowled by Anrich Nortje, saw a moment of inspiration. Smith pulled a short delivery over mid-on and the ball seemed to be headed towards safety.

But flying Aiden Markram had other ideas.

Sprinting to his right at top speed, Markram timed his leap to perfection before pulling off a spectacular catch. This helped bring South Africa back into the game. The contest went down to the last over but eventually Marcus Stoinis and Matthew Wade saw the Australians home.

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#2 Akeal Hosein against England

'Quite brilliant!' cried Nasser Hussain on air. He couldn't be any truer.

A look at this sensational return catch from Akeal Hosein will leave one gobsmacked by the sheer timing of his reflexes. It was a contest that was going nowhere for the West Indies as they slipped to a sorry total of 55. While England lost three wickets, the target was never going to be out of reach.

That said, West Indies did have a moment to savor right after the powerplay. Liam Livingstone was unfortunately on the receiving end when he chipped a full-length delivery well to Akeal Hosein's left. Hosein, though, leapt full-stretched to pull off a one-handed screamer before taking off on a celebratory run.

Though it wasn't going to avoid the inevitable result, it certainly gave a good account of Akeal Hosein's athleticism on the field.

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#1 Devon Conway against Pakistan

"Oh put a cape on him as well!"- Danny Morrison was arguably the luckiest commentator on air this tournament. Having called the Aiden Markram stunner in Abu Dhabi, he was in the hot seat when Devon Conway pulled off something similar a few days later.

In their 2021 T20 World Cup opener against Pakistan in Sharjah, New Zealand's bowlers were making a match of their 134-run defense. The last ball of the 11th over saw Mohammad Hafeez step out to a flighted Mitchell Santner delivery, aiming to pierce the wide long off region.

Enter Devon Conway without the wicket-keeping gloves that night. Conway covered a lot of ground and threw himself into the ball before landing on his right shoulder. No damage was done to it, but this spectacular moment left everybody at the venue spellbound.

A couple more wickets followed thereafter and Pakistan were in a spot of trouble. However, a mature innings from the experienced Shoaib Malik and a blitz of sixes from Asif Ali saw them home.

Nevertheless, Devon Conway provided a moment of magic in the contest with a catch destined for the archives of the T20 World Cup.