Greatest cricket matches of all time

From epic five-day battles to three hour blasts between cricketing giants, here are the greatest cricket matches of all time.

Test

England v Australia, Ashes 3rd Test, Headingley (2019)

With not just the game but the Ashes on the line, England turned to the talismanic Ben Stokes to save the day.

Skittled for just 67 in the first innings, England were set a target of 359 to prevail in Leeds but a collapse saw the home side falter to 286/9 after James Pattinson removed Stuart Broad for a duck.

With 73 still required, Ben Stokes delivered a masterclass in attacking batting, farming the strike to protect Jack Leach at the other end.

Every run was met with applause and cheers from the crowd and none were bigger than the roar served up when Leach scrambled to the non-strikers end to pinch his first and only run of his 17-ball innings.

Ben Stokes cemented his place in Ashes folklore when he crashed a short and wide delivery from Pat Cummins to the rope to seal a famous win.

England v Australia, Ashes 2nd Test, Edgbaston (2005)

Etched into the history books, this Ashes classic was one of the closest finishes in Test history, laying the foundations for one of the great Ashes series.

Andrew Flintoff and Shane Warne were the standout performers, the latter taking 10 wickets in the match.

With two runs needed to win the game, Michael Kasprowicz gloved behind from Steve Harmison, resulting in some of the most jubilant celebrations ever seen in the English game.

India v Australia, 2nd Test, Kolkota (2001)

A star-studded clash that saw numerous all-time greats of the game do battle.

Steve Waugh and Raul Dravid scored brilliant hundreds, Harbhajan Singh took a hat-trick but it was VVS Laxman's third innings 281 that rightly grabbed the headlines.

It left Australia needing 384 runs to win the match but a Harbhajan six-fer delivered a famous India victory.

ODI

Australia v South Africa, 5th ODI, Johannesburg (2006)

Never had a side made 400 in an ODI but by the time this game had finished, two teams had past the landmark score.

Ricky Ponting and Herschelle Gibbs blasted magnificent centuries but it was South Africa who prevailed in the last over with one wicket to spare.

This game completely redefined what was thought to be possible in the 50-over format.

India v Pakistan, Austral-Asia Cup final, Sharjah (1986)

Anyone who has any interest in international cricket will be familiar with Javed Miandad's final ball six to get Pakistan over the line against great rivals India during the Austral-Asia Cup final in 1986.

After 100 overs, it came down to the last ball.

Pakistan needed a boundary and India needed a wicket.

Miandad, who was poised on 110*, launched the ball over the rope off the bowling of Chetan Sharma to spark wild celebrations.

England v New Zealand, World Cup final, Lords (2019)

With both England and New Zealand vying to win their first-ever World Cup title, the 2019 final delivered beyond expectation.

In an action packed second innings, the crucial moment came when the ball inexplicably deflected off Ben Stokes' bat following a run out attempt, trickling to the boundary to bring England closer to New Zealand's total of 241.

Not only was the final tied but so was the resulting super over where England prevailed on boundary count.

T20

India v Pakistan, T20 World Cup final, Johannesburg (2007)

The first-ever T20 World Cup final produced one of the greatest matches the format has ever seen.

Gautam Gambhir got India to a respectable total of 157 before Pakistan saw their chase falter in the dying moments of the game.

With 13 runs required from the final over, Misbah-ul-Haq smashed a six to put Pakistan on the verge of triumph but he found short fine-leg with a scoop the very next ball to hand India the trophy.

West Indies v England, T20 World Cup final, Eden Gardens (2016)

Always behind in the game after England set a target of 155, Marlon Samuels kept West Indies in with a chance of glory with a fine innings.

Samuels was brought to the crease after just seven balls and, with wickets falling around him, he started to run out of partners.

That was until Carlos Brathwaite strutted to the crease at number eight.

Brathwaite struck a devastating 34 from just 10 deliveries, sending four straight Ben Stokes deliveries into the stands to seal a famous, famous win for West Indies.

India v Pakistan, T20 World Cup, Melbourne (2022)

In front for pretty much the whole game, Pakistan were denied victory by a determined Virat Kohli.

Amassing an unbeaten 82*, Kohli took his India side into the final three overs still needing a gigantic 48 runs to complete a chase of 160.

They took 17 runs from the 18th over before Kohli ended the penultimate over with two sixes to set up a dramatic final six balls.

It started well for Pakistan when Mohammed Nawaz took a wicket with the first ball but he inexplicably delivered one above waist height that disappeared over the fence for a maximum with his fourth ball.

A wide, three byes, a wicket, another wide and, finally, a single was scored from the rest of the over to see India over the line in dramatic fashion.