Since the inception of the tournament in 1975, Cricket World Cup has witnessed some of the finest and most thrilling finishes to the matches, enthralling myriads of spectators. Catch the flashbacks of all the nail biting, heart thumping reckless close encounters of World Cup history below:

1975 – Pakistan v West Indies (West Indies won by 1 wicket)

A total of eight teams participated in World Cup 1975 but the bone chilling stand out encounter was the group match – 8th of the event played between Pakistan and West Indies on June 11 in Birmingham. Pakistan had scored a mounting 266 in 60 overs but was it enough against the WC favorites? With two balls to be played and no wicket to lose, West Indies managed to squeeze victory out of Pakistan’s hand later winning the event – World Cup 1975, defeating Australia.

1987 – Australia v India (Australia won by 1 run)

Eight years down the road, third match of the (third) World Cup 1987 played between Australia and India on October 9 in Madras where Aussies were just two runs short of the 269-run target and Steve Waugh’s decisive hit-and-run on the last ball trashed India’s hope of winning the match. But the most talked about was the is-it-or-is-it-not-a-six ‘sixer’ shot by Deans Jones, a few overs ago, that made the real difference in catching up with the score.

1987 – New Zealand v Zimbabwe (New Zealand won by 3 runs)

October 10 witnessed Zimbabwe giving a real tough time to New Zealand in an intense match wrap up, fourth match of the tournament, where NZ managed to win the match with meager 3 runs. Zimbabwe had to score 6 runs from the last over when Iain Butchart got run out on the fourth ball and Zimbabwe ended up losing.

1987 – West Indies v Pakistan (Pakistan won by 1 wicket)

Ninth match of the tournament was an exquisite manifestation of a neck to neck combat when West Indies headed into a match against Pakistan in Lahore on October 16. WI had to win it after losing the second match of the tournament to England. Viv Richards and Phil Simmons scored fifties each but Imran Khan’s befitting bowling restricted them to a modest 216. By the time it came to the last over to be bowled by Courtney Walsh, it seemed quite impossible for Pakistan to grab victory when they had to score 14 runs off six balls with only one wicket in hand. Abdul Qadir and Saleem Jaffar took two runs of the first two balls leaving 12 off four balls. Qadir smacked a ferocious six and ran another two off the next ball. Pressure built up as Pakistan needed two of a single ball. Qadir ran leaving the crease eager to take two runs and successfully finished the drill – Pakistan were through, putting West Indies’s chances to the semis in jeopardy.

1987 – Australia v New Zealand (Australia won by 3 runs)

Twelfth match of WC 1987 between Australia and New Zealand, scheduled on October 18 but played on October 19 in Indore had to be curtailed to 30 overs per side due to rain, turned to a gruesome duel when David Boon’s 87 of 87 balls totaled the score to an achievable 199 giving New Zealand a target of 6.66 per over who were doing just fine when they started off until Martin Crowe was sent back to the pavilion on Waugh’s ball followed by departure of Ian Smith on the very next yorker when the team stood at 193. Waugh managed to halt the score getting MC Snedden run out – and that was it! Aussies won by 3 runs. No wonder they won the World Cup that year.

1992 – Australia v India (Australia won by 1 run)

Talking about close finishes one must not forget the one played between Australia and India in Brisbane on March 1 (twelfth of the tournament). Australia gave an okay target of 237. Rain stripped three overs reducing the target to 234 and with only one ball remaining; India needed four to win and three to tie. Tried their very best but had to bid adieu to victory; Australia had every reason to rejoice their one run win.

1999 – Australia v South Africa (Match tied)

World Cup matches become all the more exhilarating when a match comes at the brink of a close finish. Semi-final of World Cup 1999 between Australia and South Africa played in Birmingham on June 17. Australia scored 213 giving South Africa a not so problematic target of 214. Proteas needed 9 runs off the last over; Klusener smacked eight runs off the first two balls of the final over. Hitting the ball flimsily, Klusener called Donald to take up a run but Donald missed the call, ran late and got run out. The match ended in a draw but Australia advanced to the finals since they finished high in the Super Sixes.

2003 – South Africa v West Indies (West Indies won by 3 runs)

South Africa faced West Indies in the opening match of World Cup 2003 in Cape Town on February 9. With Brain Lara back in the game after four months, it was much needed for West Indies to put up a spectacular show and so they did with Lara scoring a hefty 116 heaping the total to 278. Battling to crossover, South Africa needed eight of four balls but victory still remained ambiguous. After Lance Klusener got caught by Hooper on Drakes’s ball, there was a line of follow up tumbles of the tail enders and so Windies, the victors, winning the match by 3 runs were hailed

2003 – Sri Lanka v South Africa (tie)

March 3 in Durban, when Sri Lanka and South Africa were at daggers drawn it became imperative for South Africa to win the match in order to advance to the Super Sixes; but the weather seemed to brew a situation otherwise. Sri Lanka set up a tricky target of 268. With Boucher on the crease, message from the dressing room came informing that under the Duckworth-Lewis method the score needed to win is 229 and Boucher managed to meet the score with a six and chanted in high spirits only to be despaired later because the instructions had been incorrect; 229 was needed to tie the match and Proteas had to ‘win it’ to make it through. That’s how the hosts exited the World Cup for the second time in a row.

2007 – Sri Lanka v South Africa (South Africa won by 1 wicket)

Sri Lanka and South Africa face off each other in the 26th match of World Cup 2007 on March 26 in Georgetown. Sri Lanka gave South Africa an attainable target of 209. South Africa needed four runs with five wickets in hand and the target seemed easy as pie when Malinga took four wickets of four balls giving South Africa’s success dream a jolt. The chasers, however, managed to tip toe to the semis by one wicket.

2007 – Sri Lanka v England (Sri Lanka won by 2 runs)

Sri Lanka scored 235 off 50 overs against England on April 4 in North Sound. England opened quite impressively but met a few hitches in the middle that hampered the smooth chase till they needed two off the final ball. With Bopra on strike, Fernando bowled him well – Sri Lanka won by 2 runs.

2007 – West Indies v England (England won by 1 wicket)

Another never-wrecking showdown was staged by West Indies and England on April 21 in Bridgetown. West Indies scored a mounting 300. England reached the final over needing three runs with no chance of losing a wicket at all. England would forever be obliged by Stuart Broad for holding his nerve and toppling the Windies well in time.

2011 – India v England (Match tied)

Run-in between India and England at the 11th match of World Cup 2011 held in Bangalore on February 27 was a transfixing spectacle that proved to be one of the most exciting results of the tournament with India scoring a staggering 338 as Tendulkar scored 120. India would have thought it to be quite an unachievable target but England nearly got there – thanks to Andrew Strauss’s 158. England needed two off one ball but ended taking a single and the match ended in a thrilling draw.