The ICC Champions Trophy is a cricket tournament that takes place every two years. The tournament is a chance for the best cricket teams in the world to compete for the title of champion. This year’s tournament is taking place in England and Wales, and the teams are competing for the chance to win the trophy. So far, the tournament has been full of exciting matches, and there have been some classic performances by the players. Here are ten of the best performances in the ICC Champions Trophy so far as per gatherings from latest of cricket news:
Shaun Pollock (South Africa)
From the moment Marcus Trescothick was dismissed for 26 by Shaun Pollock in this ICC Champions Trophy quarterfinal, South Africa maintained a tight hold on England. Following a 33-run opening combination between the left-hander and Alec Stewart, England struggled to find its rhythm. Then, with the score at 154, Graeme Hick (65), Andrew Flintoff (25), and Pollock hit important strikes to end the fifth-wicket stand, giving England hope. Pollock took the final wicket, finishing with 3 for 27 from 9.1 overs. The 183-run goal was successfully chased by South Africa with only two wickets lost.
Imran Tahir (South Africa)
The experienced Proteas leg-spinner is a leg-spinner with all the tricks. He still has one of the better googlies in cricket and takes many wickets with his vicious delivery. Insofar as the 38-year-tight old’s leg holds up, Tahir will surely have an influence later in the championship on worn-out surfaces, which is essential to South Africa’s hopes.
Shayne O’Connor (New Zealand)
With 25 balls remaining and a score of 237 for 6, Pakistan appeared to be on track to defeat New Zealand in their semifinal match. The final four wickets were taken by left-arm fast bowler Shayne O’Connor, who bowled Pakistan out for 252 with four balls remaining in the innings. Imran Nazir, who batted first, had previously been removed by O’Connor, who scored five for 46 off 9.2 overs. In the end, that breakdown was significant since New Zealand won by six wickets with an extra over.
Glenn McGrath (Australia)
Australia was already in a difficult situation at the midway point of the match after watching its opponent score 296 for 7, but that was nothing compared to the predicament they were in by the 13th over of the reply. With Glenn McGrath taking five wickets for 37 runs, New Zealand’s innings was in ruins at 51 for 6. When New Zealand was bowled out for 132, McGrath’s day’s work was done and he did not throw another over in the innings, resulting in an embarrassing defeat by 152 runs.
Aravinda de Silva (Sri Lanka)
Muttiah Muralitharan was unavoidably in the spotlight as Sri Lanka distracted Australia in this ICC Champions Trophy semifinal by taking three for 26 from 9.4 overs. However, Aravinda de Silva, a supporter of Murali, took home the trophy for the man of the match thanks to his impressive 1-16 from 10 overs. De Silva is mostly a batter, but he also occasionally used off-spin in limited-overs matches. With 10 overs left, Sri Lanka easily defeated the opposition by seven wickets while chasing 163 runs.
Shahid Afridi (Pakistan)
The Kenyans had no chance of escaping on the reserve day after play was cancelled the day before due to rain when Shahid Afridi started a collapse that saw them slip from 67 for one to 94 all out. After Kennedy Otieno and Maurice Ouma put together a second-wicket stand of 65, Afridi got Maurice Ouma (23) caught beyond (33). Afridi finished with bowling stats of 6-1-11-5 after dismissing each of his final four wickets, including the last man Peter Ongondo. For the cost of three wickets, Pakistan easily reached the target.
Stuart Broad (England)
When the Black Caps reached 84-0 in just 13 overs while chasing just 147, it appeared that England’s group encounter with New Zealand would end in a draw. After a brilliant finish 48, Brendon McCullum was subsequently dismissed by Stuart Broad, setting off a string of wickets that sent New Zealanders into a panic. The chasing team eventually won by four wickets, with plenty of time left, but Broad, who ended with four for 39 from 8.1 overs, would not give up without a fight.
Farveez Maharoof (Sri Lanka)
After being dismissed for 80 runs and losing by nine wickets in this ICC Champions Trophy 2006 qualifying match, West Indies’ road to recovery seemed long. However, the West Indies bounced back well enough to place second in the competition. The men from the Caribbean were undoubtedly inspired by their humiliating experience at the hands of Farveez Maharoof, whose movement in Mumbai had deceived a string of batters. When West Indies lose its final seven batters for 29 runs, Maharoof got six wickets. Maharoof currently owns the record for such best analysis in tournament history (9-2-14-6).
Mervyn Dillon (West Indies)
Bangladesh’s goal of 270 was finished before it got going thanks to West Indies speed bowler Mervyn Dillon, who took four wickets in his first five overs and reduced Bangladesh to 26 for 5. The right arm bowled two of his victims because the Bangladeshi batsmen were unable to control his scorching speed. Dillon returned to take another wicket after the opening eight overs, finishing with five for 29. Chris Gayle, who scored 99 runs while West Indies put up 269 for three, contributed to the victory’s 138-run margin of victory with two for 12.
Adil Rashid (England)
Although England easily defeated Bangladesh in the first game, Eoin Morgan’s decision to leave Adil Rashid off the starting lineup got the loudest and only criticism. He was quickly introduced into the fight by England, and the leggie was outstanding. Rashid grabbed seven wickets in the following three matches at an economy rate of just 4.73.
Rashid was able to avoid attention in a fast-paced competition that was fully dominated by pacers, which allowed him to focus on his strong points and avoid the spotlight. Batsmen attempted to attack Rashid throughout the middle overs to score some quick runs, but this worked in Rashid’s favour because several batsmen were unable to handle his incorrect pitches mixed with his deceptive pace.
