I might do a list later, but right now what I'll say is that there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the 1999 World Cup Semi Final between Australia and South Africa is the single greatest one day match ever. When I started a thread months ago asking what the greatest ODI match ever was, that match made nearly everybodies list, while other matches were in many different lists.
That match was the only single match to make C4's top 100 sporting moments of the 20the century and its legend still remains today. When South Africa won that great ODI a few months ago, Mark Boucher said that ODI was still in his head during the game. And the backstory is just incredible...
It's starts off with an Australian team that underachieved in the West Indies with many people writing them off. The the group stages they lost easily to Pakistan and New Zealand. They had a terrible game against Wales and only just made it into the super six off of some Tom Moody hitting. However, since Pakistan and New Zealand made it into the super six and they beat Australia, Australia took no bonus points into the super six. Pakistan took 4 and New Zealand two. Meaning one thing, Australia had to win every single game from here on in to win.
South Africa were just amazing and had absolutely no reason to lose. They were flogging teams left and right and that was down to two things. (1) They had a great team. (2) They had, at his peak, the best ODI player I'd ever seen in Lance Klusener. He'd take South Africa home comfortably in some of the most tight moments that his presence became enormous. Amazingly, South Africa had a fluke loss to Zimbabwe, which all great teams have every once in a while. The problem was that since Zimbabwe made it into the super six, South Africa could only take two points, insted of four, since they only had one win over the teams that made the super six from his group. People remember Herchelle Gibbs dropped catch, but I tell you this, had South Africa taken that extra bonus point, they would have made it into the final after that infamous draw.
Australia did well finally once they made the super six, but to make the semi finals they had to beat South Africa, who they weren't fancied against. South Africa made 270 odd on a pretty lame-duck pitch for batting. Australia were in trouble before Steve Waugh puts on one of the best one day innings ever. You can talk about hitting the ball over the park with luck and making runs fast, but Waugh came in under pressure and made an amazing century. Gibbs dropped him and that remains famous. Remember, had South Africa won against Zimbabwe, it wouldn't matter if they drew Australia.
The semi final comes around and South Africa put on an amazing bowling performance and Australia were lucky to even make it past 200 thanks to Michael Bevan. What separates this from other games where teams defend low scores was that this was the only time I saw a team defend a low score without taking early wickets. It was almost the equivelant of Botham's Ashes for ODI's because when Warne came in South Africa only needed 160 with plenty 10 in hand. Warne got immediate wickets and his figures of 4-29 don't tell the story. After nine over he was 4-20. So basicly in the middle of a game with the field spread, he kept South Africa to around 2 an over. A sloppy last over covers that up. The pressure Warne put them under was amazing and more importantly inspirational.
Warne was screaming after every wicket "C'Mon"! Urging his team to perk up. They responded and got themselves into a great position before Klusener came out. I knew watching this game, after all Klusener had done throughout the tournament, that no matter the scenario, if he got going it would be over. I remember in the last few overs, South Africa were nine down and desperate for runs, Klusener hit the ball long, Paul Riefel was under the ball, and dropped it. People thought he dropped the world cup. What was mroe amazing was the Klusener hit the ball so hard it hit his hand and went for six, which it wouldn't have done if it didn't hit his hand. Klusener kept the strike for the last over needing nine. He hit two fours and you just knew it was over and SA were home, I'd seen so many games where Klusener so easily took South Africa home.
What people forget about the ending is that there was more to it than choking. Klusener, with four balls left, hit a ball to Darren Lehman than Allan Donald wanted to run on. Lehman was like 5 metres away from the stumps with an underarm throw and had he hit, Donald would have been run out. I think Klusener knew that had they taken the run, they would have won since Lehman missed. Donald also put pressure on Klusener to run with that move because Donald was walking down the pitch as the ball was bowled. The next ball Fleming did good to get in a yorker and Donald, knowing he screwed up the ball before, stayed tight in his crease, whereas Klusener was a mad man running down the pitch.
You know the rest, a drawn game in the highest of drama, with dropped catches, poor running, big match performances. EVERYTHING! Great backstory too because had SA beaten Zimbabwe, or had Gibbs held that catch, or had there not been that weird understanding, they would almost certainly be the 1999 world cup champions. The thing is their team was so awesome and my favorite to watch. Pollock and Donald were at the height of their powers. Klusener stole games all the time. Kirstin was a great batsman and a big match performers... I could go on and on.
I'll never forget Hanse Cronje's look in the dressing room. No expression at all, he just could not believe it. Allan Donald said in his book he just can't figure out why a team so powerful just couldn't get past Australia.
That games impact on England remains today. Like I said it was the only cricket match to make C4's top 100 sporting moments of the 20th century. Tim de Lisle called it the model ODI match in that it had everything that made ODI cricket great. You wouldn't change a thing about it. You had the story of an Aussie team that were the laughing stock of the world cup when they nearly lost to Wales and guys like Steve Waugh and Shane Warne who were going to be dropped as soon as the world cup was over and what...? Waugh made that awesome century and Warne took 4-29 and both saved Australia. Then you had the team that were favorites by an absolute mile with talent top to bottom and how everything went wrong. It's a sad part of the best sporting moments... you always have to feel for the person/team that loses.