What is the best cricket match ever played?

Cricket has produced a lot of matches in all the three formats Test, ODI and T20 which can compete for the title of the best cricket match ever played in which the actions on the cricket field are still talked about years. Therefore instead of restricting this to just one match, a list of matches will be written which all can compete for the title of the best cricket match ever played. 

• March 12, 2006 arguably produced one of the best ever chases ever seen on the cricket field. The match took place between South Africa and Australia and was a feast for those cricket lovers who managed to watch the live cricket match. Batting first Australia scored a total of 434 for the loss of 4 wickets in their designated 50 overs. This was the highest ODI total then and the match was more or less already decided within the first innings. But South Africa and Herschelle Gibbs came out all guns blazing and blasted away the total to end with 438 for the loss of 9 wickets with one ball remaining leaving Tony Greig exclaiming that “the South Africans at the Bullring today have seen the best one day international ever played.”

• The first ICC T20 World Cup was a spectacle and which led the foundations for the rise of T20 cricket. The spectators could not have asked for a better final with India and Pakistan facing each other. Batting first India scored a total of 158. In reply Pakistan were soon struggling at 77/6 before Misbah-ul-Haq breathed life into this match by taking on Harbhajan Singh. But Captain Cool, Dhoni showed the first glimpse of him being unfazed by pressure by giving the ball to Joginder Sharma for the final over and Misbah’s ill timed scoop shot landed in the hands of Sreesanth handing India the match and the trophy by 5 runs. 

• Often this match has been credited with reviving Indian cricket when it was going through a slump in the late 1990’s. March 11, 2001, India and Australia faced off in Kolkata. Australia were the best cricket team in the world then and were on the back of 16 consecutive Test wins. Batting first Australia posed a total of 445. In reply, India crumbled for 171, and Steve Waugh asked India to follow on. What followed was one of the best days in the history of Indian cricket with Rahul Dravid and Laxman combining together for a huge partnership and India then declared on the 5th day with 657/7. Chasing 384 to win, riding on the back of Harbhajan Singh’s hattrick, India bowled out Australia for 213 and thus became the third country to win after following on.