3 classic tied games in Cricket World Cups
Cricket World Cups will always be the pinnacle of the sport. Australia are the most successful nation of all time, with five titles to their name. West Indies and India are joint-second with two titles each.
On this day 12 years ago, India and England played one of the most exciting matches of all time in the history of the World Cup. They were involved in a thrilling tied match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
On that note, here's a look at the three other iconic tied matches in the Cricket World Cups.
#1 England vs New Zealand, Lord's 2019
#OnThisDay last year, the eve of the 2019 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup final 🏆 https://t.co/NjGirLqplI
The 2019 World Cup final broke several viewership records. It was one of the most eventful matches in the sport's history. Kane Williamson won the toss and opted to bat first.
New Zealand scored 241 runs in the first innings on a wicket that differed from the usual flat decks that were dished out in this World Cup.
Henry Nicholls (55) and Tom Latham (47) played crucial knocks. Woakes and Plunkett were the best of the bowlers, picking up three wickets each.
In response, England were struggling at 86/4 in the 24th over of the chase. Ben Stokes (84*) and Jos Buttler (59) pulled off two incredible knocks under pressure. With a little bit of luck on their side, they managed to level the scores.
This was the first instance of a super-over in an ODI, which also ended up being a tie. England won the Cricket World Cup for the first time in their history on the basis of boundary count.
#2 South Africa vs Sri Lanka, Durban 2003
Kumar Sangakkara, who celebrates his birthday today, and Shaun Pollock might have played against each other in 46 international matches, but this verbal rivalry surely holds one of the top spots 😄 https://t.co/jvFFkjrsFU
South Africa have often been on the receiving end of bad luck in Cricket World Cups. Sanath Jayasuriya won the toss and opted to bat first in this all-important encounter.
Sri Lanka scored 268/9 in the first innings, as Atapattu (124) and de Silva (73) did the bulk of the run-scoring for the island nation. Jacques Kallis returned with bowling figures of 3/41 in his quota of 10 overs.
After 124/2 in 23 overs with Kallis and Gibbs at the crease, they looked on course for a victory. However, captain Jayasuriya triggered a collapse, reducing them to 149/5.
The lower order did a great job of coming close to the target. However, it did not prove to be enough. Rain interruptions after 45 overs meant that the DLS score was 1 run less than the target.
#3 South Africa vs Australia, Birmingham 1999
#OnThisDay in 1999, Edgbaston experienced one of the @cricketworldcup's greatest moments - Australia and South Africa tie the semi-final! https://t.co/k4KI6DjJL3
The encounter in the semi-finals of the 1999 World Cup was fondly remembered by cricket fans as one of the best ODI matches of all time. Hansie Cronje won the toss and elected to field first.
Australia scored 213 runs in the first innings. Michael Bevan (65) and Steve Waugh (56) were the primary contributors with the bat for the eventual world champions.
South Africa had a top-order collapse after an opening stand of 48 runs. Thanks to Shane Warne, they were 61/4 in the 22nd over. The target looked extremely steep. Jonty Rhodes and Jacques Kallis dug in and added 84 runs for the fifth wicket.
After Kallis was dismissed in the 45th over, South Africa needed another 39 runs off 31 deliveries with only four wickets in hand.
Lance Klusener played an absolute blinder, scoring 31 runs off just 16 balls. However, the infamous Allan Donald runout ensured that Australia were through to the finals of the tournament.