With the eleventh ICC World Cup starting today, the excitement for the quadrennial event is rising by the day.

As February 14th draws near, let us go down memory lane and look at ten of the best World Cup matches played over the course of the tournament’s four-decade history.

1) Australia v South Africa, Semifinal, Edgbaston, 1999
This classic encounter is widely regarded as the greatest One-Day International match ever. The winner of this match would go on to face Pakistan in the final at Lord’s.

Australia had defeated South Africa just four days ago in a Super Six match which was a do-or-die contest for them.

Steve Waugh’s men had put behind a poor start to their campaign by winning six matches on the trot, and were upbeat coming into the semifinal against the tournament favourites. Hansie Cronje, the South African captain, won the toss and elected to field.

Shaun Pollock removed Mark Waugh in the first over, but Adam Gilchrist and Ricky Ponting batted positively to add 51 for the second wicket. Ponting’s dismissal to Allan Donald (4/32) led led to a middle-order wobble as Australia slid to 68/4. Michael Bevan (65) joined Steve Waugh (56) at this point, and the duo put on 90 for the fifth wicket.

Pollock came back to take two quick wickets before Bevan and Warne added a vital 49 for the seventh wicket. The tail subsided quickly and the innings wound up at 213 in 49.2 overs, with Bevan the last man out to Pollock (5/36).

In reply, South African openers Gary Kirsten and Herschelle Gibbs put their side ahead with a 48-run stand.

Man of the match Warne (4/29) then turned around the game by snaring three wickets in two overs as South Africa collapsed to 61/4 in the 22nd over. Jacques Kallis (53) and Jonty Rhodes (43) steadied the ship by putting on 84 for the fifth wicket. Rhodes’ dismissal gave Australia an opening as South Africa began to lose their way.

When the ninth wicket fell at 198, Australia were favourites to finish it off. But one man still remained – Lance Klusener.

Klusener, who was ultimately named Player of the Tournament, hit a six and then took a single off the last two balls of the penultimate over. As the last over – to be bowled by Damien Fleming – began, nine runs were required with Klusener on strike.

‘Zulu’ made it look ridiculously easy as he crashed the first two balls for four to bring the scores level with four balls still remaining.

A tied result would mean Australia would go through, as they had a superior net run rate. With all eleven men in the infield, Australia ensured that South Africa stumbled at the last hurdle. Off the fourth ball, Klusener ran to the non-striker’s end, but to his horror, found Donald unmoved.

By the time Donald could make it, the throw from mid-off had reached the bowler and on to the wicketkeeper Gilchrist, who took off the bails to break South African hearts.

This was the first tied World Cup game, and it was after this result that South Africa were given the unwanted tag of ‘chokers’. Australia thus entered the final by the thinnest of margins – the net run rate – and went on to win the title.

2) India v Australia, Group Stage, Chennai, 1987
Defending champions and co-hosts India squared up against Australia – who were to win their first title – in their opening fixture of the 1987 World Cup.

After Kapil Dev elected to field, David Boon (49) and Geoff Marsh put on 110 for the opening wicket. Marsh added a further 64 for the second wicket with Dean Jones. He went on to score a sublime 110, and his innings helped Australia to a strong total 270-6 in the allotted 50 overs.

India also made a good start, with openers Sunil Gavaskar and Kris Srikkanth adding 69. Srikkanth (70) and Navjot Sidhu (73) put on 62 for the second wicket. Sidhu was batting very well and he added a further 76 with Dilip Vengsarkar for the third wicket to put India on top.

At 207/2 in under 39 overs, the match was India’s to lose. However, Sidhu’s dismissal to Craig McDermott (4/56) led to a procession of wickets. Even with four overs to go, India had the edge as they needed just 15 runs with four wickets in hand.

But the Indians panicked as three more wickets fell – including two run-outs- and they began the last over with six runs needed and one wicket left. Last man Maninder Singh faced Steve Waugh and managed two twos from the first four balls. But on the fifth ball, Waugh castled him to seal a one-run win for Australia.

Ultimately, Kapil Dev’s generosity made the difference – in Australia’s innings, a six from Jones was signalled as four. In the innings break, Kapil agreed with the Australians that the shot had indeed resulted in a six.

3) Pakistan v West Indies, Group Stage, Edgbaston, 1975
This was the first real thriller in the World Cup. For Pakistan, it was a must-win game if they had to enter the semifinals. They were in control of the game for most parts, but ultimately lost out to the West Indies’ last pair.

After winning the toss, captain Majid Khan scored a composed 60 while opening. Mushtaq Mohammed carried on the good start with an equally assured 55. The second, third and fourth wicket partnerships all yielded more than 50 runs each. But it was Wasim Raja’s 58 at better than run-a-ball that gave the innings an impetus. The collective batting effort helped Pakistan to 266/7 in 60 overs, a very strong total in those days.

Sarfraz Nawaz (4/44) then broke the back of the West Indian top order, reducing the score to 36/3. Captain Clive Lloyd attempted to put things back on track, but wickets continued to fall around him. When he fell for 53, the score read 151/7 and Pakistan were firmly in charge.

Two further wickets fell, and when last man Andy Roberts came out to join wicketkeeper Deryck Murray, the West Indies still required 64 runs to win with more than 14 overs left.

Murray appeared to be unflustered, and in the company of the determined Roberts, he gradually put the pressure back on Pakistan. The Pakistani bowlers failed to get that elusive last wicket. Off the fourth ball of the final over, a memorable one-wicket victory was secured, with Murray unbeaten on 61 and Roberts – who hit the winning single – on 24. Sarfraz was named as man of the match.

4) Australia v India, Brisbane, 1992
This was the second instance of a World Cup match decided by one run, and yet again it was Australia who defeated India. Both teams were searching for their first win in the tournament as they came into this match.

After the hosts decided to bat, Kapil Dev struck twice early to remove the openers. But Dean Jones, batting at number four, shared vital half-century partnerships with David Boon (43) and Steve Waugh for the third and fourth wickets respectively.

Jones was eventually dismissed for 90 off 108 balls as Australia finished at 237/9. Kapil and Manoj Prabhakar picked up three wickets apiece.

India were set a revised target of 236 in 47 overs because of a rain delay. Kris Srikkanth was out for a duck early, but captain Mohammed Azharuddin was looking in great touch. He was joined by Sanjay Manjrekar (47) at 128/4, and the two confidently put on 66 for the fifth wicket. With five overs remaining, Azharuddin was run out for 93 off 102 balls, a dismissal which paved the way for an entertaining climax.

13 runs were still required off the last over – to be bowled by Tom Moody – with three wickets left. Kiran More hit fours off the first two balls but was bowled off the third. With five needed off three balls, new man Prabhakar took a single.

He was run out the next ball though, leaving Javagal Srinath to score four off the final delivery. Srinath swung but found Waugh near the boundary, whose throw to the wicketkeeper caught Venkatapathy Raju short of his crease before the third run was completed.

5) Australia v West Indies, Semifinal, Mohali, 1996
Both the teams were looking to enter the final, for which Sri Lanka – the eventual winners – had already qualified. Australian captain Mark Taylor won the toss and decided that his batsmen would make first use of a pitch offering ample assistance to the fast bowlers.

The decision seemed awfully wrong as the fiery twosome of Curtly Ambrose and Ian Bishop flattened the top order. Ambrose trapped the in-form Mark Waugh LBW second ball and later did the same to Ricky Ponting. Bishop castled Taylor and Steve Waugh and Australia were left reeling and almost buried at 15/4. At this point, Stuart Law and Michael Bevan joined forces and scripted one of the best partnerships in World Cup history.

Law and Bevan assuaged the disaster by adding 138 in 32 overs for the fifth wicket. It took a run out – that of Law (72 from 105 balls) – to break the stand. Bevan followed soon after for 69 (110 balls), but Ian Healy’s quick 31 helped Australia go past 200 and eventually 207/8 in 50 overs, a far cry from the horrendous start to the innings.

Shane Warne removed Courtney Browne early in the chase, but Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Brian Lara put the West Indies in the box seat with a 67-run second-wicket alliance.

Lara fell for a run-a-ball 45. Chanderpaul and captain Richie Richardson further dented Australian hopes with a 72-run partnership for the third wicket, and it looked as if the writing was on the wall for Taylor’s men.

However, for the second time in the match, Australia rose like a phoenix, this time proceeding to deliver the killer blow. Chanderpaul fell for 80 (from 126 balls) to Glenn McGrath to make the score 165/3. From thereon, the West Indies began to panic, and inexplicably collapsed in the face of the moderate target. man of the match Warne (4/36) returned to cut through the middle order.

As the last over – to be bowled by Damien Fleming – began, the West Indies required ten runs to win with two wickets left. Importantly for them, Richardson was on strike. He hit a four off the first ball to bring down the target to six from five balls.

But the West Indian captain erred by attempting a single off the next ball, which left Ambrose run out.

To make it worse, last man Courtney Walsh was now on strike. Fleming duly bowled Walsh first ball to complete a five-run win for his side and spark jubilation among his teammates. Richardson remained unbeaten on 49 as his side lost 8 for 37 in 51 balls.

6) Australia v West Indies, Final, Lord’s, 1975
The final of the inaugural World Cup was akin to a drama full of twists and turns.

Respectively led by astute captains Ian Chappell and Clive Lloyd, Australia and the West Indies played out the best World Cup final thus far on the 21st of June, the longest day of the year. The two sides had already met once in the group stage, where the West Indies had posted an easy seven-wicket win.

Chappell won the toss and sent the West Indians in to bat. With the score on 12, Roy Fredericks was dismissed in bizarre fashion – he hooked Dennis Lillee for six, only to lose his balance and tread on the stumps, thus getting out hit wicket. With Gordon Greenidge and Alvin Kallicharran too out cheaply, the West Indies were in a spot of bother at 50/3.

At this stage, Lloyd strode out to join Rohan Kanhai – who was nearly 40 years old and playing his last international match.

What followed was a game-changing partnership featuring contrasting innings. While Lloyd was in a ferocious mood, treating the Australian bowlers with disdain, Kanhai gave his captain solid support at the other end.

The two put on 149 in 36 overs to put their team in control before Gary Gilmour – who had taken 6/14 in the semifinal against England – had Lloyd caught behind. The ‘Big Cat’ scored a fine 102 from just 85 balls, studded with 12 fours and two sixes.

Kanhai too fell to Gilmour soon after, scoring 55 from 105 balls. Gilmour’s burst of three quick wickets brought Australia back in the contest, but Keith Boyce and Bernard Julien put on 52 vital runs for the seventh wicket. The West Indies stretched their total to a very formidable 291/8 in 60 overs – no team had successfully chased down that many in an ODI at that time. Gilmour with 5/48 was easily the best bowler for Australia, thus making him the highest wicket-taker of the tournament.

Boyce removed Rick McCosker early in the chase, but Alan Turner (40) and skipper Ian Chappell (62) put on 56 for the second wicket, showing that the Australians were not going down without a fight. However, the West Indian fielders, led by 23 year-old Vivian Richards, were brilliant on this day.

Richards single-handedly ran out Turner and Greg Chappell to make the score 115/3. Richards then combined with Lloyd to ensure the run out of Ian Chappell, who had himself to blame as he went for a non-existent third run.

Lloyd castled Doug Walters as the Australians, who were now 170/5, failed to get a substantial partnership going. Boyce (4/50) returned to trouble the middle and lower order as Australia slid to 233/9 in 52 overs, and a West Indian victory now just a formality.

A final twist remained though – the last pair of Thomson and Lillee gave some anxious moments to the West Indians. When eleven balls were remaining, with Australia still needing 24 to win, Thomson chipped a delivery from Vanburn Holder into Fredericks’ hands.

The crowd, largely consisting of West Indian supporters, ran out on to the field thinking that the match was over. However, they had not noticed umpire Dickie Bird’s no-ball call. The ball got lost in the melee and the batsmen kept on collecting as many runs as they possibly could. According to Lillee, they had ran about 17, but eventually the umpires gave them four when the ground was cleared.

Three balls later, the match saw its logical conclusion after Thomson was run out by the wicketkeeper Deryck Murray. Australia had valiantly fought, but were bowled out for 274 with eight balls left. The West Indies became the first winners of the World Cup as the longest one-day match played – from 11 a.m to 8.43 p.m – came to an end. Lloyd, who was deservedly named man of the match, received the Prudential trophy from Prince Phillip.

7) England v Ireland, Group Stage, Bangalore, 2011
This Group B match in the 2011 edition will always be remembered for the fact that an Associate nation beat a full member by chasing down a total in excess of 300, and that too after being in dire straits at the halfway mark.

The memorable win was made possible due to a buccaneering, record-breaking hundred from Irish all-rounder Kevin O’Brien, who became a poster boy for cricket back home.

England, after electing to bat, were provided a strong platform by captain Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen (59), who put on 91 for the first wicket.

Jonathan Trott (92) and Ian Bell (81) then shared a 167-run partnership in 26 overs for the third wicket to put their team firmly in control. Late wickets from John Mooney (4/72) pegged back England a little, but the final total of 327/8 was still an imposing one.

Ireland lost their captain William Porterfield off the first ball of the chase. Paul Stirling and Ed Joyce played positively in a 62-run stand for the second wicket, but off-spinner Graeme Swann prised out three quick wickets as Ireland slumped from 103/2 to 111/5 in the space of four overs.

If Ireland were to come back in the game, at least one batsman had to deliver something really special, and Kevin O’Brien did just that. He came in at 106/4, and was joined by Alex Cusack at the fall of the fifth wicket.

With a breath-taking display of power-hitting, O’Brien snatched the game right from the hands of the English. He shared a fantastic sixth-wicket partnership of 162 in just 19.1 overs with Cusack.

While Cusack was out for 47, O’Brien marched on to his hundred off just 50 balls, beating Matthew Hayden’s World Cup record. He added a further 44 for the seventh wicket with Mooney, and by the time he was out for a scintillating 113 from 63 balls, with 13 fours and six sixes, Ireland needed only 11 runs from as many balls.

The final over began with just three runs required. Off the first ball itself, Mooney smashed James Anderson for four to bring up Ireland’s historic three-wicket win over the old enemy. The boys in green had done the unthinkable by achieving the the highest successful chase in a World Cup match.

The Bangalore crowd celebrated an epic giant-slaying episode even as the Irish team congratulated each other with joy. O’Brien had played the innings of the tournament, and most importantly, provided a massive boost to cricket in his country.

8) Ireland v Zimbabwe, Group Stage, Kingston, 2007
This was Ireland’s very first World Cup match. Their team of amateurs greatly impressed on debut, holding a much more established and experienced Zimbabwean outfit to a thrilling tie. This was the third tie in the history of the World Cup.

Zimbabwean captain Prosper Utseya put Ireland in to bat, and his medium pacemen created trouble for the Irish batsmen from the very outset. Five wickets were down with just 89 runs on the board, three of them being single figures. Even as wickets tumbled, opener Jeremy Bray remained unmoved. He was bating assuredly and found a willing partner in Andrew White, with whom he added 56 for the sixth wicket.

This was the highest partnership for Ireland, who eventually reached a competitive 221/9 in 50 overs. The lower order added some vital runs to swell the total. Bray stayed from start to end, scoring an unbeaten 115 from 137 balls, with ten fours and two sixes.

Zimbabwe were in a great position at 92/1 in the 21st over, but a middle order wobble saw them slide to 133/5. Opener Vusimuzi Sibanda scored 67 from 84 balls. Stuart Matsikenyeri and Brendan Taylor gave Zimbabwe the upper hand again as they stitched together 70 runs for the sixth wicket. When Taylor was run out, Zimbabwe needed only 19 runs from 38 balls with four wickets left, an easy equation.

However, tight bowling and fielding from Ireland built the pressure on the Zimbabwean lower order. By the time the final over – to be bowled by White – began, Zimbabwe had lost three more wickets and now needed nine runs with one wicket remaining. Matsikenyeri, who scored an unbeaten 73, took five runs off the first three balls to bring the requirement to four off three.

Three runs came from the next two balls and the scores were level with a ball to go. Matsikenyeri missed it and non-striker Ed Rainsford, who was already out of his crease, was run out. This result was to play a major factor in Ireland’s entry into the Super Eight round.

9) Pakistan v West Indies, Group Stage, Lahore, 1987
This was the second World Cup match to end in a result margin of one wicket, and incidentally involving the same two teams which were part of the first. However, unlike that match in 1975, this time it was Pakistan who emerged victorious. They had Courtney Walsh’s commendable sportsman spirit to thank, without which they would not have won.

After electing to bat, the West Indies got off to a good start with openers Desmond Haynes and Phil Simmons (50) putting on 91. However, penetrative bowling from captain Imran Khan (4/37) and Saleem Jaffar (3/30) triggered a collapse of four wickets for 30 runs. Imran’s opposite number Vivian Richards scored an attacking 51, but the rest of the batsmen failed to give him support. The innings folded for 216 in 49.3 overs, the last five wickets falling for 32 runs.

Pakistan lost Mansoor Akhtar and Saleem Malik to be 28/2, following which Rameez Raja and Javed Miandad added 64 for the third wicket. Three quick wickets reduced the score to 110/5 in the 35th over, and the West Indies now held an edge. Wicketkeeper Saleem Yousuf came in at this point, and with the help of the lower order, set about in pursuit of the remaining target. He and Imran shared a sixth-wicket stand of 73 in eleven overs.

As the tension grew, Yousuf kept on batting intelligently. He was the eighth wicket out with the score at 202 in the 48th over, making 56 from 49 balls with seven fours. When the last over from Walsh began, Pakistan still needed 14 runs with the last pair in the middle. With ten needed off three, Abdul Qadir struck a six followed by two.

So two to win off the final delivery. Non-striker Jaffar was backing up too soon and Walsh was well within his right to run him out. But sportingly, he refrained from doing so and Qadir ultimately scored the two runs to seal Pakistan’s win.

10) India v England, Group Stage, Bangalore, 2011
Rounding off this list is the fourth tied match in the World Cup, by far the highest-scoring one. On a typically flat Bangalore track, India elected to bat first. Virender Sehwag was out for a quick 35, but his opening partner Sachin Tendulkar – arguably the greatest ODI batsman – unleashed an array of glorious shots on the English bowlers.

Tendulkar added 134 with Gautam Gambhir (51 from 61 balls) for the second wicket and a further 56 with Yuvraj Singh (58 from 50) for the third wicket. He was dismissed in the 39th over for a brilliant 120 from 115 balls, with ten fours and five sixes. India lost their last seven wickets for just 33 runs in 24 balls, as the innings drew to a close at 338 in 49.5 overs. Tim Bresnan was the only one who bowled well, taking 5/48 off his ten overs.

Captain Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen gave England a good start by putting on 68 for the opening wicket. Strauss was batting wonderfully, and the Indian bowlers were clueless against his pristine stroke-making. He shared a partnership worth 170 in 26 overs with Ian Bell for the third wicket. Requiring 58 from 45 balls with as many as eight wickets left, England were on course to overhaul India’s huge total.

However, Zaheer Khan removed both Bell (69 from 71 balls) and Strauss off consecutive deliveries to bring his side back in the match. Strauss, later named man of the match, scored a career-best of 158 from 145 balls, with 18 fours and a six. In the pursuit of quick runs, wickets began to tumble. As Munaf Patel began the final over, England needed 14 runs with two wickets in hand.

With 11 needed off four, tail-ender Ajmal Shahzad clouted a six, much to the delight of his teammates. Patel maintained his composure though, and it boiled down to two needed off the final ball. Graeme Swann managed to hit it to mid-off, but could complete only a single, leaving the scores tied and the crowd highly satisfied.