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Greatest limited overs match ever

xanderbiscuits

U19 12th Man
When you ask any person who is mildly interested in cricket their opinion on the greatest limited overs match ever then usually they will say March 12th 2006 SA Vs Aus...

But what do you think is the greatest Limited overs match of all time if it is not this one?


I prefer a different match which may not be so well known because it is only a first class match. Glamorgan Vs Surrey June 19th 2002.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport/hi/engl...twest_trophy/scorecards/5584/scorecard_hi.stm

http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/117933.html

Surrey 438/5 with Ali Brown scoring 268 from 160 balls (30 fours 12 sixes)

Glamorgan in reply 429 all out with centuries from Robert Croft and David Hemp.

If anyone knows any great first class games then please post them because I would be interested to know.
 

pup11

International Coach
For me the 99 WC semi-final between SA v/s AUS is easily the best odi game ever.
 

Francis

State Vice-Captain
This thread makes the assumption the last year's epic was the best ODI ever. In truth, a while ago here at CW, a thread was started asking what the best ODI ever was. Since you have so many posters from so many different countries here at CW, many different ODI's were listed. But one match was on nearly every single list, the '99 WC semi final.

When C4 asked it's viewers what the top 100 sporting moments of the 20th century were, cricket was poorly represented. Botham's Ashes made it, and not suprisingly since it has such a special place in English cricket folklore. But no English ODI's made it... in fact only one ODI made that list - the '99 World Cup semi final. That says something of that match that an English viewing public would rank that match as significant when England weren't part of that match.

And it has such a great backstory:

*South Africa in form and favourites to win
*Australia lacking form. People doubting Steve Waugh and Shane Warne
*Australia lose to Pakistan and New Zealand and only just beat Scotland.
*South Africa go undefeated until they have a shock loss to Zimbabwe. Those two points prove to be vital.
*Hershille Gibbs drops Steve Waugh while Waugh hits the ODI innings of his life, starting the choker tag. Australia win an unlikely game.

The semi final itself:

*South Africa look even more impossible to beat. Pollock and Donald flog the Aussie batting. Australia make 213 (I think) on a 260 pitch. They need early wickets.
*Early wickets don't come. SA 0-40 in no time flat. Surely a team with such batting depth can knock off an easy 170. The game seriously was like that, you felt SA only needed 170 to win.
*Warne comes on and deliveries the best one-day performance of all time in my opinion. Rips apart Hershille Gibbs with a brilliant delivery and inspires Australia with his magic, charisma, flair, gift for leadership etc.
*SA don't wanna touch Warne, they know he's having a great day. Takes three quick wickets and suddenly Australia are galvanised.
*After nine overs Warne has three wickets for 13 off nine overs. His stats don't show how good he really was because he went for 14 off his last over when Paul Riefel dropped a simple catch that would've given Warne figures of 4-13.
*Lance Klusener comes in and everybody gets a chill down their spine as he was by far the man of the tournament and in the best form I've ever seen an ODI player. He can steal the games. He honestly had a Viv Richards like presence in those days.
*Paul Riefel drops another catch, this time it was Klusener, and it rebounds off his hands for six! SA back in it. Such a dramatic twist.
*Klusener needs to steer SA home. He hits two fours off the last over.
*Steve Waugh is crushed, he thinks all is lost. The only time I've seen Waugh dejected and unable to lead.
*Darren Lehman misses a run-out chance to win it for Australia. Yet another desperate miss. Australia look to have choked. Two dropped catches and a missed run-out.
*Klusener runs himself out in a moment of insanity. Starting this great rivalry between two nations. It's a draw.
*Lastly, the match prolciamed the resurance of Warne. Who went on to demolish Pakistan in the final.

The interesting result:

*Both Australia and SA finished the super 6's on 6 points. Because Australia beat SA in the previous game, they go through. Had SA not had their fluke loss to Zimbabwe, they'd be through. At the time it was comparable to their recent loss to Bangladesh - just a fluke occurance.
*Australia had to win every game on to win the World Cup. Technically they did it, despite the loss.


Just everything about it was great - the drama, the backstory, the cruel fate, the ironic twists, the stage was set and the game delivered. At the time, characters like Steve Waugh, Shane Warne, Lance Klusener, Shaun Pollock etc made it even more special. It was just a period where the characters made the games so special.
 
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Francis

State Vice-Captain
Yeah that was a great Bevan innings. My favourite Bevan innings was against New Zealand in 2002 I think? Anyway Australia were something like 6-96 and Bevan batted with Lee and Hogg and steered Australia home. Mindblowing stuff considering how many twos he found here and there, and being able to maintain most of the strike.
 

Matt79

Global Moderator
For me the 99 WC semi-final between SA v/s AUS is easily the best odi game ever.
Ditto.

Or the New Year's Eve match between Australia and Windies. Aussies in all sorts til Bevan constructed the definitive rescue job, capped with a four straight down the ground to win by one run off the last ball of the match.
 

simmy

International Regular
The Semi annoyed due to Klusener's stupidity. There was no need to take that single.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
I still find that WC99 semi to have been a better game, even though the more recent one had the right result and that semi had the wrong one. :sleep:

But there have been many awesome ODIs. Nonetheless, I don't really think it's surprising that in this country there is far, far more memorable stuff in Test cricket. It says a fair bit - not least that there hasn't been a live ODI on terrestrial TV over here for 8 years. The last, you may be surprised to hear, was in fact that very WC99 semi-final.
 

pasag

RTDAS
Some would say 434 wasn't even a good game let alone a great game tbh and I don't think that has too much to do with my location either.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
I don't doubt it was a great game, TBH, but it wasn't a great match, that is it wasn't a great equal battle between bat and ball.

The only remotely enjoyable thing about the game for me was that SA won. Had they not, I'd have wished it'd have rained in the morning.
 

Perm

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
From a Kiwi perspective it would be the 3rd game of either the 2007 or 2006 Chappell Hadlee series in recent times.
 

Barney Rubble

International Coach
I'm quite astonished at the lack of support for the Johannesburg Miracle in here, TBH. IMO that beats any other game into the ground.

You wouldn't downplay a football match that finishes 4-3 because it was an uneven battle between attack and defence, so why downplay a cricket match like that because it features high scores?
 

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