Most thrilling epic ICC finals of all-time: The first men’s ICC final was held in 1975. It was the ODI World Cup played between West Indies and Australia. The latest ICC final was the 2023 WTC between Australia and India. In this period of 48 years, there have been 30 ICC finals and multiple champions with Australia leading the race. There have been many lopsided contests in the mega final but there have been few which have stood the test of time.
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In part I of this series, we look at 3 of the most thrilling epic ICC finals of all-time:
#3 West Indies vs England, CT Final 2004
The Champions Trophy is a compact tournament length-wise. Things keep moving swiftly in such a tournament. The two finalists in 2004 might not have been the best two ODI sides in the world but they were certainly the best in the tourney. England the home side fancied winning their first-ever ICC title.
To do it in front of their home crowd would have added more gravitas! But the West Indies played party poopers. Having lost 8 wickets for nothing the game’s result seemed to be a foregone conclusion. But Ian Bradshaw and Courtney Browne had other plans. In a stunning 9th wicket partnership they took West Indies home.
#2 India vs England, CT Final 2013
England surely provides the most entertainment in an ICC tournament for different reasons. It was once again a home Champions Trophy and England once again made it to the finals. Standing in their way though was a young Indian team. The CT was the only trophy missing from Dhoni’s cabinet. India walked into the finals without losing a single game.
The final ironically was truncated to 20 overs-per side. India was defending a mere 130. England had 6 wickets to score 20 runs in 16 balls but Ishant Sharma turned the game around his head. India prevailed in a chaotic finish. Dhoni won all ICC trophies within 6 years, a feat that even a few teams are yet to match!
#1 West Indies vs England, T20 World Cup Final 2016
The two power-hitting sides in the competition made it to the World Cup finals. West Indies kept pushing the envelope of T20 cricket without ever actually realizing it. England under Eoin Morgan started becoming a fearsome unit. Defending an under-par score England had the game in their hands until the last over. West Indies needed 19 runs off the final 6 six balls. It isn’t every day that a team chases down such scores plus the pressure of a final.
The 6 feet 8 inch Carlos Brathwaite ended up doing exactly that. He finished off the game in the first four balls as he tonked Ben Stokes for 4 consecutive sixes. Ian Bishop on air went, “Carlos Brathwaite, remember the name!”. It was a final for the ages!
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