One of the Marquee games in all of cricket has to be to the ICC knockout matches. These includes the Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Final of the fourth ICC tourneys held- the Cricket World Cup, T20 World Cup, World Test Championship and the Champions Trophy.
These matches are must win for the all the sides involves and there is no room for a slip up. Hence the pressure attached to these matches are enormous. Only the team and the players who handle the important situations better emerge victorious.
In this article we will mention about players whose role in the game proved to be decisive for their team to win that particular knockout match. These individuals below brought their A game on the big occasion and helped their side go over the line.
Here are some of the best individual performances in an ICC knockout game
Chris Cairns (102 off 113) – 2000 CT Final vs India
New Zealand won their first and only ICC ODI World event in the 2000 edition of ICC Champions Trophy, then called ICC Knockouts, by defeating India in the tournament’s final by 4 wickets at Nairobi. In a game that went till the wire, the Kiwis held their nerve as they chased down 265 set by India with just 2 balls to spare.
The hero of the match was the talismanic all-rounder Chris Cairns, whose unbeaten 102 from 113 guided New Zealand over the finish line. He helped them recover from a precarious 132/5 in the 24th over to play till the end and win their first ICC title. Earlier in the game, he was economical with the ball, giving away just 40 runs in his quota of 10 overs.
Aravinda de Silva (107 & 3/42) – 1996 WC Final vs Australia
In 1996, Sri Lanka, a team that was considered an underdog, won the ICC Cricket World Cup, and it was largely thanks to a complete team effort from the Asain giants. Someone from the team stepped up, and on the night of the final, it was their legendary cricketer Aravinda de Silva. The all-rounder first starred with the ball by picking 3/42, and his wickets were that of Mark Taylor, Ricky Ponting & Ian Healy. This ensured Australia’s total at Lahore was restricted to 241.
Chasing a tricky total on the big occasion, de Silva, along with Asanka Gurusinha, resurrected Sri Lanka’s innings after an early collapse and aced the chase. The Lankan lions defeated the former champions by 7 wickets, and much of the credit should go to the right-hander who top scored with an unbeaten 124-ball 107.
Ben Stokes (84) – 2019 WC Final vs New Zealand
While the final of ICC World Cup 2019 can be remembered for all the wrong reasons, one can’t take any credit away from England’s Ben Stokes for playing a match-winning knock. New Zealand could muster 241 after batting first at the iconic Lord’s, and the second half of the game saw tides turning from one team to another more than once. When Stokes came to the crease, England were 71/3 and further reduced to 86/4 before he stitched a 110-run stand with Jos Buttler that gave them the edge.
Another twist unfolded, and suddenly, England needed 15 off the last with just two wickets intact. Stokes held his nerve, and with some luck,, the scores were level and the match headed to super over. The host nation came out on top, and it was largely possible due to yet another superlative performance by England’s charismatic all-rounder Ben Stokes.
MS Dhoni 91 and Gautam Gambhir 97– 2011 WC Final vs Sri Lanka
India and Sri Lanka faced each other in the final of the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup at Mumbai, with an opportunity to become two-time champions. Sri Lanka, batting first, made a competitive total of 274, with their former skipper Mahela Jayawardene scoring a stunning 88-ball 103. India didn’t have the best of starts in their pursuit of a daunting total in the final, losing both openers Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar early in the piece.
It was left to Gautam Gambhir and a young Virat Kohli to lead India’s recovery. The pair did that, but the game-changing partnership happened when skipper MS Dhoni joined hands with Gambhir for the fourth wicket. They shared a 109-run stand that put India in the driver’s seat, and then Dhoni finished off in style to win India their second World Cup.
Ravindra Jadeja (33 off 25 & 2/24) – 2013 CT Final vs England
In what was a truncated final of the CT 2013, hosts England and India played out a final over thriller. With the game being reduced to 20-overs each, India managed to score 129 on difficult batting conditions, and the major contributor to the score was Ravindra Jadeja, who scored 33 while coming at No.7 in the batting order.
This total, though not match-winning, proved to be enough for India to defend as they won by 5 runs. And the main architect in the defense was again Ravindra Jadeja, who picked 2/24, including the wickets of dangerous Jos Buttler and Ian Bell. This match-winning performance earned him the player of the match award, and India won the CT title for the second time.
Michael Hussey (60* off 24) – 2010 ICC T20 World Cup SF vs Pakistan
Australia was chasing a monumental target of 192 to win the second semi-final of the 2010 edition of the ICC T20 World Cup held in the West Indies. The men in yellow were in all sorts of trouble at 105/5 in the 13th over. This is where Michael Hussey strode to the crease and completely changed the complexion of the game.
He first shared a 34-run stand with Cameron Green in just 18 balls before the latter got out, and when Steven Smith departed, Australia was reeling at 144/7. They further needed 48 runs in the remaining 17 balls with 3 wickets still in the hut. Hussey then played a blinder by smashing 4 sixes, all off Saeed Ajmal & 3 boundaries to take his team over the line with a ball to spare.
Ricky Ponting (140* off 121) – 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup Final vs India
Yet another Australian makes it to the list, and it is their former skipper Ricky Ponting, courtesy of his innings in the 2003 World Cup final against India at Johannesburg. The then-defending champions got to a blistering start, with the bat hammering 105 runs in just 14 overs, and this is when Ricky Ponting outbated India out of the contest.
He shared an unbroken 234 run stand for the third wicket along with Damien Martyn, coming in just 181 balls, propelling the total to 359/2. His dominating knock of 140 contained 8 sixes and 4 fours. This proved to be more than enough as India was never in the hunt during their batting response, and the Aussies won by a whopping 125 runs.
Read: Most Runs as Captain in ICC Tournaments
Travis Head (163 off 174) – 2023 ICC World Test Championship Final vs India
Travis Head has been India’s arch-nemesis in recent times, and one of the instances where they were on the receiving side came in the final of the 2023 World Test Championship. Batting first, Australia was in some trouble at 76/3, and Travis Head came to the rescue during his mammoth 285-run stand with Steven Smith for the 4th wicket.
The left-hander scored 163 runs (only player to hit two centuries in ICC Finals), and it came off just 174 balls, propelling their total to 469. India could amass just 296 during their time to bat and didn’t score much in their 2nd innings either, as Aussies won the game by 209 runs to capture the WTC title for the first time.
Shane Watson (136* off 132 and 2/35) vs ENG – 2009 CT SF
Shane Watson was amidst a purple patch during that phase and played numerous match-winning knocks. One such inning was his unbeaten 136 in the semifinal of CT 2009 against England at Centurion. After bowling out England for 257, where Watson bowled a key spell taking 2/35, the all-rounder made a difference through his explosive innings during the chase.
The opener scored 136 with the help of 7 maximums and helped Australia chase down the target with 8 overs to spare and 9 wickets remaining.
Carlos Brathwaite (34* off 10) – 2016 Final vs England
In one of the closest T20 World Cup final games, Carlos Brathwaite’s little cameo of 34 from just 10 balls made the difference. England had made 155 during their batting essay, and West Indies were early favorites to chase it down. However, they got reduced to 107/6, with a further 49 runs needed off 27 balls, and this equation became 19 off the last over.
Carlos Brathwaite wasted little time as he smashed four sixes off the first four balls of the final over to clinch the World Cup for the 2nd time.
Next Read: When Australia Won 15 Consecutive Matches in ICC Tournaments
