Cricket is a very famous sport all around the world. It started more than 200 years ago and has had many exciting matches since then. In recent decades, the game has changed a lot, and many teams now compete evenly.
Here are five of the best cricket matches ever played:
5. 2019 ODI World Cup Final – England vs New Zealand
The 2019 ODI World Cup happened in England and Wales. The final match was at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London. England was playing against New Zealand, led by Kane Williamson.
The game was very close. After 100 overs, the score was tied, so they played an extra round called a super over. In the super over, both teams scored 15 runs. Since they were still tied, they looked at which team had hit the most boundaries overall. England had hit 26, while New Zealand had hit 17. So, England won the World Cup, their first-ever win in the ICC ODI World Cup.
4. 1981 Headingly Test – England vs Australia
Ian Botham did something amazing in this game. He helped England win against Australia. Australia batted first and scored 401 runs. England didn’t do well and got out for 174 runs. They had to bat again.
Ian Botham played very well and scored 149 runs. This helped England get a good score of 356 runs. Australia had to chase 130 runs to win.
Bob Willis bowled very well and got 8 wickets for just 43 runs. Australia could only make 111 runs. So, England won the game by a small margin of 18 runs. Botham not only scored a century but also took six wickets.
3. 1992 ICC World Cup Final – Pakistan vs England
Australia hosted the 1992 ICC 50-over World Cup. In the final match, England played against Pakistan. It was a very close game.
Imran Khan, the captain of Pakistan, played very well and scored 72 runs. Javed Miandad and Inzamam-ul-Haq also contributed with 58 and 42 runs respectively.
England didn’t start well and were in trouble at 69-4 after 21 overs. They tried to recover with Alan Lamb and Neil Fairbrother’s partnership but found it hard to score on the tough Melbourne pitch.
By the 44th over, England were at 183-8 and needed 67 runs from 6 overs with only 2 wickets left. Despite some late big hits, they could only reach 227 by the end of the 49th over.
Pakistan won the match by 22 runs, claiming their first ODI World Cup victory.
2. 2003 ODI World Cup final – India vs Australia
In South Africa, at a stadium called the Wanderers in Johannesburg, India and Australia played a cricket match. Australia was really good and showed why they were the best team at that time. They beat India easily in the final match.
Adam Gilchrist scored 57 runs quickly, and Ricky Ponting scored 140 runs without getting out. They helped Australia get a huge score of 359 runs. India couldn’t stop them.
India tried to chase the big score but could only make 234 runs before all their players were out. Virender Sehwag played well and scored 82 runs. But it wasn’t enough, and Australia won the match by 125 runs.
1. 2005 Ashes 2nd Test – England vs Australia
The 2005 Ashes series was a really exciting time for cricket fans. Both England and Australia played with a lot of energy. The second test match was especially thrilling.
England batted first and scored 407 runs. Then Australia batted but only managed 308 runs. So, they were behind by 99 runs. Australia bowled really well in the third round, making England only score 182 runs.
Australia needed to chase 282 runs to win in their final round. They started off strong but then started struggling. At one point, they were 137/7 and needed 145 more runs to win.
Shane Warne and Brett Lee, who are usually known for their bowling, did their best with the bat. But England stayed strong and won the match by just two runs after five days of intense play.
READ MORE: Top 5 Knocks Of David Warner In Test Cricket
