Australia's heart-stopping moments

[Sir john]

With the series lost 2-0, Australia will look back on the thriller they lost in Mohali with infinite 'maybes' and 'if only we had done this' discussions. While for the majority of its history, Australian cricket has been defined by domination, ruthlessness and aggression, they have had their share of disappointments too. Here's a look at five of the moments when Australia have fallen agonizingly short of victory: 1.) Australia vs West Indies, Adelaide 1993 Result: Australia lost by 1 run The mighty West Indian team of the late 80s and the early 90s were given a real tester in the summer of 1993. On an Adelaide pitch that had something for the bowlers, they decided to bat first. None of the West Indian batsmen registered a big score, with Lara being the only one scoring a half-century. Merv Hughes picked up 5/64 to bowl out the West Indies for 252. The Aussies were in turn destroyed by Curtly Ambrose who took six wickets to bowl them out for 213. The West Indies got off to a solid start as Richie Richardson scored an aggressive 72. However, the introduction of Tim May titled the balance in favor of Australia. Nursing an injured thumb, the off-spinner ran through the Windies batting line-up, picking up 5/9 in 6.5 overs. The West Indies were unable to capitalize on their 39-run lead and folded up for 146. That meant Australia needed 185 to tie and 186 to win. Australia were reduced to 102/8, thanks to some hostile bowling from Ambrose and Walsh. The game was kept alive by Tim May and Craig McDermott who shared a 40-run stand and got Australia tantalizingly close. Just when it seemed as if Australia would put one over the mighty West Indies, Courtney Walsh snapped up McDermott and the series, as the hosts became all out for 184. This was as close as one could get in a Test match, and for Australia, this was one Australia Day that rankled for a very long time. 2.) Australia vs South Africa, Sydney 1994 Result: Australia lost by 5 runs It was a summer of destruction for Australia. Bush fires had ravaged Sydney and the horizon was smudged with smoke. The Australian public needed some good news and the faithful had come to the SCG expecting a positive result. It was in this backdrop that an old rivalry resumed after 25 years and it was an absolute classic. South Africa batted first on an unpredictable pitch, but were soon undone by the wizardry of Shane Warne who picked up 7 wickets as the Proteas collapsed to 169. An attacking 92 by Michael Slater boosted Australia to 292. South Africa counter-attacked in the second innings as a gutsy, unbeaten 76 from Jonty Rhodes got them to 239, giving Australia a target of 116 for victory. With Australia already four wickets down for not much, Allan Donald produced a delivery that changed the entire match. Taking tips from captain Kepler Wessels, Donald bowled to a plan against Border. It reaped rewards as the Australian skipper completely misjudged an inswinger and was bowled, leaving Australia at a precarious 63/5. It was enough to shatter the psyche of the Australians as the rest of the batting lost their nerve and folded under pressure. Fanie de Villiers cleaned up the rest, picking up six wickets to give South Africa victory by five runs. 3.) Pakistan vs Australia, Karachi 1994 Result: Australia lost by 1 wicket Australia had not won a test match in Pakistan for nearly 35 years. Coming into this series, they were determined to change that stat. The venue was Pakistan's fortress at the National stadium in Karachi. Australia batted first and reached 337 thanks to fine knocks from Michael Bevan, Ian Healy and Steve Waugh. Despite a fighting knock of 85 from Saeed Anwar, Pakistan could only manage 256 runs in the first innings. Things were going smoothly for the Aussies in the second innings as David Boon's 114 got them to a strong position at 171/3. However, Wasim and Waqar's devastating late spells swung the pendulum back to Pakistan as seven wickets fell for 61 runs, setting them a target of 315 runs. Pakistan were then left reeling at 184/7 thanks to a magical spell from Shane Warne. It seemed all over for the hosts until Inzamam stepped up to the plate and changed the match. He gave the cricketing world an exhibition in how to bat with the tail, putting on successive half-century partnerships for the final two wickets. Pakistan reached the target in dramatic fashion with a missed stumping chance by Healy going for four leg byes, and giving Pakistan one of their greatest wins. 4.) India vs Australia, Chennai 2001 Result: Australia lost by 2 wickets It was a summer of miracles for Indian cricket . Australia were low on confidence following their shattering loss in Kolkata. In the final match at Chennai, Matthew Hayden's double century boosted Australia towards a big total. They were going strong at 340/3, before another magical spell of bowling from Harbhajan Singh got India back into the match. Seven wickets fell for 51 runs as Australia folded up for 391. Tendulkar then stepped up to the plate with a glorious 126 to propel India to 501. On a wearing pitch, Harbhajan again weaved his magic with eight wickets as Australia folded up for 264. Chasing 155, India were made to sweat for each and every run. But VVS Laxman's 66 helped India to a famous victory and ushered in the renaissance that propelled Indian cricket to great heights. 5.) Australia vs England, Edgbaston 2005 Result: Australia lost by 2 runs The 1758th Test was possibly one of the greatest matches in the history of Test cricket. Ponting chose to put England in on a flat track and the Poms made him pay as they raced to 407 in 79.2 overs. The English batsmen tore the Aussie attack apart with some ferocious hitting which left the crowd breathless. Flintoff and Giles put the Aussies on the back foot before some lusty hitting from the tail got them to 308. For the first time in a long time in the rivalry between the two sides, England had a chance to dictate terms. When Warne and Lee reduced England to 131/9 though, it seemed that England would squander their advantage. However Flintoff changed the momentum of the innings with a blazing 73 and shared a 51 run stand with Simon Jones to set Australia a target of 282. Flintoff was making this match his own as his double wicket burst in one over put Australia on the back foot. England seemed to have clinched the deal when the visitors were 175/8, but a gutsy effort from Lee and Michael Kasprowicz took Australia closer, before Steve Harmison broke Australian hearts with a short ball that sent back Kasprowicz and while simultaneously sending the whole of England into frenzy.

[99.94]

Ashes 2005 for mine.. absolute heartbreak. The most famous and most important test of arguably the greatest series of all time.

[gaurav92]

^ I second that.An Ashes loss comes above all the losses and so does victories

[Sir john]

ozz cast your vote :orderorder: like aussie r best or kingpointing?

[Crookbond]

I would put up the West Indies loss one place higher than the Ashes. It was really a heart break for Border. His mission was to defeat the West Indies and he could never do so.

[~ Miss Warner ~]

I dont "like" any of them obviously, so I voted for the most heart breaking one for me, which was the Edgbaston test.