5 lesser known instances when players excelled in pressure situations

#2. Ryan Harris v South Africa, 3rd Test, Australia vs South Africa, Cape Town 2014

This series had reached a tipping point. It was getting more and more intense by the day! Players from both sides indulged in explosive press conferences. Australia's tour of South Africa was tied at 1-1 and this was the final match of the series.

A David Warner and Michael Clarke inspired Australia quickly dominated the match for much of the first 4 days. Australia set South Africa an imposing target of 510 runs. South Africa were not going out without a fight though! A win out of the equation, they went on a stonewalling spree led by Ab De Villiers's 228 ball 43. Even Dale Steyn looked focused and hung on for 75 minutes while scoring a solitary run. Could they repeat their heroics from Adelaide 2012 where they had hung on by the skin of their teeth to salvage a draw?

Ryan Harris has always been the quintessential Australian fast bowler ; someone who just never gives up. His career had been marred by injuries but he kept coming back and each time he bettered his performances. Mitchell Johnson and Pattinson were unable to make the ball talk, and Clarke looked desperate. He turned to Harris, the indomitable spirit. Could he conjure something special?

Harris looked spent for most of the day. He was virtually bowling on one leg. His long term struggle with his knee had aggravated and he could barely walk, let alone run and bowl searing deliveries at high speeds. Even though he was the one who had managed to snuff out the stonewalling AB De Villiers, it was clearly visible that he was really struggling physically. At times throughout the day, he was hobbling and often pulled up in his delivery stride. Could he overcome his personal painful struggles and conjure up a memorable Australian win?

In the pursuit of something extra ordinary, he could have landed awkwardly on his feet and done permanent damage to his knee, which could have resulted in the end of his career.

But Ryan Harris put in a performance which will go down in Australian Cricket as one of the most heroic spells of all time.

With 5 overs left in the day, he ran in and castled the stubborn Dale Steyn with what was a toe crusher. You could sense it in his celebrations that he really wanted to win it for his country. 2 balls later, Morne Morkel had absolutely no idea where his stumps cartwheeled, as players from all over the ground mobbed Harris, a man who had put his body and career at stake, to deliver a famous and memorable series win for Australia over the World No. 1 team.