South Africa v India, 2010-11

Yusuf Pathan turned what had looked to be a lost cause into a thriller with a breathtaking century, which resurrected India from a hopeless position. They were 119 for eight, in pursuit of a revised target of 268 in 46 overs, but Pathan's eight fours and eight sixes, from just 70 balls, left South Africa's attack gasping for breath. Zaheer Khan once again found a way to survive, and the ninthwicket pair added 100 in less than 13 overs. When Pathan finally lost his head and slogged Morkel almost vertically, India still needed 49. Pathan's animated self-beration showed what all the players felt: "He threw the game away at the end," said Smith. Earlier, Amla had again defied a pitch which confused almost everyone else. He moved from 20 to 53 entirely in singles, and his unbeaten 116 was completed in the face of an embarrassing slide in which five wickets tumbled for eight runs in ten balls, after a rain-break sliced four overs off the innings. It was enough - just - to give South Africa the series 3-2, despite Pathan's heroic counter-blast.