The top 10: Champions Trophy thrillers from the past

Across six editions of the ICC Champions Trophy, there have been many thrilling and exciting matches, keeping us on the edge of our seats. Here are ten such games from editions gone by, full of stunning bowling, brilliant batting and gripping action.

ICC Champions Trophy 2013 – Final – England v India

The 2013 final nearly didn’t happen with Edgbaston receiving so much rain that the match had to be shortened to 20 overs. Ravindra Jadeja managed to drag India to a total of 129 for 7 after Virat Kohli had laid the base with 43, Ravi Bopara’s medium-pace fetching him 3 for 20. England looked on course for their first global 50-over title when, from 46 for 4, they recovered through a solid 64-run partnership between Bopara and Eoin Morgan. But India found an unlikely hero in Ishant Sharma, who dismissed Bopara and Morgan in the 18th over off successive deliveries after starting it with a six and two wides. MS Dhoni’s completely unexpected bowling change turned the tide in favour of India, who won by five runs and lit up a cold and dreary day in Birmingham.

ICC Champions Trophy 2013 – Match 4, Group A – New Zealand v Sri Lanka

Low-scoring thrillers are generally exciting but low-scoring thrillers that are won by a solitary wicket after two brilliant bowling performances deserve special attention. Kumar Sangakkara’s 68 was the only bright spot in the carnage unleashed by Mitchell McClenaghan (4-43) in Cardiff, with the ever-looming threat of rain looming large. A target of 139 appeared straightforward but Lasith Malinga’s magical spell threatened to derail what turned out to be a nervy chase for New Zealand. Ultimately, it was smart running and McClenaghan again that bailed the Kiwis out, the paceman striking the winning run.

ICC Champions Trophy 2009 – Final – Australia v New Zealand

Shane Watson’s magnum opus fuelled a title defence that showed the world how dominant Australia were in that era. The 28-year-old all-rounder had already lifted Australia to a Champions Trophy title in 2006, winning the Man of the Match award in the final. The Australian bowlers set the platform this time around, upon which Watson delivered one of the best innings of his career. Restricting New Zealand to 200 meant Kyle Mills and Shane Bond needed to come up with something special to threaten Australia’s batsmen. While Mills made quick work of Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey, Watson strung a 128-run partnership with Cameron White and never looked back, negotiating the New Zealand pace duo comfortably and sealing a brilliant six-wicket win.

ICC Champions Trophy 2009 – Match 11, Group A – Australia v Pakistan

For that Shane Watson innings to eventuate, Australia had to overcome one especially tough hurdle, by two wickets off the final ball of the match against Pakistan. This time, it was Michael Hussey to the rescue, though the nervy finish with Brett Lee and Nathan Hauritz holding fort had Ricky Ponting “chewing his fingernails”. It didn’t look like it would unravel into such a close battle, with Australia cruising to 140 for 2, courtesy an opening partnership of 44 between Tim Paine and Watson, followed by a solid 81-run stand Hussey and Ponting. But brilliant bowling spells from Saeed Ajmal and Mohammed Asif triggered a collapse of six for 47 and forced it down to the wire. With five runs required from the final over, Umar Gul made things extremely difficult for Lee and Hauritz, but the duo held on to secure victory.

ICC Champions Trophy 2006 – Match 10, Group A – Australia v West Indies

It wasn’t the best of pitches at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai but it made for a thrilling contest between Australia and West Indies which included a hat-trick from Jerome Taylor, the first for a West Indies bowler in ODIs. Words were exchanged between Chris Gayle and Michael Clarke, West Indies unearthed an unexpected hero in Runako Morton. Setting the stage for the classic was a 137-run partnership between Morton and Brian Lara (71), with the former remaining unbeaten on 90. West Indies, the defending champions, were then pushed on to the back foot by a sparkling innings from Adam Gilchrist (92) at the top of the order, but he barely received support until a solid 101-run partnership with Clarke (47) swung the momentum Australia’s way. Morton may have set the foundation but it was Taylor’s hat-trick, spread across two overs, that effectively sealed the 10-run win for West Indies.

ICC Champions Trophy 2004 – Final – England v West Indies

Close wins for the side chasing generally require tailenders to abandon their natural instincts and bat with purpose. This was the case for Courtney Browne and Ian Bradshaw amidst the gloom that had enveloped The Oval and West Indies. Marcus Trescothick’s brilliant century and the combined bowling efforts of Steve Harmison and Andrew Flintoff gave England the swagger that only teams on the verge of victory can have. Only, they ran into Browne (35*) and Bradshaw (34*), who picked up a team that had descended some way from the ranks of being feared. Their unbeaten 71-run partnership pulled the rug from under England’s feat, and drove West Indies to the title with a two-wicket victory.

ICC Champions Trophy 2002 – Semifinal – India v South Africa

While the 2002 title was shared between India and Sri Lanka after the final was washed out twice, how India got to the title round was incredible, and fashioned primarily by Virender Sehwag. The flamboyant opener tended to create sparks whenever he performed, and it wasn’t any different at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. After smashing 59 off 58 balls in an age where a strike rate of over a 100 was not commonplace, Sehwag returned to haunt South Africa with the ball. Chasing a target of 262 after Rahul Dravid (49) and Yuvraj Singh (62) backed up Sehwag’s heroics, South Africa soared on the back of Herschelle Gibbs’s century, but when he was forced to retire hurt, India sensed an opening and came roaring back. Harbhajan Singh dismissed Jonty Rhodes and Boeta Dippenaar, and even though Jacques Kallis (97) gamely battled on, Sehwag twirled his fingers and spun India to the final with his under-rated off-spin.

ICC KnockOut 2000 – Final – India v New Zealand

The two teams that met in the final, India and New Zealand, were grooming youngsters, setting the stage for a classic confrontation. His presence in the XI for the final confirmed only the previous night, Chris Cairns muscled New Zealand to victory to their first and only ICC title to date. Sourav Ganguly, then adjusting to captaincy, gave India a fighting chance with his second century of the tournament, his opening stand of 141 with Sachin Tendulkar (69) setting up India’s total of 264. Anil Kumble and Venkatesh Prasad then dismantled the New Zealand top order, including Stephen Fleming, the captain. Cairns, who had earlier bowled a tight spell to halt India’s scoring, went on to notch an unbeaten 102 despite a dodgy knee, hitting the winning runs with two balls to spare.

ICC KnockOut 2000 – Quarterfinal – Australia v India

It was the 1999 World Cup champions up against a team that had entered the tournament as no one’s favourites. But as India took the field in Nairobi, everything seemed to go one man’s way – the 19-year-old Yuvraj Singh. The southpaw dominated Australia with an 80-ball 84 in just his second ODI, and effected a brilliant run-out to account for Michael Bevan (42), breaking a 73-run partnership between Bevan and Ricky Ponting (46). Ganguly, the young captain, infused his side with youthful energy and aggression that translated into splendid fielding, rarely seen among Indian sides at that time. Australia were also blown away by a young Zaheer Khan, who dismissed both Adam Gilchrist and Steve Waugh at crucial moments. With India winning by 20 runs, the encounter turned out to be one of the best matches of the tournament.

Wills International Cup 1998 – Final – South Africa v West Indies

A tournament that puzzled people at that time, the inaugural edition of the ICC Champions Trophy (then called the Wills International Cup) is, to date, the only ICC title that South Africa have won. South Africa were the favourites entering the tournament, given their dominant ODI record and high levels of professionalism. It seemed like West Indies were on course for a massive total with Philo Wallace smashing it around to score 103. Enter Jacques Kallis – on the verge of becoming one of the greats – to take 5 for 30 and bowl West Indies out for 245. The South Africans wobbled a little at 137 for 5, but Hansie Cronje’s 61 took them home, by four wickets.