Beast innings in cricket
Michael Hussey’s hurricane knock for Australia against Pakistan in the semi final of the third Twenty20 World Cup may have been one of the best knocks ever in the shortest version of the game, but is it the best ever? Certainly not! There have been many innings in one day internationals that have changed the course of the match in a matter of minutes, but there have been a few where the course of history was altered! We will take a look at the top 3 innings in one days that not only changed the course of the match but also the entire event and subsequently the nation, with fans still claiming these innings to be the best of the best!
On No.3, we have the great West Indian batsman Clive Lloyd who scored 102 runs in the final of the inaugural World Cup against the mighty Australia. One day Cricket was in its infancy in those days and needed a spellbinding knock to become a sensation, and Lloyd delivered just that. He came to bat in at 50 for 3, steadied the innings with the veteran Rohan Kanhai, and then blasted his century off just 85 balls, a feat unheard of in those days! He flicked, he cut, he pulled and he drove all the Australian bowlers ferociously, and helped his side post 291 in 60 overs. He then led the West Indians to the first World Cup title and defended the title four years later, but cricket remains indebted to his majestic knock.
On No.2 we have Kapil Dev’s 175 not out for India against Zimbabwe in the do-or-die match of the third World Cup in 1983. Leading the side, the all-rounder came to bat at 17 for 5 against Zimbabwe who had defeated Australia in their opening World Cup encounter. Had India lost the match, they would have crashed out of the World Cup, but Kapil Dev had bigger plans. He not only blasted his maiden ODI ton but also India's first in the limited overs off just 72 balls and continued his thumping till he reached 175 not out off 138 balls, with the help of 16 fours and six sixes. He scored more than half of the runs for India and then marched his soldiers admirably to defend 266, which proved too much for Zimbabwe who managed just 235. India qualified for the semi final and went on to win the World Cup, remaining indebted to the heroics of Kapil Dev.
On No.1, we have Javed Miandad’s 116 off 114 balls at Sharjah in 1986 where he not only won the match but also ended Pakistan’s title winning draught, giving them their first of three Austral Asia Cups. The match was being played between the then World Champions and archrivals Pakistan, and Imran Khan’s tigers were on the defensive chasing 246. Pakistan lost wickets at regular intervals but Miandad kept his cool, taking the score closer to the target in the last over. They lost the wicket keeper Zulqarnain on the fourth ball of the final over, and needed five runs to win off 2 balls when off-spinner Tauseef Ahmed came in to bat. Tauseef pushed the ball towards Azharuddin and Miandad took a risky single to reach the batting end. Even after scoring a century, he took his time to check the field placing and created a strategy in his mind. As in turned out, where he hit the ball, no fielder could have been placed. The Indian pacer Chetan Sharma, in an attempt to bowl a yorker, delivered a full toss, which Miandad dispatched towards the square leg, and the rest is history. After that match, Pakistan‘s domination over India became folklore and it was not until recently that the men in blue started defeating Pakistan regularly.
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