Best ODI ever ?

[Langeveldt]

Agree entirely.

Best I've watched has to be the 2004 Champions Trophy final. Gutted.

Well it's the only sporting event that i've ever cried over.. So must have been a bit of a roller coaster.. (The WC semi, not the Champions Trophy!)

 

[pskov]

I was at the CT2004 final. I just couldn't believe my eyes. Definatley the best ODI game I've ever been to, even though England lost.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Can't top the Champion's Trophy 2004 in my mind. I don't care who won it, it was damn good cricket.

 

[tooextracool]

just to mention a few that havent been mentioned here already.
the england-WI game from the sharjah final in 97 with hollioake as captain, where england looked dead and buried chasing 239 before thorpe and matthew fleming turned things around- bias maybe, but it was a great ODI nonetheless one that i remember vividly.
the pakistan vs SL game at sharjah in 99 when SL collapsed from 157/1 to 196 all out and tied the game, thanks to razzaq's 5fer.
the 30 over tied game between australia and the WI in 98-99 remembered for keith arthurton's brilliant final over and of course the glass bottle that nearly hit steve waugh in the head.
the ind-aus game from wc 92, i still cant believe the number of mistakes that were made on that last ball.
the SA- NZ game from the carlton and united series 98, when NZ were 124/6 and got to 298 chasing 300. parore and nash providing a classic.
the zimbabwe australia game form the vb series 2001, known famously for marilliers sweep. the look on mcgraths face is priceless.

 

[cricket player]

for me it has to be pakistan vs india.I don't know why people are saying that semi final of world cup between saf vs aus was the best.It doesnt make sense to me.Although it was a good match but it is nothing compared to india vs pakistan
india making 350 runs and pakistan almost won but just fell short by 6 run's infact in the last ball pakistan needed 6 runs and moin khan was facing the delievery where ashish nehra bowled a mid high full toss and moin couldnt hit it for a six.

That was one of the best match i have ever seen
inzy making a centurie and rahul dravid was bowled for 99 when shoiab bowled a nice delievery that nipped back and hit the stumps
absloutely brilliant match
infact india and pakistan remains one of the biggest rivarly in history of cricket
and the second position to be taken by england vs aus.

 

[tooextracool]

for me it has to be pakistan vs india.I don't know why people are saying that semi final of world cup between saf vs aus was the best.It doesnt make sense to me.Although it was a good match but it is nothing compared to india vs pakistan
india making 350 runs and pakistan almost won but just fell short by 6 run's infact in the last ball pakistan needed 6 runs and moin khan was facing the delievery where ashish nehra bowled a mid high full toss and moin couldnt hit it for a six.

because the semi final offered everything, the setting was perfect- world cup semi final and the pitch was perfect and offered something to both bowlers and batsmen, instead of the ridiculous who can hammer the bowler more on flat pitches game. lets not forget that it was a tie while the other one was a 6 run difference too.

 

[Link]

I dont really think trhat the WC fianl was the best OD match, but pontings innings was the best OD innings ive seen.

The Aus/SAF semi final in 99 was a great.

 

[Richard]

Can't top the Champion's Trophy 2004 in my mind. I don't care who won it, it was damn good cricket.

For excitement and astonishing turnarounds, I agree.
But the quality of the cricket was not the best.

 

[cric_manic]

nz vs sa in the 2003 world cup nz won chasing 300. flemings hundred was the best i have ever seen 134*. pretty much ending sa's world cup

 

[Jono]

Although Ponting owned the WC 2003 final, I don't see how anyone can see that as one of the best ODIs ever. Favourite? Sure. But best? India bowled so poorly, the quality of cricket was distressing.

My top 5.

1) Australia vs. South Africa - World Cup Semi Final 1999
2) India vs. England - Nat West Series Final 2002
3) Australia vs. West Indies - VB Series New Year's Day Match 1996
4) England vs. West Indies - ICC Champions Trophy 2004
5) India vs. Pakistan - 5 Match ODI Series 2004

One that just misses out, and seems to be fairly forgotten, is the ODI between Pakistan and Australia in the 1996/97 VB Series (Then known as the Carlton & United Series).

http://aus.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1996-97/OD_TOURNEYS/CUODS/PAK_AUS_CUODS_ODI3_15DEC1996.html

Brilliant match, the making of Saqlain Mustaq. From that moment on I thought he would become the best ODI spinner in the world. Unfortunately I feel he is the biggest underachiever in world cricket.

That whole ODI triangular series was awesome. Australia dominated the WI early, winning the first 2 matches, but Pakistan arrived and beat Australia many times, WI bounced back to beat both Pakistan and Australia, and eventually topped the table. Australia ended up last in their own home series, and Pakistan and WI moved on to the finals, where Pakistan beat WI in the first 2 finals to win the series. Tremendous cricket.

I temporarily moved from Australia from January 2000 - 2002 so I missed the epic VB series between Aus, NZ & SA.

 

[Josh]

I almost forgot last year's VB series when Australia needed 6 off the last ball, Brett Lee on strike, lofted cover drive over the fence at the SCG. Everyone went nuts. That was a ver exciting match.

 

[Eclipse]

It wasn't six of the last ball it was 7 runs off 2 balls..

If your a captain and Lee is on strike I think you should always bring a spinner on. He cant hit them.

 

[Deja moo]

The 4th one dayer between India and Pakistan in 2003 was good too. India was 2-1 down in the series and Pakistan had made 293 in the fourth match. India was 90-4 and then 130-5 or something chasing under lights. I cursed the team for losing the series, had a shower and sat down to watch the final rites. But Dravid and Kaif turned it around to win it in just 45 overs I think.

 

[kwigibo]

If your a captain and Lee is on strike I think you should always bring a spinner on. He cant hit them.

I remember him hitting a couple of straight 6's in a quick 40-odd in an ING cup match at Adelaide a few years back. Say what you will about SA's spin attack.

 

[kwigibo]

If your a captain and Lee is on strike I think you should always bring a spinner on. He cant hit them.

I remember him hitting a couple of straight 6's in a quick 40-odd in an ING cup match at Adelaide a few years back. Say what you will about SA's spin attack.

edit: In this case it was Young and Lehmann.

 

[Craig]

nz vs sa in the 2003 world cup nz won chasing 300. flemings hundred was the best i have ever seen 134*. pretty much ending sa's world cup

That was a great game.

Another one was when South Africa came from behind and nearly beat the West Indies at Cape Town in the 2003 WC, Klusener was in that mode again and I actually felt South Africa were going to win. Then he holed out to Carl Hooper (?) in the deep, but they never ran so that was game over. The match is remembered when a certain BC Lara made 116 after losing two quick wickets.

They were heaps of great games in that tournament (how England successfully managed to lose to Australia in the round robin stage is beyond me).

 

[Hit4Six]

That was a great game.

Another one was when South Africa came from behind and nearly beat the West Indies at Cape Town in the 2003 WC, Klusener was in that mode again and I actually felt South Africa were going to win. Then he holed out to Carl Hooper (?) in the deep, but they never ran so that was game over. The match is remembered when a certain BC Lara made 116 after losing two quick wickets.

They were heaps of great games in that tournament (how England successfully managed to lose to Australia in the round robin stage is beyond me).

yeah, eng vs aus was good, so was pak vs ind (tendulkars 98, anwars last ever cetury, shoaib getting hammered) was gr8

 

[Richard]

They were heaps of great games in that tournament (how England successfully managed to lose to Australia in the round robin stage is beyond me).

There were one or two.
There were also many, many forgone-conclusion-before-1st-ball-bowled games.

 

[Richard]

Brilliant match, the making of Saqlain Mustaq. From that moment on I thought he would become the best ODI spinner in the world. Unfortunately I feel he is the biggest underachiever in world cricket.

He's still hardly done poorly.
There aren't many better ODI records than his.
288 wickets at 21.78, ER 4.29-an-over.
He's still only 28 (yesterday, in fact) and provided he gets over his injury he's still got plenty of ODIs ahead of him. Just a shame Surrey decided to dump him.

 

[Beleg]

And for most of his carrier that average remained below 20, which is truly astonishing.

And he didn't do it all against the minnows either. His average against Aus was an extremely respectable 23.3 with a strike-rate of 32 and economy rate of 4.24. And against the supposedly best players of spin-bolwing [India] he possesses a strike-rate of 32, average of 24 and economy of 4.5.
The only team that was able to foil him continously was South-Africa, against whom he has an average of 36 and a strike-rate of 45.

In all of this, what is most amazing is his strike-rate [30.4], which for a spinner is unequalled.

[Murali has an average of 22.13 and a strike-rate of 35.1, E.R below 4 while Warne averages 25.82 striking every 36.4 balls with similar economies [+.04 for Warne] and Kumble averages 30, E.C of 4.27 and strike-rate of 43]

Compare this with strike-rates of some leading bolwers:

Wasim: 36.2 E.R: Under 4
McGrath:
Shoaib: 29.8 E.R: 4.57
Younis: 30.5 E.R : 4.68
Ambrose: 41.5 E.R: 3.48
Lee: 28.4 E.R 4.73
Donald: 31.4 E.R 4.15 [He has the exact same average as Saqlain correct to three significant figures]
Saqlain: 30.4 E.R 4.29
Marshall: 45.7 E.R 3.53
Gough: 35.4 E.R 4.30
Hadlee: 39.1 E.R 3.30