20 Greatest ODIs (by ESPNCricinfo)

[smash84]

I just watched The Greatest Game, the story of the 2019 Final. That really does have to be number one IMO - there's virtually nothing between that and the 1999 Australia v South Africa classic, and if there has to be a tie-breaker it's that one was a World Cup Final and one was "only" a semi. The barest of margins, if you will.

I think the Quality of the two sides probably shades the 99 semi for me. There were multiple ATGs on both sides in the 99 semi final.

 

[Nintendo]

I think the Quality of the two sides probably shades the 99 semi for me. There were multiple ATGs on both sides in the 99 semi final.

Not like there wasn't multiple ATG's in both side's in 2019, either. Rosco and boult are modern odi greats and england have a few ATG candidates in their 11.

 

[ma1978]

Top 5 for me

2019 final
1999 semi
Wanderers Test
1983 final
1996 final

 

[Ali TT]

I just watched The Greatest Game, the story of the 2019 Final. That really does have to be number one IMO - there's virtually nothing between that and the 1999 Australia v South Africa classic, and if there has to be a tie-breaker it's that one was a World Cup Final and one was "only" a semi. The barest of margins, if you will.

As a supreme finish, no competition but for about 75 overs it was a pretty turgid game played on a slow wicket. Admittedly, the drama over the final 25+2 overs more than made up for it.

I'd reckon the 434 chase by SA is #1. While not a competition game, the prolonged drama of first Australia scoring so much then the "can they really do this!?" as Gibbs and co chased it down puts it in a league on its own.

 

[ankitj]

As someone who hates idea of super over with a passion, I think finish was also a disappointment.

 

[SteveNZ]

Ok fella, calm down.

Anyway, surely this has to be in the list.

https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/england-in-netherlands-2022-1281442/netherlands-vs-england-1st-odi-1281444/full-scorecard

Eoin Morgan hopes so

 

[subshakerz]

I think the Quality of the two sides probably shades the 99 semi for me. There were multiple ATGs on both sides in the 99 semi final.

2019, to be honest, wasn't that exciting or interesting in the first half. It was a slow burner. The finish though was the greatest of all-time but it can't match the big match moments of the 99 game. Also in 99, SA and Australia were the best ODI teams in the world so it was much better backdrop.

99 was just a better quality game from the 1st over when Pollock took Mark Waugh till the end, and it kept swinging one way to the other.

Australia were comfortable at 54-1 and then Donald storms in with 2 wickets in a over.

Then Australia were 4 down and Waugh and Bevan rebuilded.

Pollock crashed through but Bevan got them over 200 before Donald yorked Australia so they couldnt score too many.

SA got over to a solid start and then Warne magnificently pegged them back.

SA rebuilded slowly and by the 40th over you didn't have an idea who would win. The last 6 overs, the game was literally switching to each team's favor ball by ball, Klusener would smack it and then they would take wickets from the other end. Reiffel's dropped catches, those two awesome fours at the end, missed runout and then the final tragedy.

Probably the greatest cricket game ever, not just ODIs.

 

[TheJediBrah]

O'Brien's knock wasnt played in front of a packed house either. Also why does the bolded part matter. The fact that it had to be done in 40 overs raised the difficulty level even more. These are stupid reasons. It was a much more than "decent" innings.

Sham that it isn't in the top 5. **** other countries they're less important and jealous of India. Bharat mata ki jai

Molehill's right that it shouldn't be top 20, but his reasoning is really terrible

For what it's worth I remember that game and the Kohli innings more than anything else he's ever done. It was quite remarkable and I don't begrudge it being on the list

 

[Ali TT]

Anyhow, appears Cricinfo views the many generations of the Aussie tri-series competition as the pinnacle of ODI cricket.

The advent of the finisher

Long before the word entered cricket parlance, Michael Bevan had made the role his own

www.thecricketmonthly.com

 

[ma1978]

Clearly they like the emergence story - the last was the emergence of Kohli, this was the emergence of Bevan. Odds on you will see the Sachin 82 off 49 in his first match opening somewhere

 

[Nintendo]

Anyhow, appears Cricinfo views the many generations of the Aussie tri-series competition as the pinnacle of ODI cricket.

The advent of the finisher

Long before the word entered cricket parlance, Michael Bevan had made the role his own

www.thecricketmonthly.com

I thought this was gonna be the james faulkner syndey knock vs england when I first saw the title, NGL.

 

[subshakerz]

Going from here, the top three should be in some order of 99 Semi, 2019 Final and 2006 Aus-SA.

Other games that should definitely be there because of historical significance:

1986 Australasia Final - Miandad's Six that changed the dynamic between India and Pakistan
2002 Natwest Series Final India vs England
2004 India vs Pakistan, 1st ODI in Karachi, an important game
2003 India vs Pakistan in the WC, Tendulkar's knock
1997 and Tendulkar's Desert Storm in Sharjah
1996 WC Semi Australia vs WI

I also think 2015 Semi of SA vs NZ and 1985 India vs Pakistan where they defended 125 and the Aus vs NZ game where they recovered from 40/4 to chase 330/340 are good shouts.

 

[The Sean]

2019, to be honest, wasn't that exciting or interesting in the first half. It was a slow burner. The finish though was the greatest of all-time but it can't match the big match moments of the 99 game. Also in 99, SA and Australia were the best ODI teams in the world so it was much better backdrop.

99 was just a better quality game from the 1st over when Pollock took Mark Waugh till the end, and it kept swinging one way to the other.

Australia were comfortable at 54-1 and then Donald storms in with 2 wickets in a over.

Then Australia were 4 down and Waugh and Bevan rebuilded.

Pollock crashed through but Bevan got them over 200 before Donald yorked Australia so they couldnt score too many.

SA got over to a solid start and then Warne magnificently pegged them back.

SA rebuilded slowly and by the 40th over you didn't have an idea who would win. The last 6 overs, the game was literally switching to each team's favor ball by ball, Klusener would smack it and then they would take wickets from the other end. Reiffel's dropped catches, those two awesome fours at the end, missed runout and then the final tragedy.

Probably the greatest cricket game ever, not just ODIs.

Yeah, that's a fair shout too. It really did have everything.

 

[The Sean]

Anyhow, appears Cricinfo views the many generations of the Aussie tri-series competition as the pinnacle of ODI cricket.

The advent of the finisher

Long before the word entered cricket parlance, Michael Bevan had made the role his own

www.thecricketmonthly.com

I really thought this would be higher.

 

[The Sean]

Clearly they like the emergence story - the last was the emergence of Kohli, this was the emergence of Bevan. Odds on you will see the Sachin 82 off 49 in his first match opening somewhere

You're probably right, but as good - and important - as that knock from Tendulkar was, it was an absolute walkover of a match. Bevan's innings came as part of a last-ball classic. There's no way Tendulkar's should be higher IMO.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Clearly they like the emergence story - the last was the emergence of Kohli, this was the emergence of Bevan. Odds on you will see the Sachin 82 off 49 in his first match opening somewhere

If this is the case the 2003 WC group game Pak v Aus should be there for sure. Andrew Symonds only comes into the squad because of injury, at what seemed like the end of a disapponting international "career", makes 143* from no. 6 out of nowhere and the rest is history. Actually a WC game too unlike the others.

 

[Ali TT]

You're probably right, but as good - and important - as that knock from Tendulkar was, it was an absolute walkover of a match. Bevan's innings came as part of a last-ball classic. There's no way Tendulkar's should be higher IMO.

I can see a stronger case for this one than the AB or Kohli entries which were great individual efforts in otherwise poor games.

 

[ma1978]

I didn’t say it deserved a spot - just predicting where cricinfo is going with this

Lot of firsts vs the best matches

 

[subshakerz]

As a supreme finish, no competition but for about 75 overs it was a pretty turgid game played on a slow wicket. Admittedly, the drama over the final 25+2 overs more than made up for it.

I'd reckon the 434 chase by SA is #1. While not a competition game, the prolonged drama of first Australia scoring so much then the "can they really do this!?" as Gibbs and co chased it down puts it in a league on its own.

I really hope not. It should be top 5 but really as far as cricket goes, it was just a batting slugfest.

 

[ankitj]

Gotta say the level of writing in this series is several notches higher than what has been the standard on cricinfo recently. It's been many years since I stopped reading their match reports. But I find myself reading these longish articles from first letter to last.