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Greatest one-day matches of all time

3 minute read

Sunday's World Cup thriller between England and New Zealand can lay claim to being the greatest one-day match of all time.

SHANE WARNE commentates during day one of the First Test match in the series between Australia and India at Adelaide, Australia.
SHANE WARNE commentates during day one of the First Test match in the series between Australia and India at Adelaide, Australia. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

BEST ONE-DAY MATCHES OF ALL TIME

1. 2019 WORLD CUP FINAL

Sunday's final between England and New Zealand is now the finest one-day match of all time. It had everything from a super over, a trophy being decided by boundaries scored and four overthrows off the bat in the last over. England ended up claiming the title, but only after scores were tied on 241 from the regulation 50 overs plus 15-all in the super over.

2. 1999 WORLD CUP SEMI-FINAL

World Cups bring out the best in players and the 1999 event was no different. Shane Warne brought the match to life with a stint of 3-0 while South Africa were 0-48 chasing Australia's 213. The game ebbed and flowed until the Proteas needed nine from the final over. Lance Klusener hit two boundaries off Damien Fleming's first two balls, before Allan Donald survived a mix up. The next ball the tail ender wasn't so lucky though, as Australia qualified for a the final via a run out and the resulting tie.

3. MICHAEL BEVAN'S HEROICS VS WEST INDIES

Michael Bevan confirmed his status as the ultimate one-day finisher when he took Australia to a last-ball victory over the West Indies at the SCG in 1986. Chasing 173 for victory the Aussies were at all sorts at 6-38 and 7-74 before Bevan took charge. He timed his run perfectly, whittling the task down to seven off the final over and four off the last ball. The left-hander famously hit Roger Harper for four down the ground to give Australia victory in what is widely regarded as one of the finest one-day performances of all time.

4. THE JOHANNESBURG GAME

The game that changed one-day cricket. With the series tied at 2-2 Australia looked to have it in the bag when they hit a world-record score of 434 in Johannesburg. But with nothing to lose, South Africa responded in kind. Herschelle Gibbs hit 175 off 111 balls in an absolute slogfest to put the Proteas in a position to cause a massive upset. South Africa needed just seven from Brett Lee's last over, and they got there with one wicket and one ball to spare when Mark Boucher hit the quick through mid on for four.

5. INDIA AND SRI LANKA SET THE TREND IN 2009

Another high-scoring thriller. In a match that set the tone for the next decade of one-day cricket, India looked safe after Virender Sehwag hit 146 from 102 balls to take them to 7-414 at Rajkot. But he was to be outdone by the power of Tillakaratne Dilshan. The Sri Lankan opener hit 160 and Kumar Sangakkara 90 off 43 to give India a serious scare as the margin narrowed to 11 off the final over. In the end though India hung on, with Ashish Nehra not conceding a boundary in the final six balls to hold on for a four-run win.

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