New Delhi [India], March 15 (ANI): International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman Jay Shah praised the 2026 World Cup for the strong performances of associate nations, highlighting close contests such as the USA challenging India, the Netherlands nearly defeating Pakistan, Nepal giving England a tough fight, and Zimbabwe beating Australia on Sunday in New Delhi.

He congratulated all associate teams and noted that their efforts have significantly elevated the stature of the tournament.

'This World Cup 2026 was very important for the associate nations. India became the champion, but you all saw how strongly America competed against India in the USA match. The Netherlands nearly defeated Pakistan. Nepal gave a tough fight to England, and Zimbabwe managed to beat Australia. I want to congratulate the entire associate world through this platform. The stature of this World Cup has risen so high because of the effort you all showed,' Jay Shah told the reporters.

'This World Cup has broken all previous records of viewership. I cannot share the exact numbers right now, but I will share them with the media later. What I can say is that the numbers have smashed every past record of viewership,' he added.

India emerged as the winner of the recently concluded T20 World Cup. India beat New Zealand by 96 runs on Sunday to successfully defend their T20 World Cup title.

The victory made India the first team to win the T20 World Cup on home soil, the first to win consecutive titles after their 2024 win, and the first to lift the trophy three times (2007, 2024, and 2026).

Notably, Sanju Samson's 89 off 46 balls at the top of the order in the final, along with contributions from Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Shivam Dube, helped India post a mammoth 254 in the first innings. (ANI)