With the IPL resuming this month and the Men’s T20 World Cup to follow, cricket fans can look forward to a diet of 20 overs cricket for the next few weeks. Although the newest format of the game has plenty of supporters, there is still a lot of love for the 50 over version.
Back in 2019, the World Cup won for the first time by England, produced some stunning and remarkable cricket. The enduring appeal of the format, which combines the thrills of limited-overs cricket with some of the deeper skills from Test cricket, remains a vital part of the cricket calendar. To remind you of some of the best qualities of ODI cricket, here is a selection of some of the best ODI games to have been played so far in 2021.
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South Africa vs Pakistan, Centurion, April 2nd
Cricket, like most sports, was heavily disrupted throughout 2020 and this six-date tour was due to take place in October 2020, before eventually being scheduled for April 2021. However, game one of the series proved to be worth the wait!
Pakistan won the toss and have decided to field, soon had the hosts in trouble at 55-4 after 14.2 overs. A remarkable fifth-wicket partnership of 116 between Rassie van der Dussen and David Miller rescued the situation, and they eventually set Pakistan a modest target of 274.
At 186-2 after 31 overs, the tourists seemed to be on course for victory and despite a middle-order wobble, they reached the last over needing just three runs to win. Disaster struck from the first ball, however, when Shadab Khan unnecessarily holed out on 33. Tail ender Faheem Ashraf struggled with the next three deliveries and three runs were still needed with two balls to go. Off the penultimate ball of the game, Faheem dug out two runs and then steered the final delivery wide of a diving cover point to scramble a single and bring the win home for Pakistan.
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West Indies vs Sri Lanka, North Sound, March 12th
One of the advantages the ODI has over T20 is that it can produce something of the ebb and flow that is common in Test matches. This was evident when the West Indies and Sri Lanka played out another last-over thriller in North Sound, Antigua, and Barbuda.
The home side had won an entertaining T20 series 2-1 and had been in dominant form in the first ODI, winning by eight wickets at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. You would have bet on them repeating their success two days later when the teams met at the same venue for the second game of the series. West Indies won the toss and took three Sri Lankan wickets to leave the tourists on 50-3 before the end of the eighth over. According to Evan Henningsen, writer at WSN.com, bet365 is one of the top betting apps on sports such as cricket in the US.
Sri Lanka rallied, thanks to a century partnership between Danushka Gunathilaka and Dinesh Chandimal, eventually finishing on 273. The big-hitting West Indian top-order appeared to be making light work of their task, but as the innings wore on, the Sri Lankan bowlers tightened the screws and the West Indian run-rate stalled. A tight over from Dusmantha Chameera left the home side nine to get off the final over, and Sri Lanka was poised for a hard-fought win, but they reckoned without Nicholas Pooran. A brace of clattering boundaries enabled the West Indies to sneak home.
India vs England, Pune, March 26th
England’s tour of India had some highlights, including their First Test win, but they went on to lose that series 3-1, were edged out in the five T20 games, and were well beaten in the first ODI. By the time they took to the field again in Pune for the second ODI, the penultimate game of the tour, the England players could be forgiven for looking forward to getting on that flight home.
They were made to work hard in the field thanks to a century from KL Rahul and half-centuries from Risabh Pant and Virat Kohli and were left facing a tough target of 336. However, the World Champions have made their reputation on chasing down tricky targets, and they promptly unleashed an astonishing display of ODI hitting.
Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow punished the Indian bowlers, bringing up the hundred in the 16th over. Although Roy was run out soon after, that simply brought Ben Stokes to the crease and more fireworks. Stokes brought up his 50 from 40 balls, but then blasted six sixes and a four in 12 balls to take him to 99. A final flourish from Liam Livingstone enabled England to reach their target with six and a half overs to spare. True to form, they lost the third game and the series.
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