Five of the best!

In this article, we take a look at arguably five of the best and most exciting one-day internationals to have taken place post World Cup 96. Though we have had many closer games in the period described, the matches that are mentioned here hold great significance historically, have had jam-packed housefull crowds, and have indeed been the most widely anticipated games in this period. What's more-they include the big teams in big tournaments, and have all gone down to the last over and ended with the narrowest of margins, to the extent of two of them being tied. Here's a look at them:
(1) Australia v/s South Africa-2nd Semi Final-World Cup 1999-17 June 1999 at Edgbaston, Birmingham: This one will always be mentioned as one of the greatest games to have taken place in the history of the game. And this one had it all-impeccable fast-bowling by Pollock and Donald, grittiness shown by Steve Waugh in the middle, and Bevan continuing to save Australia's boat from sinking as ever, to bamboozling leg-breaks by Shane Warne, a threatening partnership by Kallis and Jonty Rhodes, some really sloppy and some really extraordinary fielding by the Aussies, astonishingly fearless hitting by Klusner towards the end, and one of the most disastrous moments(nothing to do with violence, and on the field, of course) in cricketing history. And that moment has got more to do with handling of nerves, rather than cricketing expertise. What is most important in every story is the climax, and here was the last over, with South Africa needing nine to win off six balls, with Lance Klusner at the crease, who was looking to simply thrash Australia out of the tournament with his almost baseball-style hitting. After starting the over with two tremendous boundaries through the covers, whose technique cannot be described in cricketing books, all his team needed was one run of the last four balls, with the player of the tournament at the crease. Had he not known that South Africa were their smallest ever step away from making it to a World Cup final, he might have carried on his merry way, and simply thrashed another one, but the weight of a nation's dream was something he perhaps might not have been able to bear, which resulted in forcing him to just nudge the ball to one of the close-in fielders(all of them had been brought in) and run, even after his partner at the other end-Allan Donald, almost being run out on the third ball of the over. Great coordination by Mark Waugh at mid-off, Damien Fleming's underarm throw to Gilchrist who calmly just dislodged the stumps, helped in the game resulting in the first ever tie in a World Cup knockout match. And Australia made it through because of having finished the super sixes on a higher note, and luck favouring them in the World Cup semis as ever, and even going on to win the cup, and remain world champions for even the two succeeding world cups, and South Africa not being able to get any closer till date.
(2) England v/s India-Final-Natwest Series 2002-13 July 2002 at Lord's: With India being the land of spices, the fact that the Indian public loves masala movies, does not come as a surprise to any. And a hint of that masala in a cricket match just makes it all the more lovable. After nineteen long years of finishing the West Indies' world domination at a world cup final at this very venue, the Indians were back again, this time under the captaincy of their most inspirational Dada-Sourav Ganguly. While England's innings can be compared to not much more than one-way traffic, India's innings was what suggested of the same-a masala movie, much like Manmohan Desai's Amar Akbar Anthony in 1977. A target of 326 runs would be the second-highest ever chased, and not one that could be believed to be chased easily back then, though Ganguly had himself made it possible four years back in a final against Pakistan in Dhaka. And leaving behind the tag of being jinxed in tournament finals for months now, he along with Sehwag at the top of the order, made sure that India got to a flying start, getting to the hundred for no loss in just thirteen overs. But what followed was something that happens very often in one-day cricket when teams get to such flying starts-a collapse. And such was the collapse that India lost all of their top five, all the big guns, in the space of just forty runs. But to India's own surprise, deep down their order, stood two young men who were not willing to give up, and with a 221-run partnership, carried on with the chase in emphatic fashion, and even Yuvraj's wicket could not change the course of things, with Harbhajan being able to assist Kaif in just the right manner. But Harbhajan's wicket in the forty-eighth over brought about a double break, as Kumble followed in just two more balls. A sensible partnership, and two boundaries by Kaif in the penultimate over ensured that India did not need too many runs in the final over. Flintoff, who bowled the final over, could not do much, as Zaheer hit it straight to the covers and ran, but the throw was towards the end to where Kaif ran, who always tries to run like a Cheetah, and an overthrow resulting in the pair completing the winning runs, the Indian contingent of the crowd going wild, and Dada taking off his shirt and dancing, something that has achieved cult status and infamously become Dada's trademark.
ODI-Ind tour of Pak-13 March 2004 at National Stadium, Karachi: India were touring Pakistan after fifteen years. The crowd roared loud the moment Shoaib Akhtar ran in to bowl the first ball to Virender Sehwag. And with Shoaib getting the better of Sachin yet again, after a steady start on a batsman-friendly track, the series could not have got on to a better start, Dada was not afraid to smash the loose ones into the crowd, and Rahul, who had played a fine innings, could not manage to become the first Indian to score a one-day hundred in Pakistan, after playing on to a slower ball from Shoaib, while missing out on a century by just a solitary run. India managed to reach what looked to be a match winning total of 349, but Inzamam threw caution to the winds, with good assistance by Yousuf, and looked to take the game away from India, with just 72 needed with seven wickets remaining, at a required rate which wasn't very much higher than what was required initially. And though none of Razzaq and company could manage to be the perfect finisher, with India getting regular breakthroughs, runs kept coming, and that too to the extent that a six was needed for Pakistan to win from the final ball. And the situation became the same as it was some sixteen years ago, when Javed Miandad was at the crease, but back then a four would have done, this time, a sure-shot sixer was necessary, and at the crease was Moin Khan, Pakistan's veteran wicket-keeper for fourteen years now. And the man signalling from the dressing room was none other than Miandad himself, this time as coach. Only Moin Khan later, and Miandad himself, would know what he was signalling, but Ashish Nehra managed to bowl a full toss that was just slightly lower than the one Chetan Sharma bowled in Sharjah, and Moin's timing was not as perfect as Javed Bhai's, and hold out to Zaheer at mid-off(still wonder why Ganguly placed him within the circle), and India won the epic contest by five runs.
(4) England v/s Australia-Final-Natwest Series 2005-2 July 2005 at Lord's: A final at Lord's, the true Mecca of cricket, is something any die-hard cricket fan would long for, and this one has been the last of the lot so far(though the ICC World T20 2009 final was staged here). And what a game of cricket it was. Both the sides were fielding their best sides for the summer, with world-renowned opening partnerships on both sides, some of the world's most talented seamers and fast bowlers, and one spinner who could bat on either side, and strong batting line-ups through the middle, that had done well in the tournament. On a typical London morning, cloudy, grey, cold and overcast, the home side chose to field without any hesitation. But with Gilchrist's attacking strokeplay upfront, Australia got to their fifty in just the seventh over, but Hayden's wicket at that stage, sparked a top-order collapse, which left the world champions reeling at 93 for five. Symonds and newcomer Hussey came to the rescue, but before Symonds could open up to his natural game-which actually took him seventy-odd balls-he was gone, for just twenty-nine, but Hussey's responsible unbeaten innings ensured Australia would get as close to two hundred as possible, but in the end, fell just short by four runs. England could not have asked for a lower target on any days against the Aussies. But Australia's match-winning opening-bowling pair of Lee and McGrath rose to the occasion on a Saturday afternoon under conditions that assisted seam bowling. They removed the top five within no time, and England were down, and almost out at thirty-three for five. But Paul Collingwood and young Geraint Jones decided to fight it out. The required rate wasn't going to be a major problem with a less-than-moderate target, and they realized it, and went on with the chase calmly. Young Jones played attacking strokes in between, and regularly swept Hogg, and as described by one of the commentators, picked some unusual areas of the field to score boundaries. But the pair had managed to take their team to a situation where the target looked within reach, and even after the two of them got out, the tail could manage to take the game to the last over, and even after McGrath ran old man Goughie out, England needed three off the last ball, and Ponting set up the field perfectly for the last ball, Glenn bowled almost the perfect yorker, but no the perfect one, as it hit Ashley Giles' pads marginally outside off, and went off slowly to the short third man position, and the panic of saving the match from being a tie, resulted in a fumble, and by the time the man backing up threw the ball back to Gilchrist, the second run had been completed, and yet another amazing tie was registered in cricketing history.
(5)South Africa v/s Australia-5th ODI-Aus tour of RSA-12 March 2006 at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg: If the creators of the game, back in the sixteenth century, would have thought about 872 runs being scored in a day, even with the assistance of seventeen men, and some thirty-nine extra runs, they would have certainly been thinking about jet age. But on the twelfth of march 2006, exactly the same happened. This game has not only contributed to the record books for more than one reason, it also holds great significance in the popularization of twenty-over cricket, or "pyjama cricket" in the twenty-first century. Not that this game had anything to do with a twenty-over game, but it made people believe that huge scores can be achieved in limited number of overs, any required rate can be achieve, if you have the will power and the application, and took cricket's definition perhaps a bit away from just "the gentleman's game". Because the men who were responsible for the deviation of this definition, might be gentlemen in real life, but the kind of antics they performed on the field, it never looked so. Well, the Wanderers has always been a batting paradise, and with a sunny Sunday here, no batsman in the world could ask for better batting conditions. And good, hard wickets always encourage orthodoxy, and purists or batting specialists would always relish stroke-making on such wickets, but then you know, twenty-six sixes, and most of them coming off bowlers who would bowl at handsome speeds of well over at least 130 kilometres per hour, has definitely got to do with more than just the conditions, and a lot to do with the spirit-that remained all day long. The kind of temperament with which especially Ponting and Gibbs batted, cannot be matched on most days, but with able assistance of others like Katich, Gilchrist, Hussey and Greame Smith, it had to be a feast for the quite hungry weekend crowd in Johannesburg. Good enough cameos from Symonds and Johann wan der Wath added just the spice that was required. Bracken's five-wicket haul on the day, must have been long forgotten, but it was a memorable day for the home team's veteran wicket-keeper, and arguably the best the world has ever seen with the gloves-Mark Boucher, who's batting skills were not much talked about, but on the day, he proved how good a finisher he is, on any day. The bowlers need not be blamed, and Mick Lewis got more stick than he deserved, spare a thought for the poor guy, and imagine, one of the greatest games of cricket ever played, ruining his career-Murali was taken apart for 99 earlier in the year-but then, other than just hard work, destiny can't be denied, and let's just remember the match for all the good things that happened-it will always be mentioned in the history of cricket's evolution over the years, and we just hope it goes a long way in the discovery of newer aspects and skills for the better of the same.