Tom de Grooth of Netherlands hits out against England at Lord’s, 2009 England pair Chris Woakes and Ajmal Shahzad after beating Australia on the last ball in Adelaide. 2011 land to one of their most ignominious crick- steely look. Dinda ran in again, and this time et defeats of all times, hitting the final ball of Morgan slammed the ball straight down the the match for two amid scenes of incredible ground for six. drama. Having done well to keep England to 163, Netherlands’ batsmen did well to keep AUSTRALIA v SOUTH AFRICA, up with the asking rate with Tom de Grooth JOHANNESBURG, 2016 playing the innings of his life. It call boiled down to the last over from which Nether- Needing a win to keep the series alive, Eoin Morgan hits a six off the final ball of the match to lands needed seven runs with four wickets Australia pulled off a record chase. In pur- hand England victory over India at Mumbai, 2012 in hand. In the end, Stuart Broad missed suit of 205, the visitors lost early wickets to DINESH two run-out chances and James Foster slump to 32/3 but a stunning counter-attack another, with the winning run coming when from Glenn Maxwell and David Warner Broad turned and threw at the stumps … shoved South Africa onto the back foot. and missed. Warner led the way with 77 off 40 balls, Immediately the Netherlands dugout was with five sixes and six fours, and Maxwell cleared and Lord’s painted orange as a thrilled with 75 from 43 balls with seven merry band of giant-slayers went delirious, fours and three sixes. The records tumbled. backed by a 1000-strong Dutch contingent in The pair’s partnership of 161 was the high- the stands. est ever fourth-wicket stand in T20Is, and the fourth highest overall; it was the first KARTHIK’S ENGLAND v AUSTRALIA, time that two Australian batsman had scored ADELAIDE, 2011 75 or more in a T20I; and South Africa became the first team to twice lose a T20I Shane Watson starred with 59 off 31 balls after setting their opponents targets over during Australia’s 157/4 and then claimed 200. superb figures of 4/15 in four overs, but still The end was excruciating. Maxwell EPIC AND OTHER ended up on the losing side. Watson was departed off the penultimate delivery of the tasked with bowling the final over of the 19th over and Warner off the first of the last, match, from which England needed four and only some fumbles in the field allowed runs. The over began with Watson claiming Mitchell Marsh and James Faulkner to Graeme Swann, followed by two dot balls to scamper the required run. Before this, the Ajmal Shahzad and then a single that got biggest total that an Australian team had Chris Woakes on strike. Woakes, on interna- ever overhauled was 192 against Pakistan LAST-BALL tional debut, held his head and dragged the during the epic 2010 World T20 semi-final. Australia’s Glenn Maxwell (left) congratulates teammate scores level with a carve past point for two David Warner during their record 161-run partnership and punched Watson over midwicket for the SRI LANKA v AUSTRALIA, against South Africa at Johannesburg, 2016 winning run. Woakes’ unbeaten 19 off 15 GEELONG, 2017 balls took England to a record eighth con- secutive T20I win. In the preceding match of this best-of- FINISHES IN T20Is three series in Australia, Asela Gunaratne ENGLAND v INDIA, MUMBAI, 2012 hit a match-winning 52 off 37 balls to give Sri Lanka the lead against an admittedly A stunning finish, with Eoin Morgan depleted Australian side. The series was dumping the last ball over the sight screen sealed on his might two evenings later, this inesh Karthik’s last- Back on strike for the last ball of the match, to level the series for England. Chasing time with a bigger score in a bigger chase ball six off Soumya from which India needed five to win, India’s 177/8, the visitors were given a good and in a bigger situation. Chasing 174, Sri Sarkar on Sunday Karthik kept his cool and drove Sarkar over start from Michael Lumb (50) and Alex Lanka had been reduced to 40/5 before night has found extra cover for a flat six to cue sensational Hales (43) but Yuvraj Singh’s three wickets Gunaratne found some support from Cha- pride of place at the scenes at the R Premadasa Stadium in stemmed the chase. Morgan, the captain, mara Kapugedera (32). However, a flurry of top of the list of best Colombo. With that unbelievable hit, India kept pumping between the wickets and col- wickets left Sri Lanka needing 48 from three finishes in Twenty20 had chased 167 to claim the Nidahas Trophy. lected a few boundaries with innovation. overs. It was then that Gunaratne hit two internationals, On that note, here is a look at five unfor- England needed 29 from 13 balls, which fours in the 18th over and then larruped because it was deliv- gettable last-ball thrillers in T20Is. became 23 from 12 when Morgan creamed three sixes and a four off Moises Henriques ered against the odds in the final of a T20I Ashok Dinda for six. Jos Buttler took a six in the next, meaning the asking rate had Dtri-series. Held back in the order while the NETHERLANDS v ENGLAND, and four off the 19th over bowled by Parvin- been reduced to 14 off six balls. Andrew Tye rookie Vijay Shankar was preferred at No 5 – LORD’S, 2009 der Awana, which left England to get nine removed Nuwan Kulasekara off the first, fol- despite never having batted at international from six balls. lowed by a four and six from Gunaratne. A level – the experienced Karthik entered It was a mismatch on paper, but the result Dinda did well to allow six from his first single meant that Lasith Malinga had to India’s chase after Mustafizur Rahman had was one that got the second edition of the five deliveries, and when Morgan began a face. He managed a single to put the man of bowled a stunning wicket-maiden 18th over. ICC World Twenty20 off to a memorable premeditated walk across the stumps as the moment back on strike with two runs India needed 34 off 12 balls, and Karthik start, if not perhaps in the manner that the Dinda ran in to bowl the final one, the required off the final ball, and Gunaratne summoned his deepest resolve – he was host country had in mind. Wankhede Stadium was on a knife’s edge. cracked it over cover for four to finish on 84 Man of the Match in India’s inaugural T20I At Lord’s – the home of English cricket – MS Dhoni used the moment to summon his from 46 balls. Sri Lanka’s Asela Gunaratne celebrates after guiding in 2006 – to hit 22 off the penultimate over. the underdogs Netherlands consigned Eng- players for a huddle, while Morgan wore a - timesofindia his team to victory over Australia at Geelong, 2017.