Un-believeable twists of fate !

[FRAZ]

There are certain incidents which make cricket live . It requires human effort , heart and passion to win . There are certain events which turned out to be the memorable twisters.
I never liked the one odd victories of the minnows . I'll consider South African performance of reaching the semis of 1992 WC as the finest performance by any new team in the recent times. These are some of my favorite twisters and I'll always consider that oval victory by Pakistan over England (1954) as the finest in the Pak history which really lifted the cricket in the country to extremes . It really sent a signal that a baby is not born in the cricket but a fighter is .
For what I recall the Javed's six was a revolutionary one and it really made things go in Pakistan's way for any future match after that six .But still It didn't come up as one of my ultimate twisters ,and I'll always consider such matches as the battle of two giants and one came out victorious but was badly wounded too . So for me 1992 victory of Pak in the WC was a real twister .
I never consider the 2001 Indian victory over Aus as their biggest but for me it was that 2003 -2004 series which India drew with Aus in Aus . So let me poll up in English to see which of my personal favorite twists of fate was a slightly better one ... I am going for that 1954 Oval victory of Pak on top of all when England was Fazal-ed and earned Pakistan a lot of respect in the world of cricket and which still is there !!
Feel free to write yours !

 

[archie mac]

I voted WC 1983, I wonder what the odds were, but no one gave India any chance

 

[FRAZ]

I voted WC 1983, I wonder what the odds were, but no one gave India any chance

This one has a tie with the 92 WC in my brain cuz after the first half of 92 WC no one gave Pakistan any chance either because they lost 4 outta first 5 matches they played but anyways Pakistan started off as the third favorite ...
And sorry cuz these events are what I felt were good to me . Archie btw whats yours ?

 

[Xuhaib]

Akmal taking a catch or making a stumping.

On a more serious note I dont think anyone expected Dizzy to make a test 200.

 

[FRAZ]

Akmal taking a catch or making a stumping.
.

You know what ,Akmal has talent and he is going through some self created pressure . Let the captain be changed and the normal proceedings may resume . I have a question for you ,"Did Shoaib Akhtar ever complained about Akmal's performance"?

 

[Steulen]

As twists of fate go, it can hardly be more dramatic than Glenn McGrath stepping on a ball. Therefore, England's last Ashes win was my choice.

Although you should have made both the Kenya vs. Ireland and Scotland vs. The Netherlands ODI's from last Friday options in this poll. I'm still not over them...

 

[archie mac]

This one has a tie with the 92 WC in my brain cuz after the first half of 92 WC no one gave Pakistan any chance either because they lost 4 outta first 5 matches they played but anyways Pakistan started off as the third favorite ...
And sorry cuz these events are what I felt were good to me . Archie btw whats yours ?

Or though I am not a big fan of ODI cricket I enjoyed the Aussies run to the finals and their tie with Sth Afr during the 1999 WC

 

[shortpitched713]

You know what ,Akmal has talent and he is going through some self created pressure . Let the captain be changed and the normal proceedings may resume . I have a question for you ,"Did Shoaib Akhtar ever complained about Akmal's performance"?

So Shoaib Akhtar should be captain? Even though hes not in the side half the time?

 

[Richard]

On a more serious note I dont think anyone expected Dizzy to make a test 200.

Almost everyone expected some nonenity to make one against Bangladesh sooner or later.

 

[Richard]

As twists of fate go, it can hardly be more dramatic than Glenn McGrath stepping on a ball. Therefore, England's last Ashes win was my choice.

Have you ever gone over on your ankle?

 

[Anil]

I voted WC 1983, I wonder what the odds were, but no one gave India any chance

actually that's not true, the indians toured the windies before the wc and won a one dayer(i forget where) pretty impressively and at that point, lloyd said that the indians were the dark horses going into the world cup....so the defending champs themselves were wary of the indians....

 

[Richard]

Ah, I knew it, self-doubt was all that cost West Indies that final. If they'd gone in thinking "we're gonna hammer them" they'd have done so. I've been thinking this for ages and here's the proof. Attitude is ALL that matters in this game.

(Irony... please note...)

 

[FRAZ]

So Shoaib Akhtar should be captain? Even though hes not in the side half the time?

no I never said that SHoaib should be a captain . It is an impossibility but anyways my point was that SHoaib Akhtar never had any trouble with Akmal's keeping and thats a valid point tbh !

 

[shortpitched713]

no I never said that SHoaib should be a captain . It is an impossibility but anyways my point was that SHoaib Akhtar never had any trouble with Akmal's keeping and thats a valid point tbh !

What does that have anything to do with Inzamam?

 

[FRAZ]

What does that have anything to do with Inzamam?

Did I mention I****** for the past 36 hours . I never mentioned I****** here either . I am fasting that I won't use this word until the WC starts .... And I just asked a side question to Xuhaib who was critical towards Akmal and IMHO Akmal is a great keeper but I dunno whats wrong with him now a days !

 

[shortpitched713]

You know what ,Akmal has talent and he is going through some self created pressure . Let the captain be changed and the normal proceedings may resume . I have a question for you ,"Did Shoaib Akhtar ever complained about Akmal's performance"?

Thats not a reference to Inzamam? Seriously, I don't know how the hell you can imply that Akmal's form has been shot for the last couple of series because of anything that Inzamam has done. Its almost as ridiculous as your assumption that Shoaib's off field record since god knows when has been terrible because Inzamam can't handle him properly.

 

[wpdavid]

actually that's not true, the indians toured the windies before the wc and won a one dayer(i forget where) pretty impressively and at that point, lloyd said that the indians were the dark horses going into the world cup....so the defending champs themselves were wary of the indians....

India had also beaten WI in one of the group games in the 1983 WC, so you couldn't say the final was simply a fluke. I suppose the 1983 Indian lineup was the first "modern" oneday side, in that they obviously had a game plan for these matches, particularly when in the field.

 

[Poker Boy]

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned Headingley and Birmingham 1981, but of the ones mentioned I would say the 1983 WC. The Windies team of that time were considered as invinceible as Australia sre now. If they'd lost that WC to anyone it would have been a shock if they had lost that WC to anyone. Now factor in the fact that India's only WC win pre-1983 was against mighty East Africa - who had D Pringle in theitr attack (Don not his son Derek!) and they had even lost in 1979 to pre-Test Sri Lanka - and it makes it more of a surprise. The fact that in the match itself Greenidge, Haynes, Lloyd, Richards and co.needed only 184 to win against Kapil Dev and (with all due respect) dobbers -and got nowhwere near - just confirms it.

 

[Pratters]

There have been many in cricket.

XI twists of fate:

India winning at Eden Gardens after Australia enforced the follow on and VVS and Dravid had that partnership.

India winning that match after the Kaif-Yuvraj partnership.

India winning the world cup after being bowled out for a partly total. India winning the world cup at all!

Pakistan winning the world cup after being down and out in 1992.

Headingly '81 of course.

South Africa rain ruled out of the world cup in the 1992 semis.

South Africa mis-calculating themselves out of the 2003 world cup.

Bangladesh winning that ODI versus Australia.

Bradman, the run machine, not scoring in his final inning.

Australia losing versus South Africa after scoring that many runs.

Australia losing the Ashes in 2005.

Don't think India drawing in Australia was that much a twist of fate. By the time the series ended, Australia was far happier to have drawn the series and India rued not being able to win it. Maybe at the start of the series but then Australia didn't have that many great bowlers and an Indian thrashing shouldn't have been assumed to be a given by any one.

 

[wpdavid]

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned Headingley and Birmingham 1981, but of the ones mentioned I would say the 1983 WC. The Windies team of that time were considered as invinceible as Australia sre now. If they'd lost that WC to anyone it would have been a shock if they had lost that WC to anyone. Now factor in the fact that India's only WC win pre-1983 was against mighty East Africa - who had D Pringle in theitr attack (Don not his son Derek!) and they had even lost in 1979 to pre-Test Sri Lanka - and it makes it more of a surprise. The fact that in the match itself Greenidge, Haynes, Lloyd, Richards and co.needed only 184 to win against Kapil Dev and (with all due respect) dobbers -and got nowhwere near - just confirms it.

I remember watching their semifinal against England that year. England had a pretty talented lineup, especially their middle order, but they got completely bogged down against India's trundlers, and finished up with not much over 200 after a decent start. Obviously WI fared even worse - twice. Someone in the Indian camp had been giving these games some serious thought.