The greatest one-day match in history - What's your choice?

[Torpedo]

1999
The greatest one-day match in history, and arguably the greatest game of cricket anywhere. The 100 overs of the World Cup semi-final between Australia and South Africa at Edgbaston had just about everything. Everyone knows about the agonising end, when the match was tied and Australia went through the final because of their superior run-rate in the earlier Super Six stage, but there was so much more to the game than that heartbreaking finale.

There was Michael Bevan and Steve Waugh coolly leading Australia's recovery with a patience reminiscent of Imran Khan and Javed Miandad's base-laying go-slow in the 1992 World Cup final; a seam-bowling masterclass from Shaun Pollock and Allan Donald, who had combined figures of 9 for 68; the performance of a true champion from Shane Warne (4 for 29) after South Africa had raced to 48 for 0; a titanic all-round display from a barely-fit Jacques Kallis; some breathtaking hitting from Lance Klusener. But then, with two more balls to spare and one run needed, Klusener set off on that fateful run only to find that Allan Donald had lead in his boots, and South Africa's dream died in the cruellest manner possible. The only other match to rival this would be the Johannesburg ODI played out between the two sides in March 2006, when South Africa miraculously chased a whopping 434, shattering plenty of records to pulp.

 

[SG]

arguably the greatest game of cricket anywhere.

No. it wasn't. Both tied tests were far ahead of this game.

 

[Badsha]

I agree. Greatest ODI ever. For me at least. Maybe even the greatest one day game ever.

Cricket had a charm back then.

T20 has ruined it now.

 

[SG]

Greatest ODI ever. Maybe even the greatest one day game ever.

Aren't these 2 similar things?

 

[what ho]

I agree.

In terms of the greatest high scoring game, the Saffer chase of the 430 or so really has to top the list.

 

[Bhaijaan]

2007 T20 WC final , hands down

Short and sweet

 

[James]

The 99 game was the day I got into cricket.

The 430 chase was special.

India v England tied ODI this year was mint.

England v Aus 2005 (Birmingham) is the greatest cricket match of all time IMO. Seminal moment in cricket for many reasons.

 

[Sanchez]

What about the SL vs WI match where Chanders won it by hittiing 10 off the last 2 balls?

 

[Amjid Javed]

Top 3 ODIs off all time for me

Pakistan v India - Karachi - Jeet lol Dil 1st odi

Aussies v South Africa - 400+ Run chase

Aussies v South Africa - WC semi 99

 

[SG]

Independence cup's final was as good as any other ODI game.

 

[AlizeeFan]

What happened in Johannesburg was unexpected, beyond anyone's imagination. Complete domination by batsmen.

The game of Edgbaston was not unexpected. It had balance of everything, mix of all you want to see in a match. Class batting, great fast bowling, pressure, recovery, decent start, effect of broken partnership, great spin bowling, breathtaking hitting and breaking under pressure. What else do you want?

 

[Rana]

Engalnd and India have had a few legendry games as well.

 

[KFC_Zinger]

Best ODI game was Aus vs WI ... 1975 WC Final

We can not forget WI vs Aus.... 1975 WC Final.... It was only after that ODI's took off.... Wat a game that was.....

 

[Wasim_Waqar]

Top 3 ODIs off all time for me

Pakistan v India - Karachi - Jeet lol Dil 1st odi

Aussies v South Africa - 400+ Run chase

Aussies v South Africa - WC semi 99

Agreed. All three were amazing games. I think the world does not talk much about the first game, but it was amazing.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Agreed. All three were amazing games. I think the world does not talk much about the first game, but it was amazing.

You have to remember at that point in time 350 was a massive target to chase and never had been chased before. The way pakistan fought back to almost win the game was amazing. Not to be over critical but in the end Pakistan did throw the game away.

 

[Amir]

Miandad last ball six. That game had everything, both bat and ball starred.

 

[D]

Top 3 ODIs off all time for me

Pakistan v India - Karachi - Jeet lol Dil 1st odi

Aussies v South Africa - 400+ Run chase

Aussies v South Africa - WC semi 99

Agreed. All three classics. All three top my list of the greatest ODIs.

In terms of Tests; the Edgbaston test from 2005 Ashes (the greatest test series I have seen or been around for - the Pak-India 1999 series was also awesome but for other reasons )

 

[D]

You have to remember at that point in time 350 was a massive target to chase and never had been chased before. The way pakistan fought back to almost win the game was amazing. Not to be over critical but in the end Pakistan did throw the game away.

It was do-able but I think Moin couldn't get ZAK away for 10-12 runs in the last over or something.

 

[Saqs]

1992 Melbourne.

Miandad at Sharjah.

Lara chasing 99 off 66 deliveries against Warne at Adelaide.

Some of the best ODIs I've seen.

 

[Radiance Of Australis]

Razzaq vs RSA in Abu Dhabi.

Nuff said.

 

[liaqat]

1999 semi final and the 438 chase top two games

abdul razzaq's inning will go down as one of the best ever ,,,,
but the game over all was ok..

best game ever s/a vs auss semi final

 

[Saqs]

I've never rated the 436 ODI
Hate games that are so one-sided in favor of batsmen

 

[miandadrules]

I guess it depends on what the game means to you. The greatest games are the ones in which you have the greatest emotional investment.

 

[miandadrules]

Miandad last ball six. That game had everything, both bat and ball starred.

It's hard to appreciate the significance of that game now.

In ODIs we were India's bunny prior to that game and we had never won an ODI tournament before. And it all game down to the final ball of the tournament.

 

[1137moiz]

I always thought the 438 game was massively overrated. Terribly boring for the entire first half--caught a bit of spark when SA actually looked like pulling off a remarkable chase, as well as the final 10 fours when Australia hit back and nearly pulled it off. Overall, pretty average game. The 2004 Pakistan India game was historic, and yes it had a lot of runs and some exciting phases, but it's also a long way down the list for the same reason imho. Same way the match where India successfully defended 125 was too bowler-skewed for me. Miandad's Sharjah effort and Abdul Razzaq's Abu Dhabi match are both ahead of these, as are many many other matches.

The 1999 semifinal tops it for me. Though tbh I thought our 2nd, 3rd and 4th games against both SA and England last year were nearly as thrilling.

 

[1137moiz]

What about the SL vs WI match where Chanders won it by hittiing 10 off the last 2 balls?

Brilliant, wonderful match--another near-the-top one for me

 

[Afridirocks]

i dont know about greatest match or anything but the match i most enjoyed was pakistan vs south afridi t20 semifinal 2009

 

[Paradox]

i dont know about greatest match or anything but the match i most enjoyed was pakistan vs south afridi t20 semifinal 2009

Yeah, I enjoyed the Pakistan vs South Afridi game too.

 

[Torpedo]

We are talking about the greatest ODI, not T20/Test.

 

[mastermind_quad]

that Aus vs SA ..430+ chase .....ponting & gibbs ...wow

 

[miandadrules]

We are talking about the greatest ODI, not T20/Test.

Any excuse to bring Afridi in to it.

 

[Justcrazy]

Nothing beats that 99 semifinal. The importance of the game was that it was no ordinary ODI but loosing that meant that you out of WC and get another chance after 4 years nd you do not know whether you will have the chance to play semi final again or not. That match changed after every few overs, fascinating battle. Absolutely fantastic.

 

[akamaka]

Hmmm,, welll i wouldn't say THE greatest but its up there. The 400 v 400 game between the same opponents was good as well.

 

[James]

Bristol 2005 - KP getting 90 off 60 to overcome the Oz 250 was a goodie, Vaughan rated it as one of the best chasing innings he'd seen. Harmison got Gilly, Punter and Martyn in the same over at the beginning, then the Aussies fought back before KP stepped in. The atmosphere throughout the game was scorching, still remember it. England won by 3 wickets. The beginning of the Gillespie slide and the Oz frailties, and the first real emergence of KP on home soil. Important game in the context of the 05 Ashes and Anglo-Oz rivalry in general.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/211425.html

 

[CoolSERAZ]

434 game was epic but too batting-sided.(though bracken was awesome)

lord's final-india vs england 2002 was excellent too.

but what really was awesome was india vs pakistan-1985 sharjah ind 125 all out imran at his best blew india away. pak bowled out for 87. awesome catches by gavaskar as a counter-proof to those who said fielding in those days was totally shitty.

 

[osee_bhai]

That 430+ game was amazing, because the pitch did have some life in it, what we saw that day was just some batsmen absolutely going berserk. At that time in cricket chasing 250 was hard, 300+ was impossible. Filled with tension and twists, right till the end.

 

[rhussain33]

For me Razzaq v South Africa Abu Dhabi Oct 2010.... the buzz was too high on that

 

[Wasim_Waqar]

You have to remember at that point in time 350 was a massive target to chase and never had been chased before. The way pakistan fought back to almost win the game was amazing. Not to be over critical but in the end Pakistan did throw the game away.

I think I didn't make my point. I thought it was an amazing game and the world doesn't give it enough credit Amjid- I watched it all

I think Younus, Razzaq and Malik played poor shots when we actually could have won at a canter!

I was really proud of how we batted in that game. It was really special from the middle-lower order.

 

[Dr. Schaden Freud]

The 430 chase game was the best.

There have been some brilliant finishes in cricket. But, the 430 chase just broke all the barriers of cricket.

 

[Energy]

1) 99' semi-final tie (Aus vs SA)
2) Sharjah (Pak vs SL) where Abdul Razzaq helped ensure an impossible tie.
3) Record chase by the Proteas (SA vs Aus)

 

[amit]

ireland v england - 2011 wc

this has to be up there in this list. it would be amongst the top 5 odis of all time. ireland achieved what no associate nation had ever acheived and imagine what the odds would be on ireland win after england had made 327/8 and also when ireland were 111/5 at the halfway stage. ireland, then produced a sensational chase of 329 runs to win the match, which is also the highest run-chase in world cups & the highest team score by an associate nation against a test playing nation in odis

and who can forget kevin o briens 63-ball 113 including the fastest 100 in wcs off only 50 balls

 

[Fireworks11]

It has to be the record chase by SA. That's the stuff of dreams.

 

[amit]

the full list (no exact order)

1. aus v sa, wc 1999 semi-final
2. ire v eng, wc 2011
3. ind v wi, 1983 wc final
4. aus v sa, 434-438 match
5. ind v pak, 1998 independence cup final. it was the highest run-chase at that time
6. pak v sa, the match where razzaq hit that 100
7. ind v pak, 1st odi karachi 2004
8. ind v eng, 2002 natwest final
9. aus v sl, 2nd odi 2010 - sl win chasing 240 despite being something like 100/8
10. sl v wi, 3rd odi 2008, wi need 10 off 2 balls, chanderpaul hits 4. wi need 6 off 1 now, chanderpaul hits a last ball 6

 

[Shayan]

The first 2 ODIs in the Pakistan India series in 2004 are up there for me.

 

[CoolSERAZ]

i also think
bangladesh vs australia 2005 cardiff is a contender. epic game. biggest upset of all.

 

[KingKhanWC]

1992 World Cup final.

 

[Abdullah719]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">438 game on tv. &#55356;&#57295; <br><br>I still get goosebumps</p>— Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62) <a href="https://twitter.com/DaleSteyn62/status/1077616380017590275?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 25, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Rayyman]

IND vs SL CT'17

 

[The Viper]

The 438 game is still crazy. Gibbs played one of the ATG knocks.

 

[Markhor]

The 1999 World Cup SF between Australia vs South Africa was terrific but my personal favourite would be the 1st ODI of the 2004 Pakistan vs India series in Karachi.

The hype was unreal leading up to the first India tour of Pakistan in 15 years. There are so many special moments from Sehwag's brilliance, Inzamam with a magnificent hundred, Yousuf's two inside out sixes off Kumble, Kaif's catch and the delicious irony of Moin needing to hit a six off the final ball with coach Javed Miandad watching in the stands. The atmosphere was unlike anything I've heard since, people were losing their minds as we got closer and closer to chasing down 350 - unthinkable in those days.

 

[Rana]

I think the South Africa v West Indies World Cup opener 2003 for me is where I truly fell in love with cricket. What a match, what a hundred by Brian Lara!

 

[Rana]

The issue I find with the 430 chase match, there really was no extreme drama in the chase until the very last 5 overs. It was clear momentum with SA all the way.

A great match needs more twists and turns than a Race movie

 

[Sadozai]

South Africa chasing 434

 

[Barragan]

SA chasing 434 is still the greatest ODI to date!

What a game that was and it was a privilege to watch it live.

The great aspect about that game was, that it happened in an era of 250-270 scores and to make 400+ was unheard of and to chase it down was unbelievable.

 

[gazza619]

Miss these low scoring thrillers. You hardly see these types of games thanks to the dumb two new balls rule.

No reverse swing and no purchase for the spinners. ODIs are not the same.

 

[RainMan_]

1999 Aus-SA. I was a little kid but still remember the day like it was yesterday. Cried a lot since SA was my most favourite team back then. My elder cousins still tease me about that incident.

 

[Rana]

Some people would argue that the SA v NZ semi in 2015wc is also right up there.

South Africa are the box office side in world cups. All of their matches are just epic tbh!

 

[KhanPredator]

Also, the Pakistan vs South Africa encounter in the 2015 WC was an absolute nail-biter. Another one was that match where Pakistan sealed their first away ODI series win in South Africa. Junaid Khan bowled them to victory.

 

[last_knight]

Final of CT 2000 was also one.

SA-Aus Group match in WC 2007 had everything in it to be the greatest ODI match if AB wasn't runout. AB's innings in that match was supreme.

 

[Ashraful_Rox]

1999 World Cup Australia vs South Africa
Two best teams fighting it out

 

[big_gamer007]

1999 Australia Vs SA
434 chase

When you are in a forum with Pakistanis and Indians and yet most people say a match featuring neither of these two sides is greatest then you know it has to be the greatest.

No other ODI match comes close to these two games.. Amongst these two games it basically comes down to generations..90s kids like me will remember the 99 game because of naustalgia and childhood memories associated with it.
2000s kids will remember the 434 game for same reasons and also the fact it was the first time ever 400 was scored and that too twice. Historic moment altogether.

 

[Dulex9]

Been quite a few:

-99 world cup semi final, see saw all the way through
-2015 world cup semi final, see saw and tense New Zealand chase
-92 world cup semi final, gripping start till end
-1987 world cup final, went down to the wire
-1975 world cup final, a few run out's cost Australia the game
-2002 natwest series final, after a good start, India lost it midway only to revive themselves
-96 world cup semi final, WI totally lost it
-2003 world cup opening game, Klusener got them near

Probably a few more that I can't remember.

 

[Bilal7]

The 2017 CT final for me.

 

[Dulex9]

Maindad last ball six has to be up there as well.

2000 CT final where Cairns played a blinder.

 

[hadi123]

From the top of my head, out of all the games that I have watched, I would say the 2nd ODI between Pakistan and SA in 2010 when Abdul Razzaq played that knock to win us the game out of nowhere is probably up there, shame I was watching it on a crappy stream but still, an insane match.

 

[Mueez]

Two for me:

- CT 17 Trophy Final
- NZ vs SA semi-final CWC 15

 

[CricketDon]

Pakistan vs India 2011 world cup semi final.

Greatest ODI match I’ve ever watched and ever will watch. Especially the fact I watched it while in Pakistan.

 

[moghul]

2007 T20 WC final , hands down

Short and sweet

I was present there in stadium, Barbados , was nothing special, did not feel like a WC final.

 

[Mp812]

99 world cup semi final - SA vs Aus....that game changed every over ...it was see-saw till the end

 

[umerz]

1986 India vs Pak Australasia cup final
2006 SA vs Aus - SA chasing down 434
99 world cup semi final - SA vs Aus.

 

[Stalin]

2007 India vs England at the Oval
2011 WC India vs England tied gam
2012 India vs Pakistan 3rd odi

 

[last_knight]

I was present there in stadium, Barbados , was nothing special, did not feel like a WC final.

He was talking about T20

 

[Haroon786]

Prefer Jo'burg 2006 personally.

 

[Green Patriot]

CT 2017 final.It had great emotional value attached to it, personally and as a nation.

 

[Rayyman]

2007 India vs England at the Oval
2011 WC India vs England tied gam
2012 India vs Pakistan 3rd odi

Lol I remember that India Pak game. Indians were celebrating like they won the WC even though they lost the series.

 

[topspin]

I loved every bit of the 2017 CT final however it was too one sided to ever be considered as the greatest ODI match in history.

Since I only started watching the game in 99, my top three 21st century picks are:

2002: England v India, Natwest series Final
2004: Pakistan v India, Karachi
2006: SA v Aus, Johannesburg - greatest ODI ever