Victor Okafor

Unforgettable Cricket moments: A look back For a sport that started as a children’s game in 16th century England, Cricket has grown significantly over the years to become a global sport that is enjoyed by fans across seven different continents. Today, there are over 2 billion spectators from countries around the world including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. In this article we at odds96.in will look at some of the most iconic moments in cricket history including glorious wins, shocking defeats and everything in between. Let us dive in The first ever test match On march 15th 1877, the first official international test match was played between Australia and England at Melbourne in Australia. The home team won the game by scoring 45 runs. England was scheduled to play two test matches in Melbourne, and England won the second test by four wickets. This game involved players such as Dave Gregory, the Australian captain, Alfred Shaw who bowled the first test delivery, and Allen Hill who claimed the first-ever test wicket. Don Bradman's 334 at Headingley, 1930 We can't discuss unforgettable cricket moments without mentioning Bradman's performance at the headingley in 1930. Bradman's exceptional performance set a new record for the highest individual score in test cricket at the time and also consolidated his reputation as one of the best batsmen in the history of cricket. One reason why this achievement is particularly gargantuan is that he accomplished it during the prestigious Ashes rivalry between England and Australia. His dominance over the English bowling attack proved him to be an exceptional talent and was instrumental in Australia winning the 1930 Ashes series. India's 1983 World Cup victory against the West Indies The story of India's victory against the west indies at the 1983 world cup was one of the underdog: before the 1983 world cup the west indies was the dominant team in the world cricket scene having won the last two installments of the world cup in 1975 and 1979. India on the other hand was not considered a cricket powerhouse and their chances of winning against such a dominant team was next to nothing. The final held at Lord's cricket ground in London on June 25, 1983, West Indies won the toss and elected to field first. The start of the game saw India's innings get off to a shaky start, they lost early wickets and were struggling at 183 for 6. However, captain Kapil Dev turned the tide with a remarkable inning scoring 175 runs off just 138 balls. This lifted India to a total of 267 for 8 in their allotted 60 overs. The West Indies, famous for their powerful batters, failed against the Indian bowling attack. Historic performances by bowlers such as Mohinder Amaranth, Madan Lal, and Roger Binny helped secure a victory for India by limiting the West Indies to 140 runs. At the end, India won by a 43-run victory. This victory shocked the cricket world, and signaled a new era for Indian cricket as a cricket powerhouse. Today, many Indian cricket players and fans continue to be inspired by this legendary performance. Javed-Miandad's last-ball six against India in 1986 The Austral-Asia cup was held on April 18, 1986, in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates and was widely viewed by cricket fans across the world. The final pitted two arch-rivals Pakistan and India against each other, and was attended by 20,000 spectators. Chasing a target of 246 runs set by India, Pakistan found themselves in a precarious position, they had just one wicket in hand and needed four runs to win off the final ball of the match. As the final ball was bowled by Indian seamer Chetan Sharma, Javed Miranda lofted the ball over the long-on boundary for a six. This six meant that Pakistan had surpassed India's 246 run, and so won the cup. This is a big moment in the Pakistan-India rivalry, and it solidified Javed's status as a legendary cricketer. Till today, this dramatic moment is seen as one of the most iconic moments in one-day cricket history. Australia's dramatic win over south Africa world cup semi-final 1999 Australia's remarkable victory against South Africa in the semifinal of the 1999 cricket world cup is widely regarded as one of the most entertaining matches in cricket history. The semi-final match took place on June 17, 1999, at Edgbaston Cricket ground in Birmingham, England. Australia had won the last world cup in 1995 and were looking to defend their title. South Africa on the other hand were seeking their first ever appearance in the final. During the first inning, Australia batted, setting a target of 214 for the South African team to chase. As the game unfolded, South Africa appeared to be cruising towards victory with just nine runs needed off the final over. However, a boisterous performance in the last-over by Damien Fleming changed the direction of the game. Lance Klusener's explosive hitting brought South Africa dangerously close to winning, but a mix up by Klusener and Allan Donald resulted in a run out which left both teams in a tie, with one ball remaining. South Africa failed to score this final ball resulting in a tie. With South Africa losing the final ball, Australia went through to the finals based on their superior performance in the super six stage. This sparked debates about the fairness and effectiveness of the count back rule (used to qualify a team based on their performance in the super six stage). So far, we have discussed some of the most iconic moments in the history of cricket from the first official international test game over a century ago to iconic world cup moments. This list is by no means all exhaustive, there are too many important moments in this exciting sport than we can possibly discuss. However, these are our top picks. Did we miss an important historic moment? Please drop a comment and get the conversation going. Thanks for reading