your favourite live cricket moments

I imagine that most of us on here have been to a fair amount of live cricket over the years (be it county or international level). So out of the cricket you've been to, which are your stand-out moments. Here's some of mine:

for the "I was there" factor. No contest this, Warnie's 700th test wicket. The roar as he was just warming up to bowl was something, but when he sneaked one through Strauss's gate, one hundred thousand people rose as one to salute a true legend of the game.

for the drama factor. Brett Lee's spell at the end of day 2 in Melbourne in 02-03. For about five or six overs he bowled fast, really really fast. Much faster than anything I'd seen before. he got Trescothick to glove one to Gilchrist and then absolutely tore into Nasser Hussain, bombarding him with some fearsome short balls. Nasser survived with a fair bit of luck and no little skill, but it was a great sight, the world's fastest bowler going flat out like that.

for the skilled batting. Michael Vaughan's second innings hundred in the same game (day 4 mostly). A classical 145, filled with absolutely beautiful strokes all over the wicket. Cover-drives, cuts shots, pull shots, leg-side flicks, you name it, he produced it. It was just gorgeous to watch.

for the skilled bowling. England dismissing Australia on Boxing Day in the last Ashes series. Led by a superb spell from Jimmy Anderson who swung the ball both ways to rip through the middle-order, England were superb that day. The trio of seamers relentlessly hunted down the Aussie batsmen, giving them nothing to score off, and bowling with tremendous accuracy and skill.

for the entertainment factor. Haven't been to any international T20s, so I've plumped for the first hour after lunch of the 02 Boxing Day test. Hayden and Langer had made steady progress at lunch to be 87 without loss or so, but after lunch they just went beserk, and in less than an hour had reached 195 before Hayden skied Caddick to Crawley. For an hour they made Harmison, Caddick, White and Dawson (admittedly not the greatest bowling attack of all time, but still decent) look like Minor County level bowlers. It was breathless, thrilling stuff.

So there you go, all from Ashes matches in Melbourne, but then again, that represents 90% of live test cricket I've been to.

Exactly the same as you, mate. Warnie's 700th. What a moment, that is something that will stay with me for the rest of my days.

Other notable moments for me are Collingwood's century being brought up with a six at Edgbaston against the Saffers, in one of those many Tests where he was batting for his place in the side. Great moment, and we were all well rowdy by then after a day on the ale. Pietersen had perished earlier on trying the same thing when on 94, and that was an absolute beauty of an innings, too. Total domination of a good South Africa attack.

Virender Sehwag undone by James Anderson for a golden duck more recently was excellent, too, but Warnie's 700th tops it, for me.

Well, mine is a little less glamourous than Warnie's 700th but a gem for me nevertheless! I was watching Leics play in the CB40 2 years ago with some of my mates and we realised than James Taylor was fielding in front of us! Now, Taylor used to play for a club we play against and he was educated in my neck of the woods so he is sort of a cult hero at my club so obviously we had to get his siganture. The only trouble was all we had was a pen and a copy fo the Sun newspaper. The look of shock, and the little shake of the head from him as he signed the Page 3's jubblies is my favourite live cricket moment by far!

My only other classic one is taking a scorching catch on the outfield at New Road, Worcs as I think that is one of the only grounds where you are still allowed on the pitch before and after the game and I took a stunning catch with my dad batting on there! Superb! Better than the cricketing history of Warne getting to 700...

Lovely and very funny post, JD, but what about your ''Eddie'' moments?

James Taylor is definitely top notch. I went to a members' forum at the Oval this summer, held one evening when Surrey were in the middle of a CC game against Leics. Steve Davies and Jason Roy both attended and answered questions; their respect and high regard for Taylor came across very clearly. In future years, you can proudly show his autograph to your own young children - there again, perhaps not ....

Chris Gayle belting Australia out of the Oval and the WT20 was pretty awesome. Some of the 6s where unreal!

Anytime I got to see Graeme Hick play. Was near the end of his career, but he was still brilliant.

And for a funny one, last year went to a T20 match at Worcs the day England played Germany at the world cup. Enjoyed a nice chat with Moeen Ali about what the score was...but he should have been focused on the match!

sitting with the barmy army in '05, chanting 'bring on gillespe' for about 4 hours intermitently eventually ponting does and he gets smacked around, massive cheers from the barmy army, and 'oh we love you ponting/gillespe' chats for the rest of the day

For three minutes travel back forty years in time to a different world and the first test match I attended. At Edgbaston, England v Pakistan for whom Zaheer Abbas scored 274.

Parts of the ground seem deserted - don't remember that at all. Probably just too wrapped up with the excitement of it all to notice then.

Look out for a very grumpy Ray Illingworth -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGKwVrpsM1w

You've all been blessed with great events. I went to two matches of Pak vs england. Both were fantastic matches but not as good as yours.

The first was a match where Pak won off the last ball.

Caddick Stumped out off of Saqqy off the last ball. Both sets of fans were vociferous and gracious - music pumping, each run cheered to the fullest. Lots of banter and singing back and forth then many handshakes at the end.

The second one was a couple years later when sami hit a four at 49.1 overs to win the match for pakistan. Great close matches.

My best live cricket occasion - by a distance - was the final of Benson & Hedges Cup at Lords in 1997 when Ben Hollioake hit 98 off 112 balls as Surrey beat Kent. It was an outstanding display of elegant and fluid batting, as he hit the ball cleanly on the up, often straight down the ground. At that time it looked as though Hollioake would conquer the world. He certainly had the talent.

Sadly it was not to be and he was killed aged 24 in a car crash. Just at the point when he was slowly regaining form and confidence after a period in the doldrums.

I feel privileged to have witnessed one of the, too few, occasions when we had a glimpse of what he might have been. In retrospect it almost feels like I was one of those who saw a spectacular meteorite burning bright before disappearing into the darkness.

Evening Corporal - I had the privilege of briefly meeting and chatting to Ben Holioake in 2000. By complete chance, the Bat families were having a get together and staying at the same Rutland Water hotel as the Surrey team who were playing Leics at Oakham School. This was the game in which Ali Brown scored 295* although cricket watching was sadly and strictly off my agenda.

Surrey players had a particular reputation at that time for being standoffish and superior. That was the opposite of my experience our first evening there. The players willingly signed autographs for the Bat girls and happily chatted.

Ben Holioake was also welcoming but clearly in low spirits. I mentioned that I had seen him take a splendid boundary catch off Ian Salisbury's bowling at Guildford the previous summer. He replied that ''it was the only thing I've done in the last year''. Very sad that form and confidence had then deserted such a talented player. Far sadder still, as you say, for his life to be lost just as it seemed that his early promise was re-emerging.

Thanks Guildford - that's really interesting. Well done for doing your best to help lift his spirits!

I enjoyed the clip you posted earlier - the elegant bespectacled Zaheer....

Border's standing ovation as he trudged off at The Oval in 1985.

His team were mediocre but Border fighted till the end with a gritty half ton.

Watching Darren Gough hitting a 'switch-hit' 4 during England's victory in the ODI at the MCG in 1995.
David Gower making 169 (of his 215) on the Saturday of the Edgbaston test in 1985.
Singing with the Barmy Army, despite England's defeat, at Newlands in 1996.
Watching Dennis Lillee bowl in the ODI at Edgbaston in 1981.

Didn't Robinson hit a ton in that Edgbaston match?
And was that the game (different day) that Botham launched into McDermott?

No more questions

Stella wrote:Didn't Robinson hit a ton in that Edgbaston match?
And was that the game (different day) that Botham launched into McDermott?

No more questions

Yep Robinson hit a ton on that Saturday as well. But Gower's was sublime.
Gatting also hit a century in that innings, but that was on the Monday, as was Botham's attack on McDermott. Unfortunately I wasn't at the ground then, but I watched it on the telly.

December 1995

Well my best experience wasn't only a moment, it was a five day trip down to Port elizabeth from Johannesburg.

I was still a young man and my brother and I went to have Christmass day lunch at a friends house, his parents prepared this great feast and whilst there our mate said he would love to go down to Port Elizabeth for the test that started at St Georges park the next day.

On the spur of the moment with no accommodation booked we took a little two man tent, got in the car and started driving at 15h00 hours, It is quite a long drive, roughly 1000 km's. we arrived there in the very early hours of the morning of the 26th and found a little spot at a camping site next to the ablution blocks.

Anyway onto the test match itself and we sat next to the boundary fence amongst a plethora of young kids.

Every time there was a tea break, lunch break etc, we would play cricket with the kids.

At one stage Greame hick was fielding just in front of us and the one little kid(he must have been 6-8 years old) started calling greame Hick over to get his autograph.

It was a one sided conversation, but this is more or less how it went.

"Greame, Greame!"

"Greame Hick!"

"Mr Greame Hick, can I please have your autograph!"

Still no reponse.

" Mr Greame Hick, number four batsman in the world, Sir, may I please have your autograph!"

Still no response.

" Mr Gream Hick Sir, even if you were the last batsman on earth sir. I wouldn't want your autograph."

In the next innings Jonty was fielding close by, well as close as you want to call someone fielding at point. And the same kid called for Jonty.

Jonty turned around and waved at the kid, who promptly fell of his chair.

I thought it was hilarious. I still wonder what would he have done if Greame Hick would have acknowledged him.