Everyone has their own memories of exciting matches so let me share some of mine. The most exciting matches generally happen in World events, and while the 2017 Champions Trophy did not have too many exciting matches, the 2015 World Cup certainly did, so here are 3 of those:
The most exciting match I have ever seen is the Group Match at the 2015 World Cup between New Zealand and Australia at Eden Park.
These 2 teams were the hosts and favourites at the tournament, as well as being the most impressive sides so far. New Zealand had beaten Sri Lanka convincingly and Southee and McCullum took England apart. New Zealand had also achieved a nervy victory against Scotland as they tried to boost their run rate. Australia had also smashed a poor England side and were also looking in good shape. This was the only game in the entire tournament where Australia’s batting had failed them (They made 417 vs Afghanistan, 342 vs England, 376 vs Sri Lanka and 328 vs India while batting first in the rest of the tournament).
Before the game, you could sense the tension and even in the first few overs, Southee, who had just taken 7 vs England was spraying the ball all over the place out of nervousness. Even the Australians weren't calm as Finch and Warner were looking to hit anything on the stumps out of the ground. Eventually, Southee took Finch’s middle stump with an in swinger in a crazy frenetic start that would carry on for most of the game. Australia had got off to a very fast start and reached 50 in under 6 overs for 1 wicket. McCullum was forced to bring on Vettori who slowed proceedings down, but Australia were well placed at 76–1 (12).
Watson then hit a half tracker from Vettori straight to Southee, and Southee got Warner lbw the very next ball as the slide began for Australia. Vettori took Smith’s edge 3 overs later as Australia went from 80–1 to 96–4 and their firing top order faltered. McCullum immediately bought Boult back, and he didn't disappoint. An incredible spell of swing bowling followed as Boult took Australia’s middle order apart. His figures for that spell were 4–3–2–3. Just in case you aren't sure, that’s 4 overs, 3 maidens, 3 wickets for just 2 runs.Australia fought back a little through Haddin but could only make 151.
New Zealand came out in the reply, and it was the literal definition of coming out all guns blazing. Guptill hit the first 2 balls for boundaries, one 4 and one 6, as McCullum was charging Mitchell Starc bowling at 150kph and hitting him over cover for 6. Guptill got out but McCullum just kept going. It was the most incredible hitting you will ever see, as he got 50 from 21 balls. Mitchell Johnson had conceded 52 in his first 4 overs…. Cummins was brought on and prized out McCullum, as Starc came on and got Ross Taylor and Grant Elliott in successive balls with inswinging Yorkers taking out their stumps. Suddenly New Zealand were 4 down and needed around 70 runs at a required rate of under 2.
Kane Williamson batted how he does, and Corey Anderson played a remarkable innings in the sense that anything pitched up he was clueless but as soon as the bowler pitched it short it went for 6. Eventually Anderson was dismissed by Maxwell (terrible shot, really, but wasn't any different to what he was doing anyway) for 26, with the score at 131–5.
Luke Ronchi hit his 2nd ball for 6, and then the game took one more twist, as Starc started firing rockets. Ronchi was dismissed by a 92mph bouncer, and after Cummins got Vettori, Starc bowled Adam Milne and Tim Southee 2 in 2 (both inswinging Yorkers) as New Zealand went from 139–5 to 146–9.
The tension was unbearable as number 11 Trent Boult came out and managed to block the hat trick ball and leave the final ball of Starc’s over.
And so Kane Williamson took strike against Pat Cummins with 6 required and 9 wickets down, and what does he do? He gives himself room and smashes it down the ground for 6 as New Zealand won by 1 wicket.
Other matches that were almost as exciting were New Zealand vs South Africa (CWC 2015 Semi Final) - New Zealand snatched it at the death as Elliott hit the greatest fast bowler of his generation Dale Steyn into the grandstand.
There was also Ireland vs Zimbabwe at the same tournament, which had its own 3rd umpire controversy with nobody being quite sure if a catch on the boundary had been taken (at different angles it sometimes looked like the fielder’s foot touched the rope, but sometimes it looked like it didn't). Sean Williams (the batsman) would probably have been given the benefit of the doubt but he walked off the field, seemingly satisfied he was out so the umpires had to give it! He was on 96 and the game swung decisively in Ireland’s favour as Zimbabwe ended up 5 short of Ireland’s 331–7 score.
The most exciting test match I have seen would be India vs Australia, Bangalore 2017. Australia had stunned the world and taken the first test at Pune in stunning fashion, winning by 333 runs.
India batted first in the second test as Nathan Lyon took 8 wickets on a pitch that was a day4 pitch on day1. KL Rahul kept India in it with a masterful 90 as India mustered 189. Australia ended Day1 at 40–0 however, so advantage Australia after Day1. India then bowled incredibly in the first session of Day 2, not letting Australia get away from them. In 29 overs, India took just 1 wicket but crucially only gave away 45 runs, as Australia were kept in check on a quickly deteriorating wicket. Lunch Day2, Australia 85–2. As well as this, the 1 wicket was Australia’s best batsman Steve Smith. India then proceeded to take 3 wickets in the afternoon session as Australia went into tea at 169–5, with Renshaw scoring a fighting 60. Australia had a fantastic final session, losing just 1 wicket with Shaun Marsh getting 66 and Wade getting 40. Australia ended Day 2 on 239–6, 50 runs ahead.
Australia eventually were all out for 276 half way through the first session on Day3, as they took a lead of 87 runs. To demonstrate how big a lead this was, India’s 10 batsman other than KL Rahul combined to score 99 runs in the first innings.
India needed something special, and got a good start, going into Lunch 38–0. Australia then had what they thought was a match winning session, picking up 4 wickets as India went into Tea at 122–4, with Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane at the crease. In this session, Smith took an incredible one handed catch to dismiss a set KL Rahul for 51, and Indian captain Virat Kohli was dismissed lbw in controversy. The replays were very difficult to decipher whether the ball hit the bat first, or the pad first. It also may have been that it was just pad and it didn't hit bat at all (the noise could've been bat hitting pad). With so much uncertainty, the 3rd umpire went with the on field call and gave Kohli out, much to Kohli’s disappointment.
Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane then created the ‘something special’ that India needed in a wicketless final session on Day 3. They kept Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Steve O’Keefe at bay by using sweeps and waiting for the ball and playing with soft hands (much more difficult than it sounds), creating their own mini version of Dravid-Laxman 2001 at Eden Gardens (another thrilling India Australia test) in a series defining partnership. At the end of Day 3, India were 213–4, with Pujara and Rahane having taken the lead from 35 runs at Tea to 126 runs at close. It wasn't enough yet, but it kept India in the series. Rahane was dismissed with the score at 238 and the lead at 151 for a fighting 52 from 134 balls. Starc then bowled Karun Nair first ball with an inswinging Yorker, and just 4 runs later, with the lead at 155, Pujara was finally dismissed after nearly 5 hours for an outstanding 92, worth 150+ on any other pitch. Ravi Ashwin was dismissed in the same over by Hazlewood as Australia sensed an opportunity to take the series. India still needed runs from their lower order. The test was delicately poised as India led by 159 with just 2 wickets left. Umesh Yadav was dismissed soon after with the lead at 175 (Saha got a 6 and a 4 in the partnership). Ishant Sharma then held out for 23 balls and 45 minutes to frustrate Australia, and got 6 valuable runs, supporting Saha as he ended with 20 not out. This took the lead to 186.
Australia came out after lunch on Day 4 to start their chase. Ishant took out Renshaw for 5 (22–1), and then the first bit of drama in the 4th innings. David Warner was given out sweeping to Ashwin, and the replays showed the impact was the tiniest bit outside the line (the whole ball), but Hawkeye disagreed and said some of the ball was in line with off stump. This meant impact was umpires call and Warner had to go for 17 (42–2). After Kohli dropped Smith, Shaun Marsh was given out lbw leaving the ball for 9 (67–3). Because of the failed Warner review, they didn't take this one and replays showed the ball would've missed the stumps and the decisions would've been overturned. Finally, Smith was dismissed for 28 with the score at 74–4, and it looked to be over for Australia. (Incidentally, this was the ‘brain fade’ incident when Smith and Handscomb looked up to the dressing room to ask if they should take the review, which is strictly against the rules. Kohli accused them of systematically ‘cheating’ (he never actually used the word), and Smith attributed it to a ‘brain fade’). Handscomb and Mitchell Marsh then hit a flurry of boundaries to give them hope and drives to take Australia to 101–4, where they then lost Mitchell Marsh for 13, and then Wade on the last ball before tea to go into tea at 101–6. Wade was unlucky as it was a fantastic catch by Saha, literally flying through the air to take it.
India took the last 4 wickets after tea for 11 runs as Australia ended on 112, 75 runs short of their target of 187.
This game was the most exciting test I have ever seen, as India levelled the series 1–1. Australia got 457 at Ranchi, with Maxwell getting 104 and Smith getting yet another magnificent hundred with 178*. Pujara responded with a epic double hundred (202 - he batted for over 11 hours) as India posted 603–9 dec (Saha also got 117). Australia then played out 100 overs in their second innings to escape with a draw, led by Peter Handscomb (72* from 200 balls) and Shaun Marsh (53 from 197 balls).
This set up the series decider in Dharamsala, another epic test, this time India were under Ajinkya Rahane’s captaincy as Kohli was injured.
Steven Smith got ANOTHER hundred (111) as Australia posted 300 on a good pitch, with Kuldeep Yadav (India’s ‘trump card’) coming in and taking 4 sensational wickets on a flat Day 1 pitch.
India then got 332, as numerous batsmen got starts but nobody got that big score, with only Rahul (60), Jadeja (63) and Pujara (57) passing 50. Rahane got 46, Ashwin 30 and Saha 31 but Australia kept chipping away, with Lyon taking 5–92.
Australia then crumbled in their final batting effort, getting just 137, with the only score above 25 coming from Maxwell (45). This was one of the few times Smith failed in the series, getting one that kept low from Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
In the chase, Australia got Vijay for 8 (46–1) and Pujara ran himself out for a duck to give Australia a sniff, but captain Rahane walked out at 4 and set his mission to take Australia’s fast bowlers down, getting 38(27)* with 4 4s and 2 6s with some ultra aggressive batting against quick, short bowling from Pat Cummins. KL Rahul ended on 51* as India took the series 2–1.
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