Cricket

The first ODI to pass 400 became an unforgettable chase, as South Africa hunted down Australia's record 434 with one ball remaining.

Ricky Ponting made 164 from 105 balls and Michael Hussey added 81 from 51 as Australia reached 434/4. Herschelle Gibbs answered with 175 from 111, while Graeme Smith made 90 and Mark Boucher finished unbeaten on 45 as South Africa reached 438/9 in 49.5 overs.

VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid turned a follow-on into one of Test cricket's defining comebacks against an Australia side on a 16-match winning streak.

After Australia built a lead of more than 250, Laxman and Dravid batted through the fourth day to give India a lead of 384. Harbhajan Singh, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly then completed the turnaround. The match was voted the greatest Test of the 21st century so far in an ESPNcricinfo poll in 2025.

A tied match, a tied Super Over and a boundary-count finish made the Lord's final one of the most dramatic games international cricket has seen.

New Zealand posted 241/8, and England were bowled out for the same score. Ben Stokes remained unbeaten on 84, while Jos Buttler made 47. Both teams scored 15 in the Super Over before England were declared champions on boundary count, 26 to 17, after Martin Guptill was run out attempting a second run.

India lifted the World Cup on home soil, ending a 28-year wait and becoming the first team to win the tournament in its own country.

Mahela Jayawardene's 103 helped Sri Lanka reach 274/6. After early wickets, Gautam Gambhir made 97 and MS Dhoni's unbeaten 91 from 79 balls sealed the chase with an iconic six. Dhoni was Player of the Match and Yuvraj Singh was Player of the Tournament.

The first World Twenty20 final went to the last over, with India defending 157 and becoming the inaugural champions.

Gautam Gambhir led India's innings with 75 from 54 deliveries, supported by Yuvraj Singh and a late contribution from Rohit Sharma. Pakistan's chase collapsed to 104/7 before Misbah-ul-Haq mounted a counterattack. Irfan Pathan and R. P. Singh took three wickets apiece before S. Sreesanth caught the final chance.