5 most thrilling cricket matches to watch during the lockdown

As the world has come to a standstill with everyone being asked to remain indoors, it has become nearly impossible to spend time without getting bored. The pandemic has forced all the sporting activities to be either postponed or suspended for the time being. With cricket not expected to resume anytime soon, here we suggest five most thrilling match highlights that one can binge upon during this period of lockdown.

1) England vs Australia Third Ashes Test, Headingley 2019

After dismissing England for 67 in their first innings, the Aussies set an improbable target of 359 for the hosts to stay alive in the Ashes. The visitors looked all set to claim the Ashes and go 2-0 up in the series, but Ben Stokes had some other plans as he went onto to play an innings of a lifetime in the history of Test cricket.  With an unbeaten score of 135*, Stokes inflicted an unbelievable turnaround to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. His 76-run partnership for the tenth wicket with Jack Leach was instrumental in keeping the Ashes alive in 2019. This was indeed one of the best Test matches ever played in the history of the game.

You can watch the highlights for England vs Australia Headingley Test 2019 here

2) South Africa vs Sri Lanka First Test, Durban 2019

After getting whitewashed by Australia, Sri Lanka were all set to lose the first of the two Tests against Proteas at Durban in 2019. However, just when the backs were against the wall, Kusal Perera displayed an act of brilliance to take his side home from a winless situation. The southpaw didn't concede to lose hope while chasing a nearly impossible target of 304 in the fourth innings. It was a herculean effort from the youngster as his unbeaten knock of 153 came in at a stage when Proteas were all set to go 1-0 up in the two-match Test series. Many analysts termed it as the greatest knock ever played by a Sri Lankan in overseas conditions. An unbeaten 78-run stand alongside Vishwa Fernando will be remembered for the ages in the history of Test cricket.

Catch the final moments of South Africa vs Sri Lanka Durban Test 2019 here

3) Australia vs South Africa 1999 World Cup Semi-Final

Often termed as the greatest ODI match of all-time SA needed 1 run to win off the final ball to proceed to the World cup Final but unfortunately, Allan Donald's run-out on the last ball denied them a place in the Final. This was one of the most heartbreaking moments in the history of cricket. Despite ending in a tie, Australia progressed to the final after they finished higher than South Africa in the Super Six stages due to a superior net run rate.

1999 World Cup Semi-Final Australia vs South Africa Last Over Drama

4) England vs New Zealand 2019 World Cup Final

Arguably the greatest final of all-time, the final at Lord's made each and every cricket fan skip a beat. The match was tied despite the heroic efforts of Ben Stokes and a super over would decide the 2019 WC champions. The super over also turned out to be a tie and England won the World cup as they had scored more number of boundaries than NZ in the finals

Catch the CWC 2019: NZ vs ENG Match highlights here

5) India vs Bangladesh 2016 T20 World Cup Group stage

One of the most topsy-turvy T20Is of all time, Bangladesh were left 146 to chase down the target in 20 overs. However, an economical spell by Ravichandran Ashwin ensured the match went down to the wire. Requiring 11 off the last over, Mushfiqur Rahim struck 2 boundaries, bringing the equation down to just 2 runs off the last 3 balls. What followed after was an entire brain fade by the Bangladeshi batsmen as they allowed India to crawl their way back into the match. While India ended up winning the T20I by a slender margin of 1 run, the Bangladeshis were absolutely distraught upon losing a crucial tie in the 2016 T20 World Cup. 

 

Catch the India vs Bangladesh 2016 T20 World Cup highlights here 

 

(Written By: Arvind Krishnan)