Last ball finishes are one of the most enthralling experiences in international cricket. It brings joy to not just the fans, but also the players. It is a moment that can bring him to fame or break his reputation. In the current T20 era, last ball finishes have become common.
In one of the most recent case, Dinesh Karthik scored 6 runs off the last ball against Bangladesh to help India win the Nidahas Trophy in the tri-series final.
He came to the crease when India required 34 runs off last two overs. He scored 22 runs in the 19th Over and won the game for India who required 5 runs off the last ball.
Here are few last bowl finishes:
– by James Kuanal
1. India vs Australia 3rd T20 (2016)
India required 17 runs off the last bowler. Yuvraj Singh scored 11 runs off the first three while Suresh Raina managed 4 runs on the fourth and fifth deliveries. India required 2 runs to win the match, Raina hit a four. As a result, India won the series 3-0 to whitewash Australia.
2. England vs India 2nd T20 (2012)
England needed 9 runs off the last over in the second T20I after lagging behind 1-0 in the series. Ashok Dinda bowled very well by giving away just 6 runs off first 5 deliveries. Indian fielders too contributed excellently well, but the final bowl was hit for a six by England skipper Eoin Morgan to draw the series at 1-1.
3. South Africa vs New Zealand, Group Stage World Cup (2014)
New Zealand required 7 runs off the last over. It looks fairly easy, but it was Dale Steyn, who was bowling the last over. Nathan McCullum managed to score four runs off first four balls.
Kiwis required 3 off last 2 deliveries. McCullum got caught off the fifth bowl. Ross Taylor was to score the winning runs but Steyn bowled a full-length delivery away from his reach that he could only play it straight. The ball reached straight to Steyn, who ran him out.
4. Sri Lanka vs India Group Stage World Cup (2010)
In the 2010 T20 World Cup group stage, India posted a total of 164 runs on the board. The Lankan lions didn’t have a good start as they lost the openers for just six runs. Middle order batsmen kept the score ticking.
The match went down to the wire as SL reqd. 3 runs off the last ball. Kapugedra who played a heroic inning of 37 off 16 balls, hit a boundary off the final delivery to help his team reach the victory line.
5. England vs Netherlands World Cup Group Stage (2009)
In what came as a shocker to England, Netherlands defeated them in the group stage. It is regarded as one of the best encounters in T20 cricket. The game was played at Lord’s. The Netherlands required 7 runs off final six deliveries.
They scored five runs in 5 balls. Broad overthrow after taking a sigh at stumps helped Doeschate take the second run off the final bowl as Netherlands upset England by 4 wickets.
6. India vs Bangladesh, World Cup (2016)
Bangladesh felt the pain of the 2016 T20 world cup after facing India. They started celebrating their victory, but Captain cool MS Dhoni had some other plans. Chasing a target of 147, Bangladesh required 11 runs off the last over.
They scored 9 runs off first three balls; everyone thought that Bangladesh will win the game. Bangla Tigers could not manage a single run in last three balls as Dhoni ran from behind off the final ball to break stumps and make sure the last bowl yielded no run but India’s win by one run.
7. Sri Lanka vs Australia, Geelong (2017)
Chasing a target of 174, Sri Lanka needed 14 runs off the last over. The match got interesting as Kulasekara was out in the very first ball of Tye. Guratne hit a four of the second ball and then followed it with a six, but Tye bowled two good balls to give just two runs in next two balls. Gunaratne hit a four as SL required 2 runs off the last ball. They won the match by 2 wickets.
8. England vs Australia, Adelaide (2011)
In the first T20 international Australia posted 157 runs for the loss of four wickets in their 20 overs. The drama started when England was to score 4 runs off last six balls but had only two wickets in hand. Watson got the ninth wicket in the very first ball. Next two balls were dots; Ahmad Shehzad managed a leg bye off the fourth ball. Woakes took a couple in the fifth ball to level the scores; he then took a single off the last ball as England won the match.
– by James Kuanal