Ten Greatest Matches in Cricket History

Arguably, the greatest ODI match ever televised globally happened to be a World Cup Final. New Zealand shattered high-flying India’s final hopes while England steamrolled rivals Australia in their respective semi-finals to book the flight for the 2019 World Cup Final at Lords, London. Both teams had one hand on their maiden World Cup title with the Black Caps making it to this stage for the first time. 

Winning the toss, New Zealand captain Kane Williamson decided to bat first with a gentle smirk written across his face. Although they didn’t get a great start, courtesy of Chris Woakes and Jofra Archer’s tight start with the new ball, a 74-run second-wicket partnership between Henry Nicholls and Kane Williamson stabilised the stage for a big total. However, picking Liam Plunkett over Moeen Ali in the main event paid dividends as the experienced pacer outwitted the pair in a span of 4.1 overs halfway through the innings. Tom Latham seemed the lone survivor steering New Zealand to 241/8 with little support from the tail. Chris Woakes and Plunkett bagged three a piece for the English side. 

Like their counterparts, England got off to a shaky start with the Kiwi pacers reducing them to 86/4 in 23.1 overs. Just when the Black Caps should’ve capitalized on the exerted pressure, Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes stood against them like pillars. The right and left-handed duo added 110 runs for the fifth wicket bringing a glimmer of hope in the Three Lions dugout. Although Buttler was outdone for 59, Stokes’ undying grit kept England’s hopes alive despite losing wickets during the slog overs phase. The equation read 24 required off the last two overs with four wickets in hand when Jimmy Neesham scalped a couple to curtail it to 15 required off the last six balls with Stokes at one end. After a couple of dots from Boult, Stokes connected a heave over deep mid-wicket for six, making way for a dramatic event that no one would’ve thought. 

On the fourth ball of the over, Boult missed the yorker to a full-toss when Stokes flicked it towards deep mid-wicket where Martin Guptill was haring in. As the southpaw intended a couple of runs with an outstretched dive, the throw from Guptill inadvertently deflected off Stokes’ blade to trickle towards the boundary ropes. This earned England six runs, followed by a single and a runout on consecutive deliveries, leading to a tie.

As the match was set to be decided on Super Over, England scored 15 runs off Boult with a couple of fours in the brief innings. Jofra Archer was backed to defend the score against Jimmy Neesham and Martin Guptill who scored exactly the same number (15) with the former clobbering a six on the second ball. To everyone’s surprise, the Super Over tie resulted in an England victory, decided on the most boundary count in the Super Over. Although Neesham hit a six, the two fours in the English Super Over innings assisted in the Three Lions’ first-ever Cricket World Cup triumph.

One of the best T20I matches happened to be the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup in South Africa in 2007. Having beat Pakistan via a bowl-out during the group stages, India faced them once again in the Finals. 

Winning the toss and electing to bat first, India lost a couple of wickets inside the powerplay with Mohammad Asif and Sohail Tanvir picking up one each. A 63-run third-wicket partnership followed suit between Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh before the Pakistan side came back hunting with wickets in the middle and slog overs phase. Following Gambhir’s 75, Rohit Sharma’s 16-ball 30 blitz during the dying end of the innings propelled India to 157/5 in 20 overs. 

In reply, RP Singh gave an excellent start with the new ball, sending Mohammad Hafeez and Kamran Akmal packing. But the Men in Green’s attacking approach helped them fetch 53 runs inside the field restrictions despite losing three wickets. Younis Khan’s run-a-ball 24 was followed by back-to-back wickets in the 12th over by Irfan Pathan. At the end of the 16th over, Pakistan’s scorecard read 104/7 in 16 overs with Misbah-ul-Haq at one end of the crease. 34 runs came in the next couple of overs, trimming the equation down to 20 needed off the last two. An extraordinary seven-run over with Umar Gul’s wicket left Pakistan short by 13 runs in the final over with a wicket left. After a wide, dot, and a six against Joginder Sharma, Misbah looked to scoop the medium pacer off a length ball over a fine leg. However, the timing wasn’t appropriate, resulting in a catch down the throat of Sreesanth there. 

This is how India bounced back after a horrendous ODI World Cup outing in West Indies as a young group led by MS Dhoni lifted the inaugural edition’s trophy against their arch-rival in a humdinger. 

One of the most infamous matches in ODI World Cup history occurred between South Africa and Australia. The two nations share some of the epic matches in cricket history. One of them is the particular semi-final encounter from the World Cup 1999 in Birmingham. 

Batting first, Australia lost wickets in the first half of the innings with Shaun Pollock and Allan Donald spitting venom with the new ball. Although Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist tried to battle it out with grit, the deadly duo was too hot to handle on the day. As the new ball’s movement minimized, Steve Waugh and Michael Bevan’s fifties under pressure ensured Australia surpassed the 200-run mark in 49.2 overs. Pollock finished with a five-wicket-haul while Donald bucketed four under his name.

In response, South Africa got off to a brisk start before Shane Warne wreaked havoc with his wily wrist spin. He took just nine deliveries to get rid of Herschelle Gibbs, Gary Kirsten, and Hansie Cronje with South Africa struggling at 61/4 in 21.2 overs. Jacques Kallis’ 53 and Jonty Rhodes’ 43 stabilised the stage laying the foundation for a close finish with Lance Klusener playing the role of a finisher perfectly until the dying moments of the game. The scorecard reads he scored 31* off 16 balls but the last over of the game spun a different yarn. 

The OZ came back in the game when the Men in Green and Gold lost a couple of wickets in a nine-run 49th over, leaving them nine runs shy of the target. As Damien Fleeming donned the ball in the final over, Klusener drove a couple of fours through cover and widish long off respectively to equal the tally. A dot followed before Mark Waugh inflicted a terrific runout to hit the final nail in the coffin. With both teams ending on 213 runs, Australia progressed to the final as they were placed a place superior to the Proteas during the Super Six stages. Although the rule no longer exists, the climax of this match hurts a South African fan’s sentiments to date.

One of the challenges that Test cricket, in particular, has been facing is the lack of competition and early finish of matches – say in three or four days. Amidst all the chaos, the 2020/21 Border Gavaskar Trophy proved to be an edge-of-a-seat thriller series as India clinched the title by breaching Australia’s fortress in the decider at Gabba.

Batting first, the OZ piled up 369 runs on the back of Marnus Labuschagne’s ton and Tim Paine’s fifty with T Natarajan, Shardul Thakur, and Washington Sundar picking up three wickets each. In reply, Rohit Sharma gave a good start with 44 off 74 balls before the Indians kept losing wickets in regular intervals to find themselves in a spot of bother with 186/6. With the ball in Australia’s court, Sundar and Shardul smashed 62 and 67 respectively to push India to 336 in the second innings. 

Hazlewood’s five-wicket haul in the innings was matched with Mohammed Siraj’s fifer in the third innings as they were curbed to 294 runs. Aiming to chase down 328 runs, India faced eleven balls on the fourth day with no loss for four runs before taking it session by session on the fifth day. Although Rohit Sharma was outdone in the first session, Cheteshwar Pujara’s valiant stonewall allowed Shubman Gill to play his natural game and pile up runs. The pair added 114 runs together for the second wicket before Rahane and Gill (91) departed in the second session as India’s score reflected 183/3 at Tea. 

Right after, Rishabh Pant counterpunched the Aussies in the final session and took the game apart with time. He scored a fifty off 100 balls with India requiring 69 runs in the last hour of play. Pujara and Mayank Agarwal’s dismissal in the session kept the game in balance but Washington Sundar did enough to assist Pant in setting up the chase as the Delhi-based keeper-batter put up his flamboyance on show. His unbridled 89 with nine fours and a six decimated the mighty Aussies at their fortress as Gabba was breached after a historic 32 years.

The context leading to the fourth Test pays greater importance to this humdinger of a clash. India was bundled for an embarrassing 36 runs in the second innings of the first Test at the Adelaide Oval before they bounced back under interim skipper Ajinkya Rahane in the second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Since Virat Kohli was on paternity leave after the opening Test, Rahane led the national side for the last three Test matches. Numerous front-line players were missing from the squad. Rohit Sharma was available for the last couple of games while Mohammad Shami (fracture), Jasprit Bumrah (abdominal strain), Umesh Yadav (calf issue), Ravindra Jadeja (dislocated finger) and Ishant Sharma (abdominal injury) were sidelined due to injury. Additionally, heroes from the drawn Sydney Test – Ravichandran Ashwin (back) and Hanuma Vihari (Grade 2 hamstring) missed the final match in Gabba after coping several blows in Sydney. The Men in Blue conquered the series with a relatively amateur set of players amidst a few veterans, making it one of the best wins on overseas soil by any Test-playing nation.

After a ten-wicket victory in the first Test in Wankhede, the Indian team led by Sourav Ganguly had an uphill task to upset the mighty Aussies. Batting first in the second Test at the honourable Eden Gardens, Australian openers Michale Slater and Matthew Hayden offered a flamboyant start, scoring 42 and 97 respectively, followed by a fifty from Justin Langer to set up Steve Waugh’s valiant 110. Even the tail irritated the Indian bowlers on the second day as Australia posted 445 runs in the first innings. 

In reply, India was bundled for 171 with VVS Laxman scoring 59. As the follow-on was enforced on the third day, the Indians showed grit despite regular wickets in the first couple of sessions. Laxman, who was promoted at No. 3 consolidated a 117-run fourth-wicket stand with captain Ganguly as India were 254/4 at Stumps. Having already smashed a ton on the moving day, Laxman converted it into a double ton under the presence of Rahul Dravid. The pair orchestrated a 376-run stand to play out the day without any hiccups, adding worries to the Australian captain. 

Waugh, who sensed a party after the series win on the fourth day was distressed after the match moved to the fifth day with Australia requiring 384 runs to win. There was a possibility of all three results at the end of the second session on the final day when Australia’s score read 161/3 with Hayden and Steve at either end. This is when Ganguly’s ploy to attack the visitors with Sachin Tendulkar and Harbhajan from either end paid dividends. The pair wreaked havoc in the middle and lower order as the Aussies crumbled for 212 and lost by 171 runs. Harbhajan bagged 13 wickets (7+6) across the Test but there could’ve been only one Player of the Match – VVS Laxman for his fighting 59 and 281 – that helped India turn the tide in their favour to ultimately go on and win the series 2-1.

The 2012 T20 World Cup Champions had the opportunity to lift the prestigious trophy for the second time at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. However, the challenge wasn’t easy as a high-flying England side led by Eoin Morgan barred their path.

Batting first, Joe Root’s 54 and Jos Buttler’s 36 coupled with lower-middle order cameos helped England score 155 runs for nine wickets in 20 overs. The likes of Dwayne Bravo and Carlos Brathwaite gleamed with the white rock, picking up three wickets each. Surprisingly, Root offered a strong start with the ball; quite uncharacteristic of him to bag a couple of wickets inside the powerplay. David Willey and Adil Rashid capitalized on the strong bowling start but Marlon Samuels ensured he stuck around till the end of the innings. Scoring 85* off 66, he had the best seat in the house of what was an unpredictable, unbelievable, unsung show with the bat from Brathwaite in the final over.

An eight-run 19th over from Chris Jordan curtailed the required equation to 19 off six. The pacer also ensured that the set batter Samuels was off strike for the final over. Ben Stokes, handed to operate the crucial over kicked off with back-to-back half-volleys at the stumps that Brathwaite smoked in the leg side for sixes. The right-hander mistimed the slog on the subsequent delivery but it soared over long off for a hattrick of maximums. With a run needed, he swung for “the hills” as Samuels advised and the white cherry soared miles away past the cow corner ropes at a full-packed Eden Gardens. 

It was one of those matches that could leave a neutral fan emotional. The South African team in the 2015 World Cup was an absolute superstar team with the likes of Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers, David Miller, Dale Steyn, Quinton de Kock, Morne Morkel, JP Duminy, and Imran Tahir, among others teaming up eyeing to fetch their maiden World Cup title. 

After finishing second in Group B, they faced the challenge against a high-flying New Zealand unit that was on a six-match winning streak in the tournament. The luck favoured the Proteas during the toss and de Villiers opted to bat first. The openers, Amla and de Kock failed to handle Trent Boult’s new ball swing before du Plessis’ 82, de Villiers’ 65, and Miller’s 18-ball 49 blitz propelled South Africa to 281/5 in a rain-curtailed 43 overs innings. 

The target for New Zealand was adjusted to 298 as per the Duckworth-Lewis Algorithm. Martin Guptil and Brendon McCullum, the openers offered a blistering start with the bat with the latter scoring 59 off just 26 balls including four sixes and eight fours. Although Morne Morkel struck back with a couple of wickets within the powerplay, Ross Taylor and Martin Guptill’s 47-run third-wicket stand laid the foundation for a match-defining 103-run fifth-wicket partnership between Corey Anderson and Grant Elliot. 

New Zealand was 269/5 in 40 overs when Luke Ronchi departed, needing 29 off the last 18 balls. Steyn and Morkel conceded 17 in the next couple of overs before the final over kickstarted with a bye and single. Subsequently, Steyn struggled with his calf but got up and bowled to see the match slip away in the next three balls. Vettori guided a yorker towards the left of third man for a four, followed by a single to bring well-set Elliot on strike. The right-hander, South African by nationality, clobbered a length ball from the gun pacer leaving the Proteas players weary-eyed in the middle of the field.

Ahead of the 2002 Natwest series in England, The Three Lions toured India where Andrew Flintoff sprinted by taking off his jersey after a win. The same thought stuck in Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly’s mind when his reflexes got the better of his dignified morality at the Lord’s Balcony in 2002. The Indian side which was known as a weaker side overseas started to win crucial matches overseas under leader Ganguly with this encounter being one of the prime highlights. 

Both India and England topped the tri-series assignment with Sri Lanka with each team playing six games each. The coin-flip favoured the hosts during the final at the mecca of cricket as England batted first. Centuries from Marcus Trescothick and Nasser Hussain coupled with Andrew Flintoff’s 32-ball 40 steered the Three Lions to a first-innings score of 325/5. Zaheer Khan was the pick of the Indian bowlers with a three-fer.

In response, Sourav Ganguly and Virender Sehwag offered a brilliant start with the willow, scoring 43-ball 60 and 49-ball 45 respectively. However, the middle order faltered with Rony Irani getting a couple of wickets. From 106/1 in 14.3 overs, the Men in Blue crumbled to 146/5 in 24 overs. This is when Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif rose to the occasion. Bouncing back from such adverse situations in a high-pressure game was quite uncharacteristic of Team India back in those days. 

However, the left and right-hand pair added 121 runs together for the sixth wicket before Yuvraj was outwitted for 69 in the 42nd over.  But Kaif continued his flourish with the bat despite a couple of more wickets, making way for Zaheer Khan in the 48th over with the score 314/8. Nine runs came off the next over with an outside four on the last ball of 49th over reducing it to a couple needed. For a twist, Zaheer conceded a couple of dots in the first couple of balls in the final over before the duo ran a double off the third ball to ensure a historic triumph on overseas soil. In no time, the cameras focused on Ganguly who unstripped his India jersey and waved at the Lord’s balcony, creating an ever-lasting moment in Indian cricket history.

India’s T20 World Cup campaign in 2022 was initiated with a heavy-weight face-off against arch-rivals Pakistan. The match had all the twists and turns it could have with a Virat Kohli classic in a packed MCG only epitomizing the nerve-wracking event.

Winning the toss and choosing to field first, India got early breakthroughs with Arshdeep Singh sending Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam packing with the new ball. However, Shan Masood and Iftikhar Ahmed’s fifties stabilized the stage for Pakistan, steering them to 159/8 in 20 overs. In reply, KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma were dismissed early followed by Suryakumar Yadav departing in the final over of the field restrictions. The woes added when Axar Patel’s promotion at No. 5 backfired with Hardik Pandya and Virat Kohli at either end of the crease. 

The right-handed duo mixed caution with aggression, adding 113 runs for the fifth wicket to bring India back in the hunt. However, the all-rounder was dismissed on the first ball of the 20th over with India needing 16 off the last five balls. A hefty equation came down to this, thanks to back-to-back sixes from Kohli in the 19th over, one of which was an iconic pull down the ground off Rauf. A single and a double came off the second and third ball of the last over of Muhammad Nawaz before Kohli smoked a six off a no-ball. A wide and three byes followed before Karthik got out in the penultimate ball with a couple to win from the last ball. Unfortunately, the left-arm spinner sprayed one down the leg stump and Ashwin left it alone and hurled for a bye, sealing an emphatic victory for India. Kohli stayed unbridled at 82 off 53 balls and was adjudged the Player of the Match.