Top 3 Super Overs in cricket history

Cricket is one of the most thrilling sports in the world. The cricket fans all over the world have witnessed several nail-biting finishes in the cricket matches and even matches where both the teams scored the same number of runs in their innings.

On certain occasions, the teams play a super over after the tied encounter to decide the winner of the match. In the super over, both the teams get a chance to play 6 balls and to score as many runs as possible. The team which scores the most runs from that 6 balls wins the match.

Each team is allowed to name 3 batsmen who will play in the super over. If the team loses both the wickets, then their super over comes to an early end. If the match is tied again in the super over, then the winner is decided on the basis of boundaries. The team which scores the maximum boundaries is the winning team.

Before the concept of super over was invented, the tradition of bowl out served the purpose to decide a tied encounter. The super over was first used in 2008 during the T20 match between West Indies and New Zealand. West Indies scored 25/1 from their super over while New Zealand lost both the wickets scoring just 15 runs. Gayle dominated this super over as he scored all the 25 runs in the 6 balls.

Since then, there have many memorable super overs in cricket history. Here are the top 3 super overs which thrilled the fans and pushed them to the edge of their seats -

---

#1 Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Lions (IPL 2017)

Jasprit Bumrah bowled one of the best super overs in cricket history

Indian Premier League is the grandest cricket carnival for the Indian cricket fans. It is the largest platform for youngsters to showcase. This super over took place during the IPL 2017 after the world witnessed a tie between the two top-class teams.

While batting first, Gujarat Lions posted 153 on the board. Ishan Kishan, with 48 runs, emerged as the leading run scorer for the Gujarat franchise. The Mumbai Indians also scored the same amount of runs in the second innings which resulted the game to end in a tie. Hence, a super over was used to decide the fate of the match.

Batting first in the super over, Mumbai Indians lost both the wickets for just 11 runs. But the Mumbai Indians pacer Jasprit Bumrah turned the tables in their favour. Bumrah completely outwitted the two master-class batsmen in Finch and McCullum as they scored meagre 6 runs, falling short by 5 runs.

Bumrah bowled yorkers and slower balls in that over, making it difficult for the opposition to score runs and helped his team win the match.

#2 Guyana Amazon Warriors vs Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel (CPL 2015)

Sunil Narine bowled the first maiden super over in the history of cricket during the CPL 2015

During the Caribbean Premier League in 2015, the West Indian cricket fans witnessed one of the most iconic moments in the league’s group stage.

During the game between Guyana Amazon Warriors and Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel, Sunil Narine set a record to his name. The mystery spinner became the first bowler in the history to bowl 6 dot balls in the super over. This incident happened after both the teams scored 118 on the board resulting in a super over in that match.

The Warriors, led by Lendl Simmons, batted first in the one-over eliminator and set the target of 12 runs for the Trinidad team to win the match. However, the score which seemed below par for the Trinidad batsmen was way too much for Warrior’s bowler, Sunil Narine.

Narine didn’t concede a single run from his 6 balls and became the first bowler to achieve this feat. The KKR spinner rose as the main hero for his franchise as Warriors won the match through a super over.

#3 Australia vs Pakistan (2012)

Australia and Pakistan played the most thrilling super over in the history of cricket

Australia and Pakistan have always had the upper hand in T20 cricket with their line-ups filled with the most number of star-studded batsmen. Both once played a T20 match at Dubai in 2012 and made it as one of the most memorable ones for their fans with a classic nail-biting finish at the end.

Batting first, Pakistan scored 151 runs in their 20 overs with 3 batsmen losing their wickets in the forties. On paper, the target of 152 seemed easy for the Australian unit, but they scored the same number of runs as the opposition and the match ended on a tie. Hence, a one-over eliminator was used to declare the winning team.

Watson and Warner came out to bat for their nation and they set the target of 12 runs for the Pakistani team. Umar Akmal and Abdul Razzaq opened the innings for Pakistan in that super over with Pat Cummins handed the responsibility to bowl the all-important over. The Pakistani batsmen scored 11 runs from 5 balls which also included one extra run in the form of wide.

The home team required 1 run from the last ball to win the match with Umar at the striker’s end. Umar placed the bowl through the off-side and rushed for a single with the highest risk of getting run out. However, due to Akmal’s good luck, the fielder missed the throw and Pakistan won that super over.