5 of the Best

Every game matters at the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy and there have been some crackers down the years.

The fact that seven teams have won the tournament and it is only eight editions old tells you all you need to know about its unpredictability and prestige.

Here are five of the best games that the event has thrown up in its 27-year history.

2002: India v South Africa

Virender Sehwag’s brutish batting won many a game for India, but his off-spin settled fewer. This was one of them.

Sehwag smacked a 58-ball 59 and Yuvraj Singh contributed 62 to lift India to 261 for nine from their 50 overs, giving them an excellent platform as they chased a place in the final.

That spot looked to have gone after Herschelle Gibbs made a magnificent 116, with 16 fours, building a formidable partnership with Jacques Kallis.

But Gibbs retired hurt and Harbhajan Singh went to work as 192 for one became 213 for four. Just as Kallis looked to be hauling his side over the line, Sehwag got the wickets of the great all-rounder, Mark Boucher and Lance Klusener as India won a thriller by 10 runs.

They shared the trophy with hosts Sri Lanka after the final was washed out.

2004: England v West Indies

The champagne corks were popping at The Oval when Shivnarine Chanderpaul trudged back to the pavilion in the final of the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2004.

England looked poised to win their first-ever ICC event after a ton from Marcus Trescothick and a stellar collective bowling performance.

Chanderpaul departed the scene at 147 for eight with 81 runs still required and no recognised Windies batters remaining.

What followed was one of the great lower-order partnerships under pressure as Courtney Browne and Ian Bradshaw cobbled together the runs to seal victory with only seven balls left.

2009: South Africa v England

A flat track at Centurion produced one of the great runfests in ICC Men’s Champions Trophy history.

A Dale Steyn-led home attack was flayed to all parts particularly by Owais Shah, who played the best innings of his career with a 98 that was studded by six sixes.

Eoin Morgan, who kept wicket in that game, crossed the boundary five times and Paul Collingwood anchored the innings with 82 as England posted a remarkable 323 for eight, one of the biggest ODI scores in their history.

Graeme Smith led the resistance with a brilliant 141 but even that wasn’t enough, with James Anderson and Stuart Broad both taking three wickets as England advanced to the knockout stages.

2013: New Zealand v Sri Lanka

There is nothing quite like a low-scoring thriller and this is a classic of the genre.

Cardiff is not known as a batter’s paradise but Sri Lanka must have been pessimistic about the prospect of defending 138.

They were tormented by left-arm pacer Mitch McClenaghan, who took four for 43.

The Black Caps looked to be in charge at 48 for one but losing Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor and Martin Guptill for the addition of just a single run rocked them significantly.

They got over the line with one wicket left. Nathan McCullum’s 32 was the key contribution and was worth at least twice that given the pressure on his shoulders.

2017: Pakistan v India

A Champions Trophy final between the biggest rivals in world cricket was always going to deliver drama and it didn’t disappoint.

Everything Pakistan touched turned to gold as they racked up a remarkable 338 for four, with opener Fakhar Zaman making a breathtaking 114.

Then Mohammad Amir ripped through the Indian top order, dismissing Rohit Sharma three balls into the run chase and Virat Kohli in the third over of the innings.

Pakistan bowled India out for 158 to win their first Champions Trophy and complete the set of ICC events, having won the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 1992 and ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2009.