Cricket is a gratifying sport, as it demonstrates multiple aspects including skill, strategy, and emotion – something which has given fans an uncountable number of memorable moments throughout history. While some matches are just about the win – clinching it with a few runs, some take it a notch higher and form a legendary tale that’s extremely memorable for everyone. From fans to the overall sport, these matches encapsulate the best of what cricket offers. Without further ado, Here are the 20 best cricket matches of all time, which are guaranteed to give you a rush of adrenaline because, after all, this is cricket.
Best Cricket Matches
1. 2019 Cricket World Cup Final: England vs. New Zealand
Some say that the 2019 Cricket World Cup final is England’s bid for a second World Cup, but to New Zealand, this was still their ultimate prize. Kelly and Simon seam upstream to commemorate the nation’s first T20 win together. 1st and Foremost, these men deserve a point this Saturday considering it’s the ICC Champions League finals – which brings us back to the topic at hand, the forward-playing duel went to the Lord’s for the final – And what a series to have it at. Some pundits favor Lords over anything and argue ‘I’ literally scoring 3 more 4s ahead of his stereophonic level, thus snatching the win from England.
Key moments included Tom Latham’s impressive 84 runs and the baffling overthrow that hit Stokes’s bat for four runs. There was so much tension, controversy, and drama that ‘final’ was the ultimate definition of pop and sizzle.
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2. 1983 Cricket World Cup Final: India vs. West Indies
The 1983 World Cup Final at Lord’s was a fairytale for Indian cricketers. Chasing the low score set by Indians, the two-time champions and the most potent team on paper, West Indies, fought hard but only managed to reach 140 runs. Thanks to the skillful bowlers Mohinder Amarnath and Madan Lal who made it to history books by dismissing the Great West Indies for only 140.
Sankalp Dev’s breathtaking jumping catch to send Richards back to the pavilion combined with Indian Skill & Grit turned the tide for cricket in India. The match celebrated the birth of an era that every cricket lover would remember.
3. 1999 Cricket World Cup Semi-Final: Australia vs. South Africa
The match is often regarded as one of the most exciting one-day matches in history. In another dramatic moment in the match, South Africa was chasing 213, unfortunately ending one run short of the winning target. The final was a very nail-biting finish when Donald and Klusener were run out.
The match ended in a very unfortunate loss for the South Africans. Australia qualified for the final as the South Africans had a greater margin of lead in the group stages. The thrill, the excitement, and ultimately the heartbreak made this one of the most iconic matches.
4. 2005 Ashes, 2nd Test: England vs. Australia
One of the most notable moments of the 2005 Ashes series occurred during the second Test match at Edgbaston. The match started with England in a good position, but Australia set a challenging target of 282 runs. Both the teams pushed themselves to the limit and it came down to a final ball sequence. The pair of Brett Lee and Michael Kasprowicz nearly finished the game for Australia before England triumphed by the narrowest of margins: only 2 runs.
During this game, the sportsmanship of Andrew Flintoff who helped take care of the emotionally distressed athlete Brett Lee was a great moment from this match that made people know the history of test cricket and the passion that goes into playing it.
5. 2001 India vs. Australia, 2nd Test (Kolkata)
This Test at Eden Gardens is famously referred to as “the miracle of Kolkata.” It was a downward spiral for India, as both VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid were out with a score between 376 runs, which was surprising. This was followed by an innings in which India scored 657 runs and declared, leaving Australia needing 384 runs to win.
Due to his wizardry with spin, Harbhajan Singh aids India in fulling Australia at 212 runs, allowing India to secure a shocking 171-run victory while ending Australia’s winning streak of 16 games and crucially achieving one of the greatest reversals in cricket in history.
6. 2006 Australia vs. South Africa, 5th ODI (Johannesburg)
This action-packed event recorded the highest successful chase in ODI history. Australia put up a mammoth score of 434/4, with Ricky Ponting scoring 164 runs, and South Africa, with the assistance of Gibbs’ 175, reached the target with one wicket and one ball remaining.
It was a match where smashing big blows, comical entertainment, and an aura of fight among the players were in plenty. It was the new beginning for classes of 50 overs.
7. 1986 Austral-Asia Cup Final: India vs. Pakistan
The bitter rivalry between India and Pakistan reached its peak at this fantastic contest at Sharjah. Pakistan was on the verge of victory by striking off 4 runs from a single ball to chase down India’s total of 245 runs. Javed Miandad had hit a last-ball six off Chetan Sharma to take Pakistan home.
This match is remembered for Miandad’s composure under pressure as well as the heartbreak it caused to the Indian fans. It remains one of the most sensational endings of a cricket match.
8. 2011 Cricket World Cup Final: India vs. Sri Lanka
Gautam Gambhir’s 97 and MS Dhoni’s unbeaten 91 led India to beat Sri Lanka with a 6-wicket victory in the 2011 World Cup Final held at Wankhede Stadium, India. The target set for India to chase was 275 runs.
India was awarded its first World Cup victory in 28 years thanks to Dhoni’s match-winning six that left the nation in pandemonium. This match also symbolized India’s strength on the world cricket stage.
9. 2015 Cricket World Cup Semi-Final: New Zealand vs. South Africa
New Zealand was given a target of 298 runs by South Africa in the rain-delayed match in Auckland. New Zealand chased the target within 43 overs and Grant Elliott was able to score 84 runs with a last-ball win. You can see the dominance of South African players because one of them, Dale Steyn was able to concede a six in the last ball of the over.
South Africa suffered a heartbreaking loss in their quest to eke out success but the look of true sportsmanship and quality cricket brought class to life with this match. For the first time, New Zealand progressed into the finals of this grand tournament.
10. 1992 Cricket World Cup Final: Pakistan vs. England
The World Cup Final that was held on the 25th of March, 1992, in Melbourne, pictured Pakistan’s rise to global cricketing adoration. Pakistani cricket captain Imran Khan floated in England’s win attempt target around 249 runs. Pivotal English batsmen were blown away in Akram which meant that Pakistan won the game by 22 runs.
Khan became famous after this victory as he described his team as ‘cornered tigers’ after lifting the trophy while asserting their offensive nature. This defining match is often attributed to the determination of the Pakistani side and the inspiration their captain Imran Khan provided.
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11. 1975 Cricket World Cup Final: West Indies vs. Australia
The first edition of the Cricket World Cup came to be marked by the Australian and Caribbean teams’ duel as they clashed at the historic Lord’s Ground where munching the final ball the Caribbean team bestowed dominance to claim victory with an illuminating display and establishing themselves as a cricketing powerhouse. 291 runs were scored by the men in red, courtesy of Clive Lloyd who scored 102 runs in West Indies’ batting.
Keeping hopes of Australia’s dominance alive were the last man of the ninth wicket Jeff Thomson and tenth, Dennis Lilee hoping to chase down 291. But a stunning display of give and take from one of the outstanding players on the West Indies team Viv Richards managed to end that possibility when he managed to perform a run-out ensuring their team’s dominance continued with a margin of victory amounting to 17 runs. With a passion and appealing playing style, the Caribbean team had just begun their reign over other teams.
12. 2016 ICC T20 World Cup Final: England vs. West Indies
The 2016 T20 World Cup Final at the Eden Gardens will go down in history as the one in which Carlos Brathwaite was the star. To win against England, the Windies needed to score 19 runs from the ticker. During the last over between them and the English side, Brathwaite hit four sixes in a row which led to England’s ultimate defeat.
The quote “Remember the name!” was popularized by the commentator Ian Bishop. Most of the credit also goes to Marlon Samuels’ who hit a whopping 85 runs* and the team member Brathwaite who managed to finish the game. All of these events contributed to one of the most action-packed T20s ever.
13. 1996 Cricket World Cup Semi-Final: Australia vs. West Indies
This match played in Mohali was an emotional one. The score was 15 to 4 for Australia when Supporters were showcasing emotions. Due to Stuart Law’s 56 and Michael Bevan’s 41, they were still able to maintain a steady 207/8 score. When it came to the New Zealand team, they anticipated getting an even higher score. However, what followed next was an ultimate jig and 37 lost the team 8 wickets.
This match only depicted the tendency of the Australian team to win, more so due to Shane Warne who was leading the Australian team’s seamers, to gain victory by five points. The unpredictable aspect of cricket is its most appealing.
14. 2015 Cricket World Cup Final: Australia vs. New Zealand
The men in green and gold extended their control in the World Cup as they emerged victorious against New Zealand in the final held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground with an astonishing score of 183. Mitchell Starc and the Australian bowlers were lit as they managed to drag New Zealand down to 183 while they scored 224 runs owing to a strong performance from Michael Clarke and Steve Smith, achieving the title of World Cup Champions for the 5th time.
15. 1979 World Cup Semi-Final: England vs. New Zealand
The match was extremely interesting as the two giants came head to head in a battle at the Old Trafford where New Zealand bowled while allowing England to bat first. With some great plays from Graham Gooch and Mike Brearley England scored their highest score of 221 – 8 over 60 runs against New Zealand. Dominantly, only 9 runs 191 was scored by New Zealand while attempting to chase the target set by England and so by the Barely to win the game allowing England to qualify for the World Cup finals.
16. 1987 Cricket World Cup Final: Australia vs. England
The Australia and England clash in the final of the 1987 World Cup in Kolkata turned out to be quite an interesting encounter. Australia, batting first, set a score of 253 runs losing only 5 wickets. David Boon (75) and *Mike Veletta (45) were their top two scorers.
In reply, they looked poised to win until Mike Gatting got out rashly trying to reverse sweep Allan Border. England’s innings ended up 7 short of what was required as they ended their chase at 246 with Australia winning their maiden World Cup. This has to be one of the tightest and most dramatic finals that make it a classic.
17. 2011 Ireland vs. England (World Cup Group Match)
It was as big an upset as us beating Italy, last night, Australia is 1-0 up doesn’t matter now apparently and so be it. This group stage match will be remembered for an Irish win. Ireland was quite unbelievable and it was magical, chasing down a mammoth total of 328 runs. Before that, for England Jonathon Trott had an outstanding 92 runs under his belt and Ian Bell was not way behind claiming 81 runs of his own.
The chances of Ireland winning looked to have sunk at five wickets gone for 111 runs, well then the stage was all set for Kevin O’Brien and he didn’t let anyone down, scoring only a disbelieving 63 balls and 113 runs, scoring the fastest century ever in World Cup history. Ending their set over with only 5 balls left to spare, Ireland truly put on an unforgettable show.
18. 2022 ICC T20 World Cup: India vs. Pakistan
At the Super 12 stage of the T20 tournament, India and Pakistan faced off at the MCG. What followed was one of the most noisy T20 matches ever witnessed. Pakistan set the bar with a score of 159/8 courtesy of contributions from Iftikhar Ahmed and Shan Masood.
India’s run chase appeared to have come to a dramatic end at 31/4, however, thanks to the excellent performance from Virat Kohli, who scored 82 runs off 53 balls*. The match gathered renewed energy. In a tense end, the match turned out to be a nail-biter as India clinched the win on the last ball. In the match, Kohli hit two sixes off Haris Rauf during the 19th over, securing their victory, which is now regarded as a defining moment in cricket history.
19. 1999 India vs. Pakistan, 1st Test (Chennai)
For those cricket lovers out there, this is the classical test match that depicts the sweet and sour intensity of the India-Pakistan rivalry. In this classic test, India had a commanding position with Sachin Tendulkar scoring 136 runs as they chased down 271. India was just 12 runs short from winning the match as they were completely out after a key dismissal of their batsman Tendulkar.
Saqlain Mushtaq was also filled with nerves leading the bowlers in Pakistan which enabled them to pick up a tough victory. The ups and downs and the standing ovation for Pakistan’s team really defined the spirit of cricket.
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20. 2013 ICC Champions Trophy Final: India vs. England
This final was reduced to a full 20 overs match and hence was an exciting and very low-scoring game between the two teams. Batting first, India could only amass a total of 129 runs during their 20 overs. England had their own problems as well as they could not cope with Jadeja and Ishant, India’s in-form bowlers.
With an over left they needed to score 15 runs to take the title but managed to reach 10 leaving India victorious in the 2017 Champions Trophy Final match. The weather, the circumstances, and the anxiety in the final were all very tense and for the most part entertaining.
