With the IPL done and dusted, the eyes of all cricket fans will shift towards the eighth edition of the ICC Champions Trophy in England and Wales which is only five days away from now with the warm-up matches having already begun. Australia defeated Sri Lanka in an exciting game at the Oval thanks to Aaron Finch’s 137.
In this edition of the Champions Trophy, we will see Bangladesh playing in the tournament for the first time since 2006 while 2004 winners West Indies will miss out on the competition, thus making it the first time that a major ICC tournament will not have one of its former champions participating.
Also read: ICC Champions Trophy: Top 5 wicket-takers in the history of the competition
Since its inception in 1998, the Champions Trophy has witnessed several sensational spells over the years and here are the Top 5 spells in Champions Trophy history.
#5 Jacques Kallis: 5/30 vs West Indies, 1998
This sensational spell from Jacques Kallis came during the final of the inaugural edition of the Champions Trophy between South Africa and West Indies at Dhaka. South Africa had won the toss and skipper Hansie Cronje sent in the Windies to bat first.
Philo Wallace’s 103 had put the West Indies in a decent position and by the time he got out, they were 180/4 in the 35th over. Then, Kallis instigated a West Indian collapse as he first dismissed Keith Arthurton before dismissing Phil Simmons and Carl Hooper shortly after as West Indies were reduced to 232/8.
Kallis achieved his maiden five-wicket haul in international cricket by dismissing Reon King to end West Indies’ innings at 245/10. He ended with figures of 5/30 which remained his best figures in ODI cricket.
In reply, South Africa chased down the total with three overs to spare thanks to Hansie Cronje’s 77-ball 61 in addition to Mike Rindel’s 49, Kallis’ 37, and final cameos from Dale Benkenstein and Derek Crookes who scored 27 and 24 respectively.
Kallis was awarded the Man of the Match for his sensational performance and was also adjudged the Player of the Tournament as South Africa were crowned Champions of the inaugural Champions Trophy.
#4 Mervyn Dillon: 5/29 vs Bangladesh, 2004
West Indies opened their 2004 Champions Trophy campaign against Bangladesh at the Rose Bowl in Southampton. Bangladesh had won the toss and had opted to field first. Brian Lara’s side reached to a total of 269/3 in their 50 overs thanks to half-centuries from openers Chris Gayle and Wavell Hinds who scored 99 and 82 respectively and added an opening partnership of 192.
In reply, Bangladesh were never in the run chase as Mervyn Dillon effortlessly ripped their batting apart by picking up 5 wickets for 29 runs from his 10 overs, bowling four maidens.
Bangladesh were eventually bundled out for 131 which confirmed their elimination from the tournament. Dillon’s magnificent spell wasn’t enough to get him the Man of the Match award (which was eventually bagged by Gayle) but his effort remained his best bowling figures in ODI cricket as well as the best spell by a West Indies bowler in the Champions Trophy.
#3 Makhaya Ntini: 5/21 vs Pakistan, 2006
In the 2006 Champions Trophy, Pakistan and South Africa contested the final game of Group B and both teams had beaten Sri Lanka but had lost to New Zealand, thus needing to win their final game to join New Zealand in the semi-finals.
The match was held at Mohali and South Africa were batting first. After being reduced to 42/5, fifties from Mark Boucher (69) and Justin Kemp (64) took South Africa to a total of 213/8 from their 50 overs.
In reply, the Pakistan batsmen could not do much as Makhaya Ntini hardly gave them an opportunity to swing their arms. Ntini dismissed openers Mohammad Hafeez and Imran Farhat before dismissing Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik, and Kamran Akmal to reduce Pakistan to 27/6.
Pakistan were eventually bundled out for 89, thus handing South Africa the win and a place in the semi-finals as group winners. Ntini was adjudged the Man of the Match for his splendid spell of 5/21.
#2 Shahid Afridi: 5/11 vs Kenya, 2004
Pakistan began their 2004 Champions Trophy campaign against Kenya at Edgbaston. The match could not happen on the scheduled day due to heavy rain and had to postpone to the following day. Pakistan won the toss and had opted to field first. After losing Ravindu Shah in the first over, a patient partnership of 65 from 122 balls between Kennedy Otieno and Maurice Ouma gave Kenya some hope to reach a competitive total.
Shahid Afridi was brought in to bowl and dismissed Ouma in his very first over. Ouma’s dismissal triggered a downfall in the Kenyan batting as the remaining wickets fell like a pack of cards. Afridi was the key architect of the downfall as he kept on bowling out one Kenyan batsman after another and Kenya were dismissed for 94. Afridi ended with figures of 5/11.
In reply, Pakistan comfortably chased down the total in 18.4 overs to knock Kenya out of the tournament. Afridi was adjudged the Man of the Match for his sensational spell.
#1 Farveez Maharoof: 6/14 vs West Indies, 2006
Both Sri Lanka and West Indies had secured qualification to the main round of the 2006 Champions Trophy with wins over Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, making their matchup in the qualifying round a mere formality.
The match was held at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai and West Indies skipper Brian Lara decided to bat first. West Indies were never given any sort of leeway as Farveez Maharoof kept on picking up one wicket after another and helped Sri Lanka dismiss the Windies for just 80. Maharoof ended with figures of 6/14 from 9 overs.
In reply, Sri Lanka lost Upul Tharanga in the first over but the continuous boundary hitting from Sanath Jayasuriya and skipper Mahela Jayawardene took them past the finish line in just 13.2 overs. Maharoof’s career-best ODI figures earned him the Man of the Match award and it remains the best spell in Champions Trophy history.
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