Top 5 memorable chokes in ODI cricket

Sunday’s match between Pakistan and Australia was witness to one of the most memorable instances of choking in a tense situation by a team when the Men in Green, requiring 2 to win in the final over, went to lose the match thanks to Glenn Maxwell’s double-wicket maiden.Cricket has had its fair share of moments where fortunes have changed dramatically and the end result has turned out to be the most unexpected one.We’ve had some most memorable chokes in the history of cricket. Here are the top 5:

#5 India vs South Africa - Hero Cup semifinal 1993

India had posted a mediocre 195 against South Africa, thanks largely to Mohammad Azharuddins 90.

Chasing 196, South Africa kept losingwickets at regular intervals andrequired 5 runs in the final over to enter the final.

Manoj Prabhakar, Javagal Srinath and Kapil Dev had 2 overs left, but to everyones surprise, Captain Azhar called upon Sachin Tendulkar to bowl the final over.

Tendulkar bowled a brilliant last over to concede just 2 runs as India went to win the game by 2 runs.

#4 India vs South Africa - 2002 Champions Trophy semifinal Colombo

Herschelle Gibbs walks off the moment which changed everything

In the semifinal of the 2002 Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka, South Africa cruised to 188/1 in 35overs, chasing a target of 262. They needed just 74runs off 90balls, with 9 wickets in hand.

Herschelle Gibbs started showing some signs of tiredness. After 2 more overs, despite the runner,it was impossible for him to go on in the Colombo heat after scoring 116. With Proteas needing 70 runs off 78 deliveries, he walked off retired hurt. But South Africa were still very much in the driving seat, with the likes of Rhodes, Boucher and Klusener to follow.

But then all hell broke loose. Harbhajan Singh and Virender Sehwag, who was later named Man of the Match, collected 5 wickets between them as South Africa could only manage to reach 251 at the end of the allotted 50 overs. Some inspired fielding from Indians and web spun around the South African batting by Indian spinners ended in a spectacular victory for Indians and yet another choke for South Africans.

#3 Sri Lanka vs Pakistan - 1999 Sharjah

Chasing 197 in 50 overs, Sri Lanka were coasting along at 173 for 2 when Russel Arnoldgot out, needing the island nation24 runs to win in just under 10overs.

But a turnaround happened soon after, as Abdul Razzaq picked 4 wickets with his reverse swing in a space of 8 ballsto bring the match and the Sharjah crowd to life.

The score read 196 for 9 when last man Nuwan Zoysacame out to join MuttiahMuralitharan. Sri Lanka needed one to win in the last over and off the first ball Murali was run out and the match ended in a dramatictie.

#2 South Africa vs Sri Lanka - 2003 World Cup

Itwas must-win game for hosts South Africa to remain alive in the competition as they faced Sri Lanka at Kingsmead in Durban.Sri Lanka batted first and posted 268 for 9 in their50 overs.

South Africa started off their chase, but rain arrived, leading to the Duckworth-Lewis(D/L) method being employed to decide the revised target.

Mark Boucher was in the middle and he receivedinformation from the dressing room that the par score after 45 overs was 229. The wicket-keeper smashed the 4thball off Muralitharan for a six and blocked the next one to leave the Proteas needing 40 to win in 5 overs,before the rain again forced a stoppage in play.

South Africa were confident that they had won the game but soon they were toreceivethe shocking news that they had actually fallen one run short and the match had been tied.

The points were shared and South Africa suffered a second heartbreak in 4 years at the World cup.

#1 South Africa vs Australia - Semifinal 1999 World Cup

Set to chase 214 for a place in the World cup final of 1999, South Africa stumbled their to way to 205 for 9 needing 9 to win of the last over.

Damien Fleming was given the responsibility of bowling the last over and Lance Klusener was the man who had to get his team home.

The first 2 balls were smashed to the boundary, leaving the Proteas just one run shy of the win.

No one would have ever expected the scenes that followed. After Darren Lehmann missed a runout chance of the third ball, Lance Klusener dug out a Fleming yorker of the fourth and was off for the run, only to find the non-striker Allan Donald ball-watching. Donald was run out, leaving the scores tied at 213 a piece.

Australia qualified for the final andeventuallywon the World cup that year.