Cricket is full of surprises. Just one wicket, boundary, or even a single run can completely change a game. Momentum can shift quickly, especially in the 50-over World Cup.
Remember when India lost to Australia by just one run in the 1987 tournament? It’s a distant memory now. A more recent heartbreaker was South Africa’s semi-final against Australia in 1999.
The match came down to the wire at Edgbaston, with Lance Klusener almost single-handedly steering South Africa towards victory. He smashed two boundaries in the last over to tie the scores, needing just one run to win. But a mix-up with Allan Donald led to a run-out, and despite the tie, it felt like a devastating loss for South Africa. Australia went on to win the World Cup that year.
There have been many intense matches in the 50-over World Cup in the 21st century. The thrill of winning such close games is exhilarating, but the agony of losing them is equally painful.
Let’s look at five of the most competitive games in the ICC Cricket World Cup in the 21st century:
5. West Indies vs England, Bridgetown, (Super 8s 2007)
Our fifth story takes us to a World Cup that isn’t considered one of the most exciting in history. The 2007 tournament in the Caribbean had some close matches. Like when Lasith Malinga took four wickets in four balls against South Africa, or when Paul Nixon and Ravi Bopara almost beat Sri Lanka but fell short.
In one match, the West Indies set England a target of 301 runs. England didn’t start well, losing Andrew Strauss early due to some bad running between the wickets. They were struggling at 189/6, with three batsmen, including Michael Vaughan, getting run out.
Needing 80 runs from 9 overs, England found hope in Kevin Pietersen’s batting. Despite the middle-order collapse, Pietersen scored freely and reached a half-century.
When England needed 43 runs from 28 balls, Paul Nixon’s confusion almost cost them. Nixon hesitated while Pietersen ran, but a fielding mistake saved England. Later, Pietersen made his fifth ODI century but got out soon after.
With just a few overs left, England needed 29 runs with two wickets in hand. Nixon played some big shots and brought the equation down to a run per ball.
In the final over, needing 4 runs to win, Stuart Broad and Nixon kept their cool. Nixon got out on a slower ball, leaving Broad to face the last balls. With 3 runs needed from 4 balls, Broad managed to hit a boundary off the second-last ball, securing a thrilling one-wicket win for England.
West Indies had chances to win but Pietersen and Nixon’s efforts kept England in the game. If Nixon had been run out earlier, the result might have been different.
Overall, it was a fantastic cricket match.
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4. New Zealand vs West Indies, Manchester, (2019)
New Zealand and the West Indies played one of the best matches of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup in Manchester. Right from the start, the cricket was top-notch. Sheldon Cottrell’s superb bowling quickly got rid of Martin Guptill and Colin Munro without them scoring any runs. Guptill was dismissed by a yorker, and Munro got out to an outswinger.
Then, New Zealand’s captain Kane Williamson teamed up with Ross Taylor to stabilize their innings. Taylor tried to attack Chris Gayle but got out. However, Williamson continued to play exceptionally well, scoring 148 runs with 14 fours and a six, helping New Zealand reach a total of 291.
In reply, Trent Boult’s bowling caused trouble for West Indies early on, dismissing Shai Hope and Nicholas Pooran. Chris Gayle and Shimron Hetmyer then started a good partnership, each scoring over fifty runs quickly. After 22 overs, West Indies were comfortably placed at 142/2. However, they faced difficulties later on, losing five wickets in just five overs.
Carlos Braithwaite and Kemar Roach tried to rebuild the innings, but Roach fell in the 38th over with the score at 211. Braithwaite continued to fight alone but lost partners at crucial times. With 46 runs needed, and with a weak batsman Oshane Thomas at the other end, Braithwaite began to hit aggressively out of desperation. He scored 26 runs in one over from Matt Henry, bringing his team closer to victory.
Needing only 8 runs from the last two overs, Braithwaite reached 98 not out. Jimmy Neesham bowled the penultimate over and kept it tight, allowing just a couple of runs as Braithwaite completed his century. With six runs needed off the final over, Neesham bowled a short ball. Braithwaite went for a big shot, aiming to finish the game, but Trent Boult managed to catch the ball just before it crossed the boundary, securing a crucial wicket.
It was a thrilling match that ended dramatically with a brilliant catch, denying Braithwaite a chance to replicate his famous T20 World Cup heroics.
3. New Zealand vs South Africa, Eden Park (2015)
Eden Park is known for its short boundaries and lots of runs. When South Africa and New Zealand met at this ground in 2015, a place in the World Cup final was at stake.
In a rain-hit game, South Africa started brilliantly with the bat as Faf du Plessis scored 82 and AB de Villiers hit a half . When proceedings resumed after rain, David Miller came to the party with a blitzkrieg of 49 off 18 balls.
New Zealand needed to chase down a Duckworth Lewis adjusted total of 298 in 43 overs to reach their first World Cup final..
The NZ captain Brendon McCullum started the chase with a six off Dale Steyn as the Kiwis romped to 70 runs in a mere 6 overs. Once McCullum fell, the Proteas began to chip away and reduced NZ to 4/149 in the 22nd over following Ross Taylor’s departure.
With just over 21 overs to go and the target still 149 runs away, the hosts needed something special to win the game. And it came with the partnership between Grant Elliot and Corey Anderson.
Morne Morkel’s 38th over once again tightened the noose around New Zealand’s neck. They could only get a single in five balls. Anderson impatiently heaved the last ball on the leg side but it flew straight up into the safe palms of Faf Du Plessis. With five overs to go New Zealand were now 252/5.
Needing to defend 29 runs off 18 balls, Dale Steyn came back into the attack and built up more pressure with a tidy over, dismissing Luke Ronchi and conceding only six runs.
23 runs off 12 balls. Morne Morkel was asked to bowl the penultimate over. Morkel also started his over brilliantly giving away just for runs off four balls. It was getting desparate for New Zealand now.
Grant Elliot had to improvise to guide the next ball, full and wide, into the extra cover boundary. He picked up another couple as New Zealand required 13 runs to get off the last over.
It was Dale Steyn vs Grant Elliot but on strike was Daniel Vettori. The Kiwis stole a quick single. Elliot missed out on a full-toss on the next ball and could manage only a single. The equation petered down to 11 runs off 4 balls. The pressure was on the Kiwis despite Steyn feeling his hamstring. The physio was on the field but Steyn wouldn’t back away from thenover.
Vettori gathered all his experience to squeeze out a yorker to third man for a much-needed boundary. We all know what happened next. With Grant Elliot on strike, 5 runs were needed off 2 balls, but the batsman needed only one.
Elliot swung his bat for a maximum into the grandstand at Eden Park. The scenes that followed, tears in the eyes of AB de Villiers and Morne Morkel, Dale Steyn laying on the pitch in agony – could have moved any neutral fan to tears.
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2. New Zealand vs Australia, Eden Park (2015)
Before the exciting semi-final at Eden Park, New Zealand and Australia played a thrilling but low-scoring match during the 2015 World Cup group stage.
Trent Boult and Mitchell Starc were the stars of the game. Boult first took out several Australian batsmen, including Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh, while Starc later countered with his own skillful bowling.
Australia was all out for 151 runs in 32 overs. New Zealand, led by McCullum’s aggressive start, began their chase. Starc then made a strong comeback, taking crucial wickets including McCullum and Ross Taylor.
As the game came down to the wire, Starc dismissed several more Kiwi batsmen in quick succession. With just six runs needed to win, Kane Williamson hit a six to secure victory for New Zealand.
It was a match filled with thrilling moments that kept the crowd at Eden Park on the edge of their seats.
1. England vs New Zealand, Final (2019)
The Cricket World Cup final at Lord’s was the best ever, played between England and New Zealand. In cloudy weather, New Zealand scored 241 runs thanks to Henry Nicholls, Kane Williamson, and Tom Latham.
England struggled early, losing Jason Roy and Joe Root cheaply. Lockie Ferguson and James Neesham then took out Jonny Bairstow and Eoin Morgan, leaving England at 86/4.
Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes then steadied the innings with a 100-run partnership. However, Ferguson dismissed Buttler, catching him at deep point.
With 24 runs needed from two overs, tension rose. Ben Stokes was crucial, but in the penultimate over, he was nearly caught out when Trent Boult stepped over the boundary after catching him. This mishap gave England six crucial runs.
With 15 runs needed off the final over, Stokes hit a six and then a bizarre incident occurred: a throw hit Stokes’ bat and ran to the boundary, giving England an extra six runs. This tied the match, leading to a super over.
England scored 15 runs in their super over. New Zealand needed 16 to win, but Martin Guptill was run out going for a second run on the final ball. The match ended in a tie, and England won due to having scored more boundaries earlier in the game, amid controversy.
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