England vs Australia
2019-08-01
James Anderson's specific plan to dismiss David Warner in the 2019 Ashes — targeting his front-pad movement with late inswing and full-pitched deliveries that trapped him LBW or bowled repeatedly — produced Warner's worst Ashes series statistically (95 runs in 10 innings) and Anderson's greatest personal triumph.
India vs South Africa
2017-06-11
Bhuvneshwar Kumar's outswinging delivery to AB de Villiers in the 2017 Champions Trophy — inducing an early edge against one of cricket's greatest batsmen on a swinging-friendly Oval surface — demonstrated India's ability to use English conditions as a weapon at ICC events.
New Zealand vs India
2014-02-06
Trent Boult's left-arm swing against Virat Kohli during New Zealand's 2014 home series — using the angle into the right-hander combined with outswing away from the stumps — produced the blueprint for how swing bowling could repeatedly beat Kohli's outside-edge-happy driving game.
Australia vs South Africa
2012-11-22
Dale Steyn's sustained assault on Michael Clarke across multiple Tests in 2012 — dismissing him repeatedly with inswing and seam movement — produced one of cricket's most compelling bowler-captain confrontations, with Steyn briefly making Clarke look like a vulnerable tail-ender.
South Africa vs various
2008-12-27
Dale Steyn finished his Test career with 439 wickets at 22.95 — the best average by any bowler with over 200 wickets in the 21st century — and became the fastest South African to 300 wickets, consistently ranked world's number one Test bowler for five years.
England vs Pakistan
1992-08-06
Wasim Akram's decade-long pursuit of Michael Atherton's wicket through devastating reverse swing and inswing produced one of cricket's most compelling ongoing rivalries — England's most determined opener against the greatest left-arm fast bowler of all time.
England vs Pakistan
1992-06-18
Wasim Akram's reverse-swinging deliveries at Lord's in 1992 — dismissing Graham Gooch with a delivery that moved late and sharply to hit the top of off stump — epitomised Pakistan's mastery of a bowling art that England could neither replicate nor counter.