KEY POINTS:
1 South Africa v Australia, Johannesburg, March 2006
If there is one ODI to surpass last Tuesday night in Hamilton, it happened last year. No team had ever gone beyond 400 runs in a one-day international. On this occasion, it happened twice.
Ricky Ponting inspired an Australian onslaught with 164 off just 105 balls. Adam Gilchrist, Simon Katich and Mike Hussey all chimed in with rapid half-centuries. When the slaughter ended, Australia had reached 434 for four. Three South African bowlers had gone for more than 80; two others more than 70. Game over? Someone forgot to tell Herschelle Gibbs. He lashed 175 from only 111 balls, inspiring a win with three balls to spare. No Australian bowler escaped the fury, particularly journeyman medium-pacer Mick Lewis, whose 10 overs cost 113 runs.
2 England v Australia, Leeds, July 1981
Best known as Botham's Ashes test, the match when Australian heroes Dennis Lillee and Rod Marsh were so sure of an Australian win, yet stuck a tenner on England to win at astronomical odds.
Following on, at 135 for seven still 92 behind, England were gone for all money. But the all-rounder the Indians dubbed 'Iron Bottom' had other ideas. He clubbed 149, with help from bowlers Graham Dilley, Chris Old and Bob Willis, leaving Australia 130 to knock off. But Willis was inspired, his eight for 43 carrying England to an improbable 18-run win - just the second time in tests that a team following-on had won.
3 New Zealand v Australia, Eden Park, February 2007
Just last Sunday, in fact when New Zealand sealed the Chappell-Hadlee series with the second highest successful ODI run chase ever. Requiring an improbable 337, tyro Ross Taylor slammed his second ODI hundred, a thundering 117, Peter Fulton cracked a fine, unbeaten 76 and Craig McMillan showed he was back in business with a rollicking 52 as Australia's bowling fell apart. It was won with eight balls to spare. It got even better two nights later in Hamilton...
4 Hampshire v Warwickshire, Edgbaston, June 1922
Perhaps the most remarkable scoreboard of them all.
By stumps on the first day, Warwickshire had been dismissed for 223, then bowled out Hampshire, captained by the colourful Lord Lionel Tennyson, grandson of the famous bard, for just 15. There were eight ducks. It took 40 minutes, 8.5 overs. Following on, the game took a strange turn. Centuries from George Brown and wicketkeeper Walter Livsey, Tennyson's butler, helped Hampshire to 521, whereupon they cleaned out a demoralised Warwickshire for 158, and a 155-run win.
5 India v Australia, Kolkata, March 2001
Forever to be known as Laxman's test, as in Indian middle-order batsman VVS Laxman. John Wright, then India's coach, said whenever he passed Laxman after that, he'd genuflect. India had been walloped in the first test and, halfway through the second, things were looking grim. Following on, India were 232 for four, still 42 behind when Laxman and Rahul Dravid put on a stunning 376. Laxman made 281, Dravid 180 and, when India declared on the final morning at 657 for seven, momentum had swung India's way. Australia, chasing 384, were bowled out for 212 amid delirious scenes, and that was just on the pitch. The denouement? India won the decider at Chennai in another thriller, by two wickets.
6 West Indies v India, Trinidad, April 1976
Australia's 404 for three in 1948 remained the highest fourth-innings score to win a test until India took the record at Queen's Park. Trailing by 111 on the first innings, the game seemed gone when India set off in pursuit of 403 on the fourth afternoon. By stumps they were 134 for four and, inspired by brothers-in-law Sunil Gavaskar (102) and Gundappa Viswanath (112), they made surprisingly short work of the job, winning by six wickets.
7 New Zealand v England, Wellington, February 1978
Low-scoring, but a famous occasion. New Zealand had never beaten England in a test and, when Geoff Boycott's men set off in pursuit of what seemed a cakewalk total of only 137 to go 1-0 up in the series, it seemed a no-brainer result.
But when beefy left-armer Richard Collinge yorked Boycott for one, it set in motion one of the great afternoons of New Zealand cricket.
Collinge and Richard Hadlee chopped through the brittle England batting line-up to have them reeling at 53 for eight at stumps. Hadlee then finished it off on the final morning. England all out 64, Hadlee took six for 26, and Collinge three for 35.
8 Australia v West Indies, Sydney, Jan 1996
Aussies are fond of claiming Michael Bevan as the Greatest ODI Batsman Of Them All. His finest night came when Australia were 38 for six and gone for all money in a 43-over contest, chasing the West Indies' 172 for nine.
With Paul Reiffel, Bevan shared an 83-run stand for the eighth wicket. But Australia needed four to win off the final ball, bowled by spinner Roger Harper.
Bevan studied the field, then slammed the ball back past the bowler to the fence to finish on 78, and his legend as GODIBOTA was cemented.
9 India v Zimbabwe, Tunbridge Wells, June 1983
A one-innings comeback, during a World Cup match en-route to winning the trophy. India were 17 for five, all the top batsmen gone, before Kapil Dev blazed 175 in 138 balls to carry India to 266 for eight. Zimbabwe were cleaned out for 235. The next best Indian score was 24.
10 New Zealand v Pakistan, Eden Park, March 1992
It hurts but ... the World Cup semifinal remains a gut-wrencher. New Zealand 262 for seven, Pakistan dawdling at 140 for four. Then along came a youthful Inzamam-ul-Haq, with a blazing 60 off 37 balls, to snatch the match from under New Zealand's noses. They went on to win the final.
