Best Performance You Have Ever Seen

kryogen

Was having a discussion about this down the pub with a couple of mates

the question is who has given the best performance you have ever seen live, as in you were at the game!

I am still thinking about my own tbh and will post it later

Actually to make it more inclusive, lets make it a 2 part question,

who gave the best performance you have seen while at the ground?

and who has given the best performance in a match you have seen full stop?

HonalD

Best thing I have ever seen, has to be Matthews (Sri Lanka) in Nottingham last year in the T20 World Cup, juggling the ball at (and over) the boundary rope to save a 6 into a 4. Amazing moment that I will never forget!

And before anyone else beats me to it - Johnson lifting the ball over the boundary in order to beat Pakinstan in Sabina Park on Paddys Day and the celebrations afterwards.

TrueDub

Ever seen personally:

Several options

- Andre Botha's bowling v Pakistan, World Cup 2007.
- Trent Johnston's hat-trick v Bermuda, Summer 2008.
- Kevin O'Brien's batting v Pakistan, World Cup 2007.
- The ball that dismissed Brian Lara, bowled by Glenn McGrath, Old Trafford, World Cup 1999.

Ever seen, period:

Hard to pin down - tight finishes in ODIs are excellent, tight finishes in tests even better. Can't pick one thing, but this will come close: driving home from Navan one day, Test Match Special on the radio, and in the 40 minutes it took to get home, England, and Andy Caddick in general, destroyed the West Indies batting. It may not have been brilliant cricket, but it was simply amazing radio.

Beasty

In terms of "being there", I witnessed Dominic Cork's destruction of the WI in the 1995 Old Trafford Test match, taking a hat-trick in the first over of the 4th day (Richie Richardson, Junior Murray and Carl Hooper).

Brian Lara watched on from the other end, and was last but one out for 145 - a truly majestic performance by a world-class batsman at the peak of his career.

I was also fortunate to be a student in 1981 and therefore able to watch the whole of that year's Headingley test on TV. Botham's 149 not out may not have been his best ever batting performance, but the sheer drama of the situation following his sacking as captain, and coming back under Mike Brearley to destroy the Aussies (obviously in conjunction with Bob Willis) will live on in my memory.

harpsman

only been to 3 cricket matches so from that limited sample shaun pollocks 60 odd from 80 balls at scg in 02(while havin to keep strike) was pretty good.

as a part time fan i thought the sustained brilliance with both bat and ball of flintoff,warne and lee-in adversity- in 05 ashes was a joy.
i had never liked lee,thought he was a bit of a "flat track bully" but his cricket and sportsmanship in that series made me change my opinion

for a one off performance under pressure it pains me to say it but steve waughs innings against sa in 99 world cup was pretty good