ODIs and the T20Is over the last few years have witnessed several close contests, with the results decided in the last over. It is always entertaining for the fans when the game stays in balance throughout and goes right down to the last over in limited-overs cricket. 

This is where the finishers and the death-over bowlers come into play and make the game their own. Knowing the art of yorkers, slower balls and well-directed bouncers becomes crucial for a bowler during these times. For the batters, it is about holding their nerves, being brave and backing themselves to take on the bowlers and go for a big shot.

India have had some top-class finishers such as MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina and Dinesh Karthik among many others. There have been some iconic games that the Men in Blue were part of, which were decided with a last-ditch effort in the final moments.

Here are 6 times when an Indian player finished off the game with a six in the final over:

1. Axar Patel vs West Indies (ODI), in Port of Spain, July 2022

It was on July 24 at Queen’s Park Oval when West Indies won the toss and elected to bat first. Windies opening batter Shai Hope scored a magnificent 115 runs off 135 balls, and skipper Nicholas Pooran contributed later on with 74 runs off 77 balls. 

The hosts put up a total of 311 for the loss of six wickets in 50 overs. India opener Shubman Gill scored 43, and Shreyas Iyer, at number three, scored 63. Sanju Samson followed it up with a well-made 54 in the middle. Axar Patel walked in when India needed 107 off 68 balls with only five wickets in hand. 

Axar came to India’s rescue, scoring his maiden fifty in ODIs. In the last over, Kyle Mayers had the ball in hand, and the visitors needed eight off six balls with the two wickets in hand. It came down to six off three, and Axar finished it off with a six to snatch India a victory from the jaws of defeat.

2. MS Dhoni vs Sri Lanka (ODI), in Port of Spain, July 2013

MS Dhoni was at his very best during the finals of the 2013 West Indies Tri-Nation Series between India and Sri Lanka. It was a low-scoring affair, and Sri Lanka only managed to put 201 on board while batting first. Kumar Sangakkara scored a  fighting 71 runs off 100 balls on a slow, spin-friendly wicket.

Opener Rohit Sharma laid a good foundation, scoring 58 off 89 balls at the top. But the chase was not straightforward for the Men in Blue as they were reduced to 167 for eight wickets in 41.5 overs and 182 for nine wickets in 46.2 overs.

It came all the way down to the last over, with India needing 15 off six balls. Shaminda Eranga was handed the ball, and it was MS Dhoni at the striker’s end. The first ball was a dot, making it 15 off five. And then came a six, four and six in the next three balls. Dhoni, as always, finished the game for India in a last-over thriller.

3. Dinesh Karthik vs Bangladesh (T20I), in Colombo, March 2018

The 2018 Nidhas T20 Tri-Series final between Bangladesh and India is one of the most memorable T20I games for Indian fans in recent years. Bangladesh scored a competitive total of 168 on a sticky wicket, thanks to Sabbir Rahman, who scored 77 off 50 balls.

In the second innings, India’s stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma scored 56 off 42 balls. The middle order failed to make a substantial contribution, lo and behold, India needed 34 off the last two overs. While Vijay Shankar was struggling at one end, it was Dinesh Karthik, on the other end, who came to India’s rescue. 

Karthik scored 22 off the 19th over and brought down the equation to 12 off six balls. After the strike was rotated a few times, it came down to 5 off the last bowl. Soumya Sarkar bowled a wide half-volley, and Karthik pounced on it and smashed it over covers. It was a flat six as India crossed the line in style.  

4. Hardik Pandya vs Australia (T20I), in Sydney, December 2020

This was yet another thrilling contest between India and Australia, a high-scoring affair, which came right down to the wire. Australia, after being put to bat first, scored 194 for the loss of five wickets. Opener Matthew Wade top-scored with 58 off 32 balls, and Steve Smith, at number three, chipped in with 46 off 38 balls.

Indian top three, all were among runs, and they were well on course to the finishing line. After 16.1 overs, the Asian side were on 149 for four wickets and needed 56 off 23 balls, and it was on Hardik Pandya and Shreyas Iyer.

It came down to 14 needed off the last over, and the ball was given to Daniel Sams. Pandya was on strike, and got a two, six and dot off the first three balls. With India needing six off three balls, Pandya launched one over the mid-wicket boundary and finished with 42 not out off 22 balls.

5. Harbhajan Singh vs Pakistan (ODI), in Dambulla, June 2010

It was an Asia Cup classic between India and Pakistan, which was a do-or-die game for the Men in Green. Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi won the toss and elected to bat first. Opener Salman Butt got Pakistan off to a good start, scoring 74. Kamran Akmal in the backend scored 51, helping his side post 267.

For India, it was opener Gautam Gambhir and skipper MS Dhoni who contributed with 83 and 56, respectively. But the pendulum started to swing the other way as India lost wickets at regular intervals and found themselves on 219 for six wickets in the 46th over.

Mohammad Amir was given the ball to defend seven off the last over, and India had Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh on the crease. Raina was out in the second ball, and it was all on the off-spinner. The equation came down to three off two balls with Harbhajan on strike. Amir bowled a short-of-length ball, and the Indian smashed it over the boundary on the on-side to win it for his team.

6. Irfan Pathan vs Sri Lanka (T20I), in Colombo, February 2007

Sri Lanka took on world champions India four months after the inaugural T20 World Cup. The hosts won the toss and elected to bat first. Skipper Tillakaratne Dilshan starred with the bat for the Lankans, scoring 61 off 47 balls. At the end of the innings, the Lankans posted 171 for four wickets.

India’s chase never got going as they lost wickets at regular intervals. Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh made some decent contributions but eventually got out in the 30s. After 15.1 overs, it seemed like it was curtains for the visitors as they were seven down for 115. India needed 56 off 29 balls, and on crease were Yusuf Pathan and his younger brother Irfan Pathan.

It was Yusuf, who initially led the counter-attack, and Irfan joined shortly after. The duo well and truly swung the game in India’s favour, and they only needed five off the last over. It was Sri Lanka’s go-to death bowler Lasith Malinga with the ball. Yusuf took a single off the first ball, and Pathan hit a flat six over mid-wicket off the second ball. As a result, India won the game in an emphatic fashion. 

Team India snatched a famous victory against West Indies in the second ODI in Trinidad on Sunday, 24th of July, to seal the three-match ODI series 2-0. India’s man of the hour, Axar Patel, broke MS Dhoni’s 17-year-long standing record in ODIs during his match-winning belligerence.

The hosts dominated the match and were looking set on their way to a series-leveling win until Axar Patel came into bat for India in the 39th over of the second innings, with the visitors struggling at 205/5. The southpaw was hitting the ball crisply from the get-go and seemed like batting on a different track from all the other Indian batters.

The all-rounder kept his cool in a record-breaking chase as wickets kept tumbling at the other end. The southpaw registered his maiden ODI half-century off just 27 deliveries and then finished the match in style with a humungous six down the ground. His match-winning six was not only reminiscent of the days of MS Dhoni but also broke the former Indian skipper’s record of hitting most sixes in a successful run chase for India, batting at no.7 or lower.

Notably, Dhoni had achieved the feat in 2005 when he smashed three sixes against Zimbabwe and former Indian explosive batter Yusuf Pathan also matched his tally twice in 2011. But Axar’s innings of 64 off 35 deliveries included five maximum, breaking the Indian legend’s 17- year old record.

Here's the match-winning knock from @akshar2026. His magical batting earned him the Player of the Match title.

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— FanCode (@FanCode) July 24, 2022

I would want to continue performing like this for my team: Axar Patel

The left-arm spinner was India’s most economical bowler in the first innings and returned with commendable figures of 40/1 in his nine overs, but it was his ballistic show with the bat that earned him the Player of the Match award as he showed nerves of steel in an intense run chase. He expressed his desire to continue performing similarly for the team in the future during the post-match conference.

“I think this is a special one. It came at a crucial time and also helped the team to win the series. We have done the same in the IPL. We just needed to remain calm and keep the intensity up. I was playing an ODI after close to 5 years. I would want to continue performing like this for my team,” said Axar.

Shai Hope’s 13^th century in his 100^th ODI went in vain as Axar Patel hit his maiden half-century to help India win the second match by two wickets against West Indies at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain in Trinidad. With this, the visitors sealed the three-match series 2-0 and also registered their 12^th consecutive series victory against the Men in Maroon. Shreyas Iyer also continued his love affair with the Caribbean team as he smacked his seventh ODI half-century in eight innings against them.

Speaking about how the second encounter went by, skipper Nicholas Pooran won the toss and elected to bat first. Hope, in his landmark match, scored 115 off 135, which included eight fours and three sixes. His opening partner Kyle Mayers amassed 39 off 23 with six fours and a six. Shamarh Brooks mustered 35 while Brandon King bagged a duck. Pooran played fantastic innings of 74 off 77 with one four and six maximums and helped his side reach a total of 311/6. Shardul Thakur was the pick of the Indian bowlers for his spell of 3/54 in seven overs.

Chasing 312, captain Shikhar Dhawan made 13 while Shubman Gill scored 43. Shreyas continued his brilliant form against West Indies as he amassed 63 off 71. Suryakumar Yadav managed to score only nine, with Sanju Samson playing a knock of 54 off 51 with three fours and as many maximums. Deepak Hooda 33 and Axar Patel, with his whirlwind knock of unbeaten 64 with the help of three fours and five maximums, helped the tourists in chasing down the target with two balls to spare. The latter won the Player of the Match award for his match-winning innings in a successful run-chase.

Meanwhile, here are some of the important stats and numbers from the 2^nd ODI between West Indies and India:

100 – Shai Hope appeared in his landmark 100^th ODI.

10 – Hope became the tenth player overall and the fourth West Indian to smash a century in the 100^th one-day international. The other three Caribbean players are Gordon Greenidge, Chris Gayle, and Ramnaresh Sarwan.

64 – Axar Patel slammed his maiden half-century in his 22^nd ODI innings. His previous best score was 38 which came against New Zealand in the year 2016.

3 – Hope registered his third century against India, the joint-most he has against an opponent. The West Indies wicketkeeper has three tons against Bangladesh as well.

12 – India recorded their 12^th consecutive ODI series victory against the Men in Maroon, which is the most by any team against an opposition. Pakistan won 11 successive series against Zimbabwe between 1996 to 2021.

312 – India scripted the third-highest target of 312 successfully chased in ODIs in West Indies.

2 – Wicketkeeper batter Hope has slammed the second-most ODI centuries (12) since the year 2018. Rohit Sharma tops the chart with 13 hundred.

7 – Shreyas Iyer smacked his seventh half-century in eight innings against the Caribbean side. He has scored 463 runs at an average of 57.87, with the highest score of 80.

33 – Hope has now achieved 33 50+ scores which are the third-most by active wicketkeepers in ODIs. Quinton de Kock (46) and Mushfiqur Rahim (45) are in the top two spots.

102 – Shreyas also completed 100 fours in the 50-overs format.

352 – Hope also reached 350 fours in one-day internationals.

In what can be called an absolute nail-biter, India defeated West Indies by two wickets in the second ODI to clinch the three-match series 2-0. Just like the series opener, this contest went right down to the wire, and the Men in Blue yet again managed to cross the line. Meanwhile, a plethora of records were made and shattered in the game and one of them was India recording their 12th successive bilateral ODI series win over West Indies, most for a team against an opposition.

India’s arch-rivals Pakistan previously held the record, having won 11 consecutive ODI series against Zimbabwe. Meanwhile, momentum enjoyed a rollercoaster ride in the game as West Indies put up a brilliant show. After posting a challenging 311/6 while batting first, the hosts took wickets at regular intervals and seemingly tightened their grip over the contest.

All-rounder Axar Patel starred for India

However, a timely and fiery half-century from all-rounder Axar Patel meant the visitors crossed the line with a couple of deliveries to spare. Notably, this was also India’s highest successful ODI run-chase in West Indies. Overall, Team India’s chase was the third-highest on Caribbean soil.

Earlier in the contest, West Indies won the toss and opted to bat at the Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain in Trinidad. The Men in Maroon got off to a fiery start with openers Kyle Mayers and Shai Hope being aggressive from the outset.

The duo added 65 runs for the first wicket before the former perished for 39. Hope, on the other hand, slammed his 13th ODI ton and ended up scoring 115. While Shamarh Brooks also made a handy 35, skipper Nicholas Pooran scored a much-needed 77-ball 74 as West Indies crossed the 300-run mark.

Unlike the previous game, India got off to a rough start with skipper Shikhar Dhawan perishing for a 31-ball 13. The ship was then steadied by Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer, who scored 43 and 63, respectively. The baton was then passed onto Sanju Samson and Axar Patel, who scored their respective maiden ODI fifties.

Axar was brilliant in particular as he scored 64 off just 35 deliveries and remained unbeaten till the end. As a result, India crossed the line in the last over to seal the series. The all-rounder, who also recorded bowling figures of 1/40 in nine overs, was adjudged the Player of the Match. Meanwhile, the third and final ODI will take place at the same venue on Wednesday (July 27).

A captain’s knock by Shikhar Dhawan of 97 along with Shubman Gill’s and Shreyas Iyer’s half-centuries helped India win their opening match of the Caribbean tour by a close margin of three runs at Port of Spain in Trinidad. The visitors registered their closest victory ever against the Men in Maroon in ODI cricket. The second match of the series now takes place on July 24^th, 2022, at the same venue.

Speaking more about the first match, stand-in captain Dhawan played an exceptional innings, which included ten fours and three maximums, at a strike rate of 97.98. Gill brought up his maiden fifty while Iyer also looked in solid touch. Late efforts from Deepak Hooda and Axar Patel took India’s total to 308/7 in 50 overs. For the hosts, pacer Alzarri Joseph and Gudakesh Motie took two wickets each.

Kyle Mayers and Brandon King both slammed the half-centuries during West Indies’ chase, while Akeal Hosein and Romario Shepherd’s blitz down the order kept them in the hunt. Pace bowler Mohammed Siraj held his nerve to defend 15 runs in the last over to snatch a win for his side.

India have now won 11 of their last 12 clashes against the Caribbean side in the ODI format. The West Indies suffered a huge blow ahead of the opener, with all-rounder Jason Holder missing the clash due to a COVID-19 diagnosis. He is likely to miss the entire series. Ahead of the second encounter, skipper Nicholas Pooran would like to end his team’s drought against the Indians and keep the series alive by registering a victory.

Meanwhile, here are some of the important stats and numbers ahead of the 2^nd ODI between West Indies and India:

Head-to-Head: West Indies and India have clashed 137 times ODIs so far, with West Indies winning on 63 occasions and India on 68. Two games ended up in a tie and four in no result. In West Indies, both have faced each other in 40 matches with the hosts winning 20 times and India 17. Three encounters ended up with no result.

2 – Shikhar Dhawan (798) needs two fours to complete 800 fours in ODIs.

4 – Dhawan (10496) needs four runs to reach 10500 runs across formats.

1 – Shai Hope (99) is one game away from appearing in 100 ODI matches.

1 – Rovman Powell (99) requires one four to get to 100 fours across formats.

2 – Shreyas Iyer (98) requires two fours to complete 100 fours in ODI format.

2 – Nicholas Pooran (48) is two grabs away from reaching 50 catches in international cricket.

6 – Hope (344) needs six fours to get to 350 fours in the 50-overs format.

Shikhar Dhawan played a captain’s innings of 97 off 99 with ten fours and three sixes as he helped India in clinching the first ODI against West Indies by three runs in a thriller of a match at the Port of Spain in Trinidad. His opening partner Shubman Gill scored his maiden half-century while Shreyas Iyer also scored 54 to take India’s total to 308/7 in 50 overs. Seam bowler Mohammed Siraj held his nerve as he defended 15 runs in the final over to deny the hosts a victory.

Speaking about how the opening encounter went by, Nicholas Pooran won the toss and elected to field first. Playing in his just fourth ODI, Gill amassed 64 off 53 with six fours and two maximums. Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson mustered 13 and 12 runs, respectively. Deepak Hooda made 27 while Axar Patel scored 21 in as many deliveries, taking the visitors to a huge total of above 300 runs.

Chasing 309, Shai Hope got dismissed to Siraj for the third time in four innings for just seven runs. Kyle Mayers was impressive was his knock of 75 off 68 balls, which included ten fours and a maximum. Shamarh Brooks contributed 46 runs while Brandon King hit a half-century.

Skipper Pooran managed 25 but it were efforts from Akeal Hosein and Romario Shepherd lower down the order that took the match to an exciting finish. Hosein made 32 while Shepherd scored 39, with both remaining not out till the end but couldn’t take their side over the line. With this win, the tourists have taken a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. For his captain’s and match-winning knock, Shikhar Dhawan won the Player-of-the-Match award.

Meanwhile, here are some of the important stats and numbers from the 1^st ODI between West Indies and India:

 1001 – Shreyas Iyer completed the landmark of 1000 runs in 25 ODI innings. He is joint-second fastest Indian with Navjot Singh Sidhu to the feat. Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan are joint-top to achieve the feat in 24 innings.

6 – Iyer smashed his sixth half-century in seven ODI innings against West Indies. He has scored 400 runs at an average of 57.14 with the highest score of 80 against them.

11 – India has now won 11 out of their last 12 completed one-day internationals against the Caribbean side.

3 – Mohammed Siraj dismissed Shai Hope for the third time in four innings in the 50-overs format.

7 – Shikhar Dhawan became the seven Indian to captain India in an international match in 2022.

50 – Alzarri Joseph appeared in his 50th ODI match.

6422 – Dhawan has now amassed the third-most runs (6422) after 150 innings. Hashim Amla (7032) and Virat Kohli (6537) are in the top two spots.

2008 – West Indies’ last victory at Port of Spain in Trinidad came in the year 2008. Since then, they have lost nine out of the last ten matches at the venue. One game ended in no result.

6 – Dhawan is now tied with Sourav Ganguly on the second position for getting dismissed in the nineties most times (6) in ODIs. Sachin Tendulkar 17 times tops the list amongst the Indians.

1 – Dhawan also became the oldest (36y 229d) Indian captain to smash a half-century in the 50-overs format. Mohammad Azharuddin (36y 120d) in 1999 occupies the second spot.

4 – Iyer has now scored the fourth-most runs (1001) for India after 25 innings. Navjot Singh Sidhu (1070), Shikhar Dhawan (1060), and Virat Kohli (1026) are in the top three spots.

2 – Dhawan recorded the second-highest score of 97 by an Indian opener at Port of Spain in Trinidad. Ajinkya Rahane tops the chart for his knock of 103 in the year 2017.

Having won both the T20I and ODI series against England by a 2-1 margin, Team India has now traveled to the Caribbean for three ODIs and five T20 internationals. The limited-overs series starts with a 50-overs assignment with the first match taking place on July 22, 2022, at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain in Trinidad. The remaining two games will also be played at the same venue on July 24^th and 27^th respectively. Shikhar Dhawan will lead the side in One-Day Internationals while regular skipper Rohit Sharma will return for the shortest international format.

Speaking about the recently concluded England series, India, on the back of brilliant performances from Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya, defeated the English side in the third and deciding clash by five wickets. Pant’s maiden ODI century and Hardik’s all-round show of 71 runs and a four-wicket haul helped the team in clinching the summit clash. Talking about the hosts West Indies, they suffered a shocking 0-3 whitewash from Bangladesh on home soil last week.

To make matters worse, India’s record against the Men in Maroon has been exceptional for years now. The Men in Blue have beaten West Indies in the last 11 successive bilateral ODI series. The Caribbean side last tasted success against the Asian giants way back in the year 2006 when they won the series 4-1 (5) at home. Skipper Nicholas Pooran will hope to break this jinx by putting up a better and more competitive show than they did against the Bangla Tigers. With several first-team members like Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Rohit Sharma missing, the hosts will look to this advantage and clinch their first bilateral series in 16 years.

Meanwhile, here are some of the important stats and numbers ahead of the 1^st ODI between West Indies and India:

Head-to-Head: West Indies and India have met each other in 136 ODIs so far with the Men in Maroon winning on 63 occasions and India on 67. Two games have ended up in a tie and four in no result. In West Indies, both the sides have clashed in 39 games so far with the hosts winning 20 times and India 16. Three encounters have ended in no result.

7 – Shai Hope (343) needs seven fours to complete 350 fours in ODIs.

4 – Jason Holder (146) needs four wickets to reach 150 wickets in ODIs.

53 – Shreyas Iyer (947) is 53 runs away from completing 1000 runs in the ODI format.

4 – Holder (146) also requires four fours to complete 150 fours in ODI cricket.

1 – Shikhar Dhawan (149) is one innings away from appearing in 150 ODI innings.

53 – Ravindra Jadeja (2447) is 53 runs short of completing 2500 runs in ODIs.

7 – Rovman Powell (43) is seven fours short of reaching 50 fours in the 50-overs format.

7 – Shreyas (93) also needs seven fours to get to 100 fours in the 50-overs format.

1 – Alzarri Joseph (49) is one game away from appearing in 50 One-Day International matches.

5 – Axar Patel (45) needs five scalps to get to 50 wickets in One-Day Internationals.

2 – Powell (98) is two fours away from reaching 100 fours across formats.

Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka by four wickets in the first Test at the Galle International Stadium. It was a closely fought contest throughout the five days, with the visitors emerging as the winners in the end. In the first innings, both teams suffered an early collapse before Dinesh Chandimal, and Babar Azam stuck with the tail to take them to respectable totals. Sri Lanka then had fifties from Oshada Fernando and Kusal Mendis before another brilliant resilient knock from Dinesh Chandimal set a target in excess of 340. Pakistan chased it with Abdullah Shafique standing firmly at one end with good support from Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan.

Earlier in the game, Sri Lankan captain Dimuth Karunaratne won the toss and chose to bat first. Shaheen Afridi, Hasan Ali and Yasir Shah began to take wickets straightaway as the hosts were reduced to 133/8. It was Dinesh Chandimal who changed the course of the match with good support from the No. 10 Maheesh Theekshana and No. 11 Kasun Rajitha. His counter-attacking knock of 76 took the hosts to 222. The twenty-two year old pacer Shaheen Afridi took four wickets as he inched closer to 100 Test wickets.

Pakistan’s first innings which followed, was highly similar to that of Sri Lanka. Prabath Jayasuriya who picked 12 wickets on debut, continued to pick wickets in his second match at the same ground. He took another five-wicket haul which reduced Pakistan to 85/7. Babar Azam had been the sole resistance for Pakistan, and he capitalized on the knock to score an outstanding hundred. Despite the wickets falling, he played his natural game to end up with a well-fought 117, that made sure the deficit was just four runs.

In Sri Lanka’s second innings, Mohammad Nawaz took two quick wickets as he dismissed Kasun Rajitha and Dimuth Karunaratne LBW. Oshada Fernando and Kusal Mendis then put a 81-run partnership, which built the platform for a respectable target to be set. After a few more quick wickets, Dinesh Chandimal played yet another counter-attacking knock, scoring 94, which helped Sri Lanka set a massive target of 342. Pakistan’s left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz, promoted to open the bowling, took a five-wicket haul.

Pakistan began the chase on a positive note, as Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq shared an 87-run opening stand. Though Imam-ul-Haq and Azhar Ali were soon out in quick succession, Shafique stood firm at one end and shared crucial partnerships with Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan that decided the game. After two late wickets and a rain delay, Pakistan eventually won by four wickets.

Meanwhile, here are some of the important stats and numbers from the 1st Test between Sri Lanka and Pakistan

3 – Prabath Jayasuriya became the third bowler and the second spinner to take a five-wicket haul in each of the first three innings of his Test career. The first two to do it were Alec Bedser and Clarrie Grimmett.

1 – Only once Pakistan chased a higher total in Test cricket when compared to this match. This was when they scored 382/3 in 2015, which was also in Sri Lanka.

73 – Babar Azam reached 3000 Test runs in 73 innings, becoming the sixth-fastest player to reach the milestone for Pakistan.

9 – Babar Azam scored his ninth hundred as skipper, which is now the joint highest by a Pakistan captain. He is now tied with Inzamam-ul-Haq at the record, in 60 fewer innings.

228 – Babar Azam became the fastest Asian batter to score 10000 international runs, in just 228 innings. He overtook Virat Kohli, who reached there in 232 innings.

160* – Abdullah Shafique scored 160*, which was the third-highest score by a Pakistan player in the fourth innings of a Test. Only Babar Azam (196) and Younis Khan (171*) are above him on this list.

344/6 – Pakistan’s score was comfortably the highest fourth innings total by any team at Galle. The next highest was also by Pakistan, who totalled 300 in 2012.

3 – This was Pakistan’s only third Test win at Galle as they also won their previous match at the ground in 2015. Their only other win came back in 2000.

408 – Balls faced by Abdullah Shafique, which is the second highest by a Pakistan batter in the fourth innings of a Test match. The highest was also in this year itself, by Babar Azam (425 balls) against Australia.

Winning a Test match itself is a big achievement for any captain and his team. It is arguably the toughest and topmost of all the three other international formats in the sport of cricket. Even after so many years of Twenty20 cricket and other shorter formats, Test cricket remains the ultimate priority for many players. A captain and a player always take the field to win matches for their respective side and to achieve it in a bigger way is more special.

A victory is always sweet in any format but a victory with a bigger margin and especially in the purest format of the game is even sweeter. The setup of the Whites was first introduced way back in the year 1877 and since then over the years, several teams have won matches by mammoth margins while batting first. It also includes games played in the 21^st century with teams having a first look at the pitch with the bat and posting massive totals on the board.

The English side holds the record for registering the biggest victory in the history of Tests in terms of runs. They defeated their rivals Australia in their own backyard by a staggering margin of 675 runs in the first of the five-match Ashes series in Brisbane in 1928/29. It was Australia’s turn next to script the second-largest victory of 562 runs against their arch-rivals England at The Oval in the fifth and final Test of the 1934 Ashes series.

Top Biggest Victory Margins in Test Cricket: (By runs) 

Australia has won by a margin of over 400 runs the most number of times

The team from down under, Australia have won matches by a margin of over 400 runs most numbers of the times in the history of Test cricket (5). They defeated rivals England by 562 runs at The Oval in 1934, South Africa by 530 runs in Melbourne in 1911, Pakistan by 491 runs in Perth in 2004, England by 409 runs, and 405 runs at Lord’s in 1948 and 2015 respectively. The second team with the most victories of over 400 runs is West Indies (2).

The star of the epic 2019 World Cup final, England’s Ben Stokes played his last ODI on Tuesday (July 19) against South Africa. He had announced his retirement from the format a day before the game stating that it was impossible for him to keep playing all three formats. Three years after the historic clash with New Zealand at the home of cricket, Lord’s, Stokes shocked the cricketing world by deciding to quit the format. To keep the focus on the other two formats, 31-year-old Stokes has made up his mind to hang up his boots in the 50-overs format.

The New Zealand-born, Ben played a pivotal and crucial role in winning most of the most enthralling and significant matches in the history of ODI cricket. Chasing a target of 242 set by the Kiwis in the 2019 WC final, the left-handed batter remained unbeaten on 84 off 98 with five fours and two maximums. With the scores getting levelled and the match getting tied, a super-over took place to decide the winner. England batted first and Stokes also scored important eight out of the 15 runs in it. The rest is history as he won the Player of the Match award and also the first-ever ODI World Cup title for England.

Ben made his debut in the format 11 years back against Ireland in Dublin in 2011. He represented England in 105 matches and scored 2924 runs at an average of 38.99 and a strike rate of 95.09. In 90 innings, he smashed three centuries and 21 half-centuries with the highest score of 102*. With the ball in hand, Stokes took 74 wickets in 88 innings at an economy rate of 6.05 with the best figures of 5/61. We wish the English all-rounder a happy ODI retirement and all the success in the other two formats.

Meanwhile, let’s take a look at some of the important stats/records of Ben Stokes in one-day internationals:

5 – Ben Stokes has smashed fifth-most sixes (88) for England in the format.

4 – Stokes has the fourth-highest individual score (84*) while chasing in a World Cup final.

1 – Stokes is the only English player to win the Player of the Match award in a World Cup final.

3 – All-rounder Stokes is one of the three England players with 2500-plus runs and 50 or more wickets in ODIs after Andrew Flintoff and Paul Collingwood.

3 – Stokes has the third-best average of 48.65 by any batter at no. five with a minimum of 50 innings played.

2 – Stokes also boasts the second highest strike rate of 92.40 at no. five with a minimum of 50 innings.

2 – Ben also holds the record for the second-best score of 102* against Australia in Champions Trophy tournaments.