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Best ending to a game

James90

Cricketer Of The Year
Apart from recently in Sri Lanka I can't remember Australia winning a close test but what's been the most amazing, stylish finish to a game. Yesterday we had 3 wickets to take, 20 runs and we had to bat again and about half an hour left. The two batsmen had been in for a while and we felt as if we wouldn't get the outright. Just as it feels as if all hope is lost, a bowling change, the new bowler takes a hat-trick and wins us the game!
 

JASON

Cricketer Of The Year
Although many South Africans would be bitter about this, I thought the SL-SA world Cup ODI game was one of the best tight finishes to a game just as SA-Aus World Cup ODI game in 1999 !! :) :)

You had to feel sorry for South africans though as hosts to be bundled out of their own tournament due to a comical bungling of the required runs was both funny and sad !!
 

Somerset

Cricketer Of The Year
New Zealand vs Pakistan at Wellington, where Razzaq brought Pakistan back from a near impossible postition only for the Pakistanis to lose their cool in the last two overs.

New Zealand vs India in the second Eden Park ODI, with the tourists needing less than twenty runs with seven wickets in hand and a handful of overs remaining. Incredibly, India won with just seven balls to spare by one wicket.
 

amiller

Cricket Spectator
New Zealand vs Australia at Wellington only a few weeks back, would have been great finish if we pulled it off but would also be considered as a good finish for the Australians
 

LongHopCassidy

International Captain
The 5-run victory by Aus vs. WI in the '96 WC semi wasn't bad, considering Australia was 4-15 in their tenth over, and the West Indies were 2-165, chasing 207, in the 40th.
 
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amiller

Cricket Spectator
BlackCap_Fan said:
This.

NZ 9/333, chasing 551, with the test match looking to end fast. Astle and Cairns has other thoughts ;) .
Good memories of Astle's 200. I can't recall why Cairns was batting at 11?
 

Somerset

Cricketer Of The Year
amiller said:
Good memories of Astle's 200. I can't recall why Cairns was batting at 11?
Cairns was injured and only bowled four overs in the second innings from memory. I was surprised when he choose to bat TBH, but it was certainly worth it after the incredible hitting from Astle.
 

FaaipDeOiad

Hall of Fame Member
I'll stick to Australian games since I've seen a lot more of them.

There are so many great tests to choose from. The one run West Indies win, Dravid and Laxman's comeback to win the game from an impossible position, Langer and Gilchrist's partnership in Hobart, Lara's 153* to see the West Indies home by one wicket in 1999... and they are just the ones involving Australia in the last few years. ;)

For ODIs, two world cup games (already mentioned by others :p )spring to mind - the semi-final in 1996 between Australia and the West Indies where Australia recovered from 4/15 to make 207, and then the West Indies were left needing 40 odd off the last 10 overs with 8 wickets left and Warne pulled it out of the bag with 4/36 from his 9 overs. One of the all-time great one day bowling performances, supported by some great bowling from Fleming at the death as well.

The other is of course the 1999 semi-final between Australia and South Africa. After Australia made a modest 213 with Pollock and Donald bowling brilliantly, South Africa were cruising at a run a ball early on before Warne did the job again, taking 4/29 from his 10 and turning the game on its head. When Kallis fell after making a half-century with 39 needed to win and 6 down Kluesener put in a spectacular performance to score 31 of the last 38 runs in the innings off just 16 balls, and all of a sudden South Africa had come back into it after needing more than a run a ball to only need a handful off the last over. Then, with the scores level and three balls to go, Kluesener hit it straight to mid-on and Donald was run out in a mixup. Amazing finish to the best world cup I've seen, in what was the true final.

There are lots more of course, but I'll remember them forever, not only because the finishes were so good, but because of the importance of the games.
 

BoyBrumby

Englishman
For a test match finish I think the most surreal, if not the greatest, was us winning in the gloom in Karachi in the 3rd test in the 2000/01 series. It was practically night! Interestingly Steve Bucknor was one of the umpires too! If he'd have asked Moin if he'd wanted to come off for light I think we can all guess what the answer would've been!

In ODIs obviously the '99 semi stands out (why did you run, Lance!?!), but The Windies winning the '04 Champions Trophy was a great effort after we had 'em at 147-8 chasing 218. Sickened me no end, but credit where it's due! ;)
 

SJS

Hall of Fame Member
BlackCap_Fan said:
This.

NZ 9/333, chasing 551, with the test match looking to end fast. Astle and Cairns has other thoughts ;) .
This was one game, probably the only one i can think of, where even if India were the fielding side, I would have wished New Zealand had gone on to win.

Something to tell your grandchildren about which they would dare not believe !!! :p
 

SJS

Hall of Fame Member
For me, in tests Laxmans test in Calcutta and in ODI's Kapils game in the 1983 World Cup against the Zimbabweans.

I doubt if there has been a greater fightback than kapils match in ODI history.
 

Jono

Virat Kohli (c)
^ My father used to tell me about that World Cup match all the time when I was young. Amazing knock, what a fight back.
 

marc71178

Eyes not spreadsheets
BlackCap_Fan said:
This.

NZ 9/333, chasing 551, with the test match looking to end fast. Astle and Cairns has other thoughts ;) .
Surely best finish would be a close game where the result was actually in doubt?
 

marc71178

Eyes not spreadsheets
BoyBrumby said:
For a test match finish I think the most surreal, if not the greatest, was us winning in the gloom in Karachi in the 3rd test in the 2000/01 series. It was practically night! Interestingly Steve Bucknor was one of the umpires too! If he'd have asked Moin if he'd wanted to come off for light I think we can all guess what the answer would've been!
Moin appealed against the light on several occasions, but Bucknor's response was along the lines of "you caused us to go this late by your delaying tactics, so shut up and get on with it" :D
 

Jono

Virat Kohli (c)
marc71178 said:
Surely best finish would be a close game where the result was actually in doubt?
To be fair, from a Kiwi standpoint that would have been entertaining, it was from mine. I don't know too many non-Englishman who were watching that game that weren't backing the Kiwis. Yes the result was not in doubt, but boy that sort of ending to a test match doesn't happen often.
 

BlackCap_Fan

State Vice-Captain
marc71178 said:
Surely best finish would be a close game where the result was actually in doubt?
In your opinion, but that was one of my favourites due to the great entertainment.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
BlackCap_Fan said:
This.

NZ 9/333, chasing 551, with the test match looking to end fast. Astle and Cairns has other thoughts ;) .
I'd trace it back further and say NZ's position at 252 for 6 was much worse than at 333 for 9.
 

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