A great rivalry makes the game of cricket more exciting and engaging. It creates a sense of tribalism and fans watch the game with enthusiasm and passion. There have been so many great rivalries in International Cricket that have given us so many moments to cherish. Let’s look at the top three of the greatest rivalries in the game.
The oldest rivalry in the history of cricket. Both Australia and England kickstarted the game at the international level in 1877. The rivalry took an interesting turn when Australia defeated England for the first time in their own backyard in 1882, which gave birth to the Ashes. Since then both teams lock horns against each other for that small Ashes Urn.
Australia and England were also featured in the 1987 World Cup final in Kolkata where the Aussies won the close encounter by 7 runs to clinch the title for the very first time. 23 years later, England took their revenge after defeating Australia in the 2009 20-20 World Cup final by 7 wickets.
Head-to-head
In Tests
356 Matches
Australia won – 150
England won – 110
Drawn – 96
In ODIs
155 Matches
Australia won – 87
England won – 63
No result – 3
Tied – 2
In T20Is
23 Matches
Australia won – 10
England won – 11
No result – 2
One of the greatest rivalries is not only limited to just cricket or any other sport. The strained relations between the neighbouring countries make any sporting clash between them a ferociously contested one. As both India nor Pakistan haven’t played any bilateral series together since 2012-13 due to political reasons between the countries, they still lock horns against each other in multi-national tournaments.
India has been undefeated against Pakistan in the ODI World Cup winning seven out of seven matches. While Pakistan ended the jinx against India in 2021 20-20 World Cup winning by 10 wickets. The Shaheens were also on a verge of another famous win against the Men in Blue in 2022 at MCG, but India pulled off a memorable victory as Virat Kohli played one of the best innings of his life. Indian won by 4 wickets in the last ball.
Head-to-head
In Tests
59 Matches
India won – 9
Pakistan won – 12
Drawn – 38
In ODIs
132 Matches
India won – 55
Pakistan won – 73
No result – 4
In T20Is
12 Matches
India won – 9
Pakistan won – 3
The rivalry between these two neighbouring countries is not as bitter as India-Pakistan, but both teams don’t like to lose against each other. Australia has often played the role of big brother to New Zealand.
The Kiwis have enjoyed great success in the last few years making it into the finals of the 2015 and 2019 ODI World Cup consecutively and winning the inaugural Test Championship final in 2021. They lost the become Champions in ODI and T20 after losing to the Baggy Greens in both the 2015 World Cup and 2021 20-20 World Cup final.
Head-to-head
In Tests
60 Matches
Australia won – 34
New Zealand won – 8
Drawn – 18
In ODIs
141 Matches
Australia won – 95
New Zealand won – 39
No Result – 7
In T20Is
16 Matches
Australia won – 10
New Zealand won – 6