Cricketing moments that resonate with you

[Bijed]

Can be from watching/playing whatever. Doesn't need to be an important moment as such, really whatever happens to resonate with you emotionally. Maybe it's just a player you like reaching some kind of relatively meaningless milestone (for example my dad was a huge fan of Derek Underwood and always says one of his favourite memories was reading that he'd scored a first-class century).

Some that are almost always on my mind, in no particular order.

• Brendon McCullum getting bowled first ball at the Lord's test last year. The crowd had been buzzing after Stokes had repeatedly beaten Williamson before getting him and were lively enough when McCullum was walking out to the middle, let alone when his stumps got pegged back. I was sat next to a fairly elderly gentleman and there were a couple of young kids in front of me and they all went absolutely crazy. Brilliant.

• Flintoff getting Ponting at Edgbaston, 2005. Only saw it on TV as opposed to actually being there, but the sense of occasion and the crowd, even without actually being amongst them, really created a special atmosphere. Helped that I was still somewhat pumped after Langer getting out earlier in the over and Ponting looking all at sea against Fed so far. You'd think that the end of that match, for example, should really resonate more with me, but that one ball really stands out.

• Trent Bridge last year. The building joy of managing to put off checking the scores (I was at work) for all of ten minutes, seeing they're already one down with the second wicket going as I watched, then on the back of this struggling to go a few minutes without checking the scores and it seems like every time I look they've lost another wicket - after being so nervous that morning about what was going to happen that morning, we're absolutely crushing them and it's fantastic.

So, yeah, I'd love to hear which moments, however big or small, obvious or random, are memories you will cherish forever.

 

[Adders]

• Flintoff getting Ponting at Edgbaston, 2005. Only saw it on TV as opposed to actually being there, but the sense of occasion and the crowd, even without actually being amongst them, really created a special atmosphere. Helped that I was still somewhat pumped after Langer getting out earlier in the over and Ponting looking all at sea against Fed so far. You'd think that the end of that match, for example, should really resonate more with me, but that one ball really stands out.

The end of this test match for sure is by far the biggest one for me. Never before or since has a test match got me that emotionally involved.........and I pretty much always get very caught up in most England test matches but especially the Ashes.

I literally collapsed on my lounge room floor when Harmy took that last wicket. The relief to get over the line when there was so much riding on it was a feeling I'll never ever forget. But that Fred over was the best over ever bowled so good shout on that.

Other notable ones for me.....

- Sealing the deal at the Oval in 2005. Think it finished at 2am here in Aus and I stayed up all night partying and went to work at 7am still pissed and with no sleep, had to come home at 10 as I crashed in a big way. Luckily my boss was English (not a cricket fan though) so had some sympathy for me lol.

- Being at Adelaide 2013 and watching Mitch Johnson destroy us. Not much fun for an English fan, but the pain was lessened with the knowledge that I was watching some of the finest fast bowling that had ever been bowled.

- Have mentioned this one on here recently but Melbourne 2010. Was there for days 2 and 3 and it was an incredible experience and the atmosphere in the ground was electric (amongst the Eng fans) I live 3 1/2 hours drive out of Melbourne and when I got home on that night of day 3 I begged my wife to let me turn around and go back for day 4 to watch us regain the Ashes.......unfortunately I had some commitments that just couldn't be got out of so it was a no go. So had to watch the party at the MCG on day 4 on the telly but it still had me in tears of joy. Players doing the sprinkler just capped it right off!!

 

[Burgey]

Lillee bowling Richards off the last ball of day one, Melbourne 1981/82 to leave the Windies 4/10 after Australia was rolled for 198. Came off the back of Kim Hughes making probably the best hundred I've ever seen.

Bowled Viv two or three outswingers then bowled an inducker which caught the inside edge. It was brilliant bowling.

 

[Camo999]

Brathwaite, Marlon, Stokes and four consecutive sixes was pretty enjoyable.

Otherwise any time when Ian Harvey did something good.

 

[Adders]

Another worthy mention is "that" hundred of Steve Waugh at the SCG 2003. First and only time I've ever willed on an Aussie to make a hundred against Eng.

I remember thinking that whole series when there was so many calls for his head that if you ****s don't want him we'll take him!!

Edit:

Actually that whole series was pretty defining for me as I went to my first Ashes test match at the MCG with my Dad. Up until then I'd been a pretty casual cricket fan but we had an absolute ball with the Barmy Army on day 3..........was definitely that experience that started what has become a full time obsession for me.

 

[Gnske]

Alastair Cook looking flustered in a 2013 ODI vs New Zealand, fondling his head in one motion in frustration before unzipping his shirt-neck and having a look down his shirt at something.

 

[Zinzan]

4 for me.

1) The utter disappointment of NZ losing that WC semi to Pakistan in 1992 with Crowe off the field and John Wright standing in butchering the bowling orders and the field placements.

2) My earlier cricketing memory of Hadlee taking the 9-fer & us destroying Australia in their own backyard & going on to win the series.

3) Crowe getting out for 299

4) That shot by Grant Elliott

 

[vcs]

1.) Complete elation on winning against Pakistan in WC '96 to complete despair on collapsing against SL in the semi-finals.

2.) Lara's 153*, made me truly fall in love with Test cricket.

3.) Kolkata and Chennai 2001, fondest cricket-related memory ever. Watched it in a college hostel and it was a ****ing amazing experience.

4.) Ashes 2005, what a series. Can remember almost every pivotal moment (and there were so many!). Actually watched a one-hour review of it only a few days back.

 

[Shri]

1. Broken ****ing arm.

2. Mind the windows, Tino.

3. Go back and ****ing bowl. -Ponting

4. Come on, come on. - Warner

5. Hayden doing an impression of Indian fielding. Also, calling Ishant an obnoxious weed.

 

[Jono]

Laxman threatening to spank Ojha with his bat before winning Mohali 2010 test vs Aus by 1 wicket.

It is honestly a greater moment than his 281 because it was such an Indian dad move.

 

[honestbharani]

The security guy celebrating after the fall of the last wicket in that 2001 Eden Gardens test. Sums up cricket in India.

 

[vcs]

Also, Chennai 2008 chase against England is right up there.

If India ever win a series in SA or Australia (lol) in my lifetime, that one will probably be No. 1.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Laxman threatening to spank Ojha with his bat before winning Mohali 2010 test vs Aus by 1 wicket.

It is honestly a greater moment than his 281 because it was such an Indian dad move.

Him sounding like a 12-year old girl is what made that memorable.

 

[OverratedSanity]

The Chennai crowd applauding Pakistan's victory lap in that 99 test was pretty friggin epic. Showed how good Indian crowds could be.

And then a few days later, Kolkata decided to pelt the Pakistan team with stones.

 

[Kirkut]

Ishant bowling 9 over spell to Ponting, getting him beaten consistently and finally getting him out. Bill Lawry - "Got him!!! He persisited and gets the great batsman out, what a young fast bowler."

 

[ankitj]

Venkatesh Prasad uprooting Amer Sohail's wicket in 1996 world cup quarter final: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAxy6O6uNyI

Allan Donald clean bowls Tendulkar in Durban same year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79Ji-I3LvYg

 

[OverratedSanity]

Prasad vs Sohail is the most hyped i've ever been watching a cricket match.

 

[wpdavid]

Lots from 2005. Although I barely got to see a ball of the Edgbaston test live due to a family holiday, I can remember where I I was when I heard most of it on TMS.

I also missed the good bits from 1981 due to travelling around Europe for a month, so had to rely on finding an English paper which, in those days, arrived 24 hours later. For Headingly, we were in Zurich, and the only English paper available was the Financial Times, with a brief paragraph about Willis bowling them out on the final day.

 

[Fred Tetanus]

Geoff Lawson having his jaw destroyed by a Curtly Ambrose bouncer. Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.

 

[BoyBrumby]

For me it's Dom Cork ushering us over the line in the 2nd test of the Windies 2000 tour.

The West Indians were definitely on the slide by then, but could still call on the services of Ambrose and Walsh and had one BC Lara in his prime. We'd been given a lesson by and innings and plenty in the first test and conceded a first innings lead of 130+ here.

Candy Addick was never better in their second dig, ably lieutenanted by Gough and Cork himself and we skittle them for 54, which gave us 188 to win.

Athers made an Athertonesque 40 odd and the tyro Vaughan a rather more fluent 40 of his own, but Walsh was in a "Fee, fi, foe, thumb" mood and Ambrose will have rarely bowled better for one peg.

We were 7 down with 40 still needed and 8 with nearly 30 required. Corky came good with the best 33* he ever made and the occupants of a hotel room in Whitley Bay clustered around a tiny portable telly wept tears of joy and awkwardly embraced, as only heterosexual Englishmen can do.