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The balls of the century

SteveNZ

Cricketer Of The Year
I posted Akram's ball to Gilchrist during Colombo ODI in 2002 in this thread.

Harris to Cook was basically Cook playing the wrong line and bowled.
Which line? There was about 3 on that particular delivery.

That gets out every single left handed batsman of all time out, at any stage of their innings. And it probably gets every right hander out too as they think it's swinging across them, then jags back and swings to hit them in front of leg.

Deserved #1, that it was the first ball of the innings makes it even better. At such a crucial time
 

Jumno

U19 Vice-Captain
Shane Warne to Gatting
Harris to Cook
Vaughan to Tendulkar
Wasim Akram to Lamb 92
Akthar to Tendulkar 99
Panesar to Tendulkar
Rashid to Kohli
 

SteveNZ

Cricketer Of The Year
I can see the rationale behind not including any bouncers in the list. I'm a bowler, so I certainly don't think there's no skill in bowling a bouncer. However, a brilliant wicket-taking bouncer probably usually (as above) exists in a wider context rather than being just a one-off. Whether that's as an element of disguise, setting a trap, bowling most of your bouncers at a slower pace then adding in a quicker one (as the Windies perfected) or some other way...whereas most balls that were included in the list would've dismissed any batsman at any time no matter what came before it.
 

SteveNZ

Cricketer Of The Year
The Bravo bouncer to Pietersen would be a candidate too. KP well set on 68, yet gets beaten for pace on a pull shot by a guy who bowls high 130s. Obviously the theatre of the way he gets out adds to it too.
 

Engle

State Vice-Captain
# 16 on the list, Sreesanth to Kallis was a bouncer. Generally bouncers can be ducked and dodged thus making them playable. Same too with stumpings and other forms of dismissal, which is probably why they were'nt selected.

Many on this list were well-nigh unplayable, with Bowled being the most common as it lays bare the very essence of batsmanship, not least being the ignominy of one side, the exhilaration of the other and the captivation of the independent observer
 

subshakerz

International Coach
I couldnt sworn Johnson's ball to Cook and Steyn's gem to Clarke in 2012 wouldve made the list. The latter especially is one of my favorite deliveries. Clarke came into that innings scoring two double tons in the previous two tests and gets this outswinging that jags like a legbreak. Defining moment that won the series.

 

stephen

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Geez that was a good nut.

Steyn was ultimately why Australia started losing test series' against South Africa.
 

Migara

Cricketer Of The Year
Found another gem. Not a widely known one. Dilruwan Perera does Stokes, as Murali did Butcher.

 

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