Since the time of the Britishers, cricket has been known as the gentleman’s game. Cricket has been played on and off for decades since the 1800s and is enjoyed by hundreds of people worldwide. It is a game that celebrates sportsmanship, camaraderie, morality, and mental strength. Players who play cricket are passionate about the game and admire every aspect of it.
In the modern-day, people are getting more used to gaming online mobile phones, and they have found a way to get more associated with the real players and upcoming matches with the help of fantasy cricket gaming apps. Players can choose real rivals and create a team to challenge others online. To learn more about playing this game, players should visit the online gaming marketplace and check it out.
In the meantime, let us go over some of these international matches that gave us the best live cricket performances in the stadiums.
India vs. Australia, 1987
India vs Australia. This match ranks as one of the most memorable ones in the history of international cricket, showcasing the most terrific Titans of the time. The game goes down in history as one of the tautest matches that held the audience’s attention till the last ball of the over.
This match of the century was held in Chennai, and the deep breaths were drawn till the last ball of the final over. The final target that India needed to achieve was 271. Australia sent Steve Waugh to bowl Maninder Singh to claim the winning overs of the match.
Australia was the underdog in the game and won from a deficit that was impossible to climb out off. The strong-willed mindset of the Australians came under full view of the audience, and they stood true to their stature of being the best in the game.
Australia vs. West Indies, 1975
The first World Cup match that was ever played in full view of an audience is where West Indies had to face the tough nuts of Australia. This also came when the world of cricket was shifting to the newly introduced one-day cricket format. The legendary Vivian Richards and the excellent Clive Loyd were the two people who outshone everyone on the cricketing field.
The fans of both teams were excited as this was the first final of this courageous new format and the sporting spirit ran high throughout the stadium. Till the very end of the match, Dennis Lille and Jeff Thomson kept the Australian hopes high, but with the dynamic duo of Richards and Loyd, the West Indies team proved to be the better of the two.
In a great climax after West Indies grabbed the win, all the fans poured into the legendary ground of Lord’s to celebrate the spoils of war.
India vs. England 2002
India vs England. After playing six games individually in each league, these two giants faced each other and recorded a dramatic final that fans have remembered even after two decades.
Sourav Ganguly, the captain of the Indian cricket team, made the most definitive play of his career and scored a half-century in a smooth few overs that pushed India into the fighting ring. The final target set by England was 326 runs, and India quickly climbed to 106 in 14.2 overs. Tragically, the team lost a few wickets soon, and their play dropped to 146 with 5 wickets down the hole.
Kaif and Harbhajan Singh showcased their best selves by portraying actual world-class cricket in the above match. After scoring a stellar 47-run partnership from 15 balls, Kaif scored 9 more runs in the penultimate over, leaving only two runs to be scored by Zaheer to snatch the victory. Every loyal cricket fan remembers the over-enthusiastic celebration by Sourav after winning this thrilling edge-of-the-seat match.
England vs. Australia 2005
The 2005 Ashes series would prove to be nothing if England and Australia had not had a historic clash in the game. England started the series by setting up a target of 282 for the Australians to chase. This was not a primary target, but the English players showed their proficiency in the game by almost capping them off at 175 after taking eight wickets of them on the fourth day of the series. Victory for the Greens seemed nowhere in sight, but Brett Lee and Shane Warne took it upon themselves to shift the game’s tide. After pushing the score to 220, Shane Warne fell, and victory seemed impossible.
Michael Kasprowicz tried to become the hero by joining forces with Brett Lee and reaching 279 runs, just three shy from winning the game.
The dismissal of Michael happened, and the team’s loss followed. The match was so tight that it was unclear who would win at the end of the day. The loss remains a testament to trying and failing and proves how unpredictable a game of cricket can be.
The game of cricket is simply wonderful. Nobody knows when a game might turn and how exciting things can develop out of nowhere. Players put in their all to win their matches, making the game more passionate and enjoyable. Fans might argue that several other matches stand a better chance to be showcased on the list. As of now, new players are coming in, making even braver decisions in international matches that are bound to add more memorable clashes in cricket’s history books.
