Yasir's five-fer to Brathwaite's sixes: Best matches of 2016

Yasir's five-fer to Brathwaite's sixes: Best matches of 2016

Why do fans develop an emotional and long-term attachment with sports? It is a question that doesn't have a ready-made answer. The highs of watching your favourite cricketer crunching a six to pilot his team to a victory in the World Cup final, interspersed with lows of your sporting icon faltering at the final hurdle, brings out a cocktail of emotions in us. In short, sport is a bittersweet symphony of ecstasy and pain.

Even in the year just gone by, there were moments that elevated lovers of sport from the mundane to exalted heights. Usain Bolt sprinting to his third Gold Medal in 100 metres at the Olympics or Michael Phelps showing great reserves of willpower to add six more medals to end up with a staggering 32 Olympic medals embodied a burst of genius.

For Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal, there were tears of joy as they hoisted their first major trophy by winning the Euro 2016. On the other hand, there was despair for Lionel Messi and Argentina after losing to Chile in the penalty shootout at the Copa America. In the cricketing landscape, too, the year 2016 was marked by matches that captured all the action and drama to leave the aficionados spellbound.

We at Cricbuzz have picked 10 of the best cricket matches for the year - across formats and frontiers.

West Indies vs Pakistan, Dubai, 2016

The first Test of the three-match series between Pakistan and West Indies in Dubai turned out to be a high-quality one. The fortunes of the two sides swung back and forth at its own stately pace before the hosts clinched the thriller by 56 runs. Incidentally, it also was the second Day-Night Test held in Test history.

With the continual expanse of evening sunset over the stadium, Azhar Ali etched his name in the folklore of Pakistan's cricket by becoming only the fourth batsman from the country to notch up a triple hundred in Tests. The home side scored a monstrous 579 for 3 declared in their first innings. With his varied assortment of tricks, Yasir Shah then whirled away to a five-fer to snuff out the visitors for 357. At that juncture of the match, Pakistan had the chance to enforce the follow-on, but they decided against it.

Now, every great tale in the history of cricket has that moment where defeat is in the air, with little hope left of charting a comeback, before a talisman emerges to lift the spirits. For the visitors, it was Devendra Bishoo, who flung open the door by running through the cream of Pakistan's batting line-up to skittle them out for a paltry 123. West Indies still needed an imposing 346 for a come-from-behind victory.

If Bishoo's 8 for 49 was the backbone then Darren Bravo's majestic 116 turned out to be the nerve of West Indies' sterling show. On Day 5, he cajoled the ball through what seemed like imperceptible gaps. Roston Chase (35) and Jason Holder (40) provided Bravo with valuable support to get West Indies within touching distance of pulling a jailbreak. Yasir, however, coaxed an uppish drive from Bravo and plucked a diving catch off his own bowling to get the prized scalp. Rest of the lower-order couldn't handle the pressure and the visitors fell short of the target by 56.

Australia vs Pakistan, Brisbane

Asad Shafiq's sublime 137 was the genesis of Pakistan's stunning resurgence in the first Test against Australia at the Gabba, Brisbane. While chasing down a mammoth target of 490, the visitors were precariously-placed at 220 for 6. However, Shafiq and the lower-order batsmen hauled Pakistan out of depths of despair to a position from where they could dream of victory.

The bat made a nice arc and the ball continued to scurry to the fence as the right-handed batsman explored every nook and cranny of the ground. Mohammad Amir, his partner at the other end, played without fear. Even after Jackson Bird nipped out Amir for 48, Wahab Riaz and Yasir dabbed and pinched singles and twos to leave the opposition ragged. To make matters worse, the hosts fluffed a couple of chances, including one of Shafiq.

Just in the nick of time, Mitchell Starc triggered an explosion of celebration in the Australian camp by snaring Shafiq's scalp. Yasir then was run-out as the hosts won the thriller by 39 runs. However, the mercurial Pakistan setup won fulsome praise for bouncing back after they were bundled out for a paltry 142 in the first innings.

India vs England, Mumbai

Virat Kohli put up a performance of unparalleled conviction at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai to not just overhaul England's sizeable first innings total of 400, but also secure India's remarkable win. With the boisterous crowd bellowing Kohli to take charge of proceedings, he essayed wristy flicks, neatly played drives and the occasional pull. Kohli also found an able ally in Jayant Yadav as the duo shared a record stand of 241 for eighth wicket.

India took a first-innings lead of 231 before Ravichandran Ashwin dismantled the already deflated English side by bagging a six-fer. The tourists eventually crashed to an innings and 36-run loss.

Sri Lanka vs Australia, Pallekele

When Australia arrived on the shores of Sri Lanka as the No.1 ranked Test side, they were expected to bestride the hosts through the course of the series. However, the home team showed unblinking resolve to engineer an amazing win in the first Test in Pallekele. Kusal Mendis, at the age of just 21, starred for Sri Lanka with his heroic 176.

For the first two days of the match, Australia were in the ascendancy. Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc had ripped through the heart of Sri Lanka's line-up to dismantle the home team for a mere 117. The visitors then extended the advantage with a healthy lead of 86. In the second innings, too, Australia whittled away at the opposition ranks to leave them in a spot of bother at 86 for 4. Mendis, the promising batsman, then decided to raise to the occasion and compose a masterpiece.

Sinuous flicks and drives were in full flow juxtaposed by Mendis's ability to crack daring sweeps against Nathan Lyon's off-spin. Finally, Starc induced an outside edge to dismiss Mendis, but his 176 had laid the platform for the hosts' recovery. Australia were set an imposing 268 on a turning track to go 1-0 up in the series. But they crumbled in face of Rangana Herath's wily left-arm spin.

Australia, however, still had a bit of fight left in them. With the hosts just two wickets away from scripting a well-earned win, Peter Nevill and Steve O'Keefe showed dogged spirit by stonewalling Sri Lanka for 29.4 overs. But the duo's efforts went in vain as Sri Lanka romped home to a 106-run victory.

South Africa vs England, Wanderers

The fourth One-Day International between South Africa and England turned out to be a gripping contest, with the match coming alive in the slog overs. The hosts needed a daunting 53 runs with just two wickets in hand. On the other hand, England were in a buoyant mood as they had bagged the wickets of Farhaan Behardien, David Wiese and Kagiso Rabada in quick succession to leave South Africa tottering at seven down.

Enter Chris Morris. The affable all-rounder who was recalled for the game, combined selective power and timing to crunch a stream of pulls and drives to level the scores. The significance of Morris's knock can be exemplified by the fact that Kyle Abbott, his partner at the other end, eked out just three runs. Despite Adil Rashid castling Morris with a googly, Imran Tahir took the hosts past the finish line with a boundary.

The visitors were left to ponder about the chance Rashid grassed when Morris was on 14. England also wasted the opportunity of winning the toss and batting first on a wicket with even bounce. At one point of time, they were struggling at 108 for 6, but Joe Root's resolute hundred (109) powered England to 262.

England vs Sri Lanka, Trent Bridge

June 21, 2016 - With chewed nails and frayed nerves, the Trent Bridge crowd watched in anticipation as Nuwan Pradeep marked his run-up to bowl the final ball of the first ODI between England and Sri Lanka. The equation had boiled down to England needing seven off one ball (six to tie) in the first game of the series. With thousands of eyes glued to the the last ball, Liam Plunkett paused for a moment or two before taking strike.

With athletic strides, Pradeep bustled to the crease and attempted the yorker. Unfortunately for the bowler, he missed the toe-crusher by a few inches and Plunkett landed the decisive blow by nailing a six straight down the ground to tie the game.

Large part of the credit for ensuring a dramatic finish would have to go to the pair of Jos Buttler and Chris Woakes. At 82 for 6, chasing 287, England were in deep abyss. Buttler and Woakes, however, ran sharply between the wickets and dished out occasional big hits to keep the home side in the hunt.

The pair took the home side within 67 runs of a victory before Buttler fell for a sparky 93. Woakes and Plunkett sustained the momentum, but they required 30 off two overs, still an uphill task. In the penultimate over, Plunkett and Woakes found the boundary ropes once each as the target was reduced to 14 off the last over. In the end, the match turned out to be a nail-biting tie.

Zimbabwe vs West Indies, Bulawayo

West Indies seemed to be the clear favourites on paper when they locked horns against Zimbabwe in the third game of the tri-series (also involving Sri Lanka) in Bulawayo. However, as the cliche goes, cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties.

Zimbabwe certainly proved that old maxim right by not just putting up a fine show with the bat, but also held their nerve to pinch a tie. At 220 for 2, in pursuit of 258, the visitors were in the driver's seat. Shai Hope, the centurion, was still at the crease. However, Hope perhaps lost his concentration and soon edged one behind the stumps.

Despite Zimbabwe picking up a few scalps in the slog overs, West Indies were just four runs away from winning the game when Donald Tiripano was given the chance to bowl the final over. The lively crowd, however, still believed Zimbabwe could pull off a miracle. In the last over of the match, Tiripano tempted Carlos Brathwaite to slog a leg-cutter straight into the hands of the long-on fielder. Tiripano also deflected one onto the stumps to run out the non-striker Ashley Nurse.

The equation finally came down to one off one ball. Tiripano ushered in a slower ball outside off to beat Jason Holder's attempt to slog. However, Holder and Jonathan Carter tried to sneak in a bye only for Peter Moor, the wicketkeeper, to effect the direct-hit at the striker's end and catch Carter short of the crease. The entire Bulawayo stadium erupted in joy. Even the normally subdued Heath Streak, Zimbabwe's head coach, was up on his feet.

India vs New Zealand, Delhi

New Zealand had a chastening experience in the Test series against India as they lost the rubber 3-0. The home side also won the first ODI of the five-match series convincingly in Dharamsala. The visitors' travails looked set to continue when they took on India in the second game in Delhi. However, Kane Williamson led from the front with a superbly-paced 118 aided by a collective effort with the ball to eke out a memorable six-run victory in the final over.

If we hit the rewind button and look back at the pulsating encounter, Trent Boult's thrifty returns with the new ball and disciplined bowling by the spinners had reduced India to 183 for 8 in pursuit of 243.

Hardik Pandya, the all-rounder, however, slogged a few boundaries to give India renewed hope. With 11 required off eight balls, Hardik had done all the ground work to carry the hosts past the finish line. But with adrenaline pumping he tried one shot too many and holed out to Mitchell Santner. Tim Southee then castled Jasprit Bumrah to hand a rare victory for New Zealand against India in their own den and level the series 1-1. Southee shattering Bumrah's stumps also led to an almighty hush at the ground.

Ireland vs Oman, Dharamsala

Oman upsetting the apple-cart and pipping Ireland in a fairytale finish with two balls to spare in the World T20 in Dharamsala was one of the highlights of the tournament. Oman - a team made up of Sales supervises, marketing managers and accountants - were expected to be brushed aside by the Ireland outfit. However, the unheralded debutants took the cricketing world by surprise and usurped their formidable foes.

On a slow track, Ireland were initially restricted to 154 for 5. Ajay Lalcheta bowled slowly through the air to befuddle the batsmen for lack of pace. Munis Ansari, with his slingy action, troubled Ireland and snared three wickets as well. They also dived and tumbled across enthusiastically in the field. Zeeshan Maqsood flying to his left to grab a wonderful diving catch to dislodge Paul Stirling is a case in point.

Maqsood, Jatinder Singh (arguably the team's best batsman) and Khawar Ali then raised hopes of an upset by piloting Oman to 86 for 2 in just over 12 overs. However, there was a middle-order wobble as they slipped to 90 for 5. At that point of time, Oman required a further 61 in five overs. It was the bespectacled Amir Ali who gave renewed hope for the Oman set-up with a 17-ball 32. Amir reduced the target to a gettable 14 off the final over.

The experienced Max Sorensen was given the responsibility to bowl the last over. But with the game on the line, Sorensen crumbled under pressure as he bowled a slew of full toss. The target came down to three off three. Sorensen, though, forced Amir to nick one as the Ireland camp breathed a sigh of relief. Unfortunately for them, the seamer undid all the good work by bowling another full toss. Ansari missed it as did the wicketkeeper and the ball raced away to the fine leg fence, leading to joyous celebrations in Oman's dug-out.

England vs West Indies, Kolkata

As England and West Indies' players stood still for the national anthem to be played out, there was a sense of excitement in the air that the showpiece final of the World T20 would be a thriller. It certainly turned out to be one as Carlos Brathwaite thumped four consecutive sixes off Ben Stokes in the final over to secure a dramatic win.

Euphoric West Indies players celebrated in their typical Calypso style, with Dawyne Bravo's "Champion" song filling the stadium. On the other hand, Stokes sat on the pitch vanquished. The redoubtable cricketer seemed to be gazing at the jubilant West Indies camp expressionless, wondering what might have been.

If we look back at the match, it had its share of twists and turns. Joe Root (54) and Jos Buttler's (36) timely hands had helped England compile a competitive 155 on a slow wicket. Root continued to leave his imprint on proceedings by dismissing Chris Gayle and Johnson Charles in the second over of the game.

Marlon Samuels, though, kept West Indies in the game with a well-measured, unbeaten fifty. Despite Samuels's best efforts, the asking rate continued to climb. Eventually, the Caribbean side needed 19 off the last over. Brathwaite then did the unthinkable by smacking four sixes to send the West Indies camp into a tizzy.