By Oliver Brett BBC Sport

Two innings which lit up the World Cup, a double-century from the prolific Graeme Smith, and the highest-ever Test score.

Throw in some show-stopping stuff from Steve Waugh, and the brilliance of Rahul Dravid and you have the six best individual innings in world cricket in 2003.

Of course, you may not agree with them, and there were some tight calls.

You may think Andrew Flintoff in the Oval Test against South Africa, or Stephen Fleming in the World Cup against South Africa deserve a mention.

Whatever your view, join the Test Match Special message boards and have your say.

Steve Waugh - final Ashes Test, January

The cussed determination of Waugh has been in evidence for nearly two decades and it will probably best be epitomised by the century he scored at The Oval with a two-centimetre tear in his calf muscle.

But for sheer crowd-thrilling entertainment, this innings at his home ground at the start of the year against the old enemy was a remarkable piece of theatre.

One ball remained on the second evening and Waugh was on 98. Richard Dawson bowled it and you just knew Waugh would play the shot.

A cover-drive thudded through the off-side and the crowd erupted. Waugh had just joined Australia's finest cricket son Sir Don Bradman on 29 Test centuries.

The match received more hype than the final itself and was set up perfectly when Pakistan left a target of 274 for the Indians.

But Tendulkar gave the Indians innings such an extraordinary start that the first 50 runs came up off just five overs.

The second over, bowled by Shoaib Akhtar, featured a shot that was more or less invented by Tendulkar - a flat-batted shot disappearing over point for six.

Two fours followed in the same over and in a matter of minutes, Pakistan looked beaten. In the final analysis, Tendulkar was out for 98 off just 75 balls. India ultimately cruised home.

Ricky Ponting - World Cup final, Aus v India, March

India's bowling attack had done much to ensure the team's presence in their first World Cup final for 20 years.

But they never found their right length in the biggest match of their lives and Ponting lapped up the chance to re-write the record books.

Eight sixes were launched from the willow he wielded with exceptional panache that spectacular day. Many of them were still rising when they thudded against the stands.

It was a record number of maximum hits in any World Cup match and his overall score of 140 not out was easily the highest in a final.

Graeme Smith - SA v Eng, second Test, Jul-Aug

Many cricket-lovers in England will have two memories of the summer of 2003. A lot of hot, sunny days and a lot of runs from Graeme Smith.

Smith, in his first major examination as South African skipper, had already done something fairly special in the first Test at Edgbaston.

There, he hit 277 and 85. But the match was not won and Smith was determined to make the most of an even better batting-track at Lord's.

Nasser Hussain dropped Smith on eight. The batsman went on to hit 251 in a comfortable win for the tourists and Hussain resigned the captaincy.

It took 37 years for anyone to overhaul Sir Garfield Sobers' mark of 365 not out.

And when Brian Lara hit 375 in 1994 nobody would have guessed that it, too, would be trumped in less than 10 years.

Hayden, whose muscular approach to batting is enough to make any bowler queasy, smashed 380 run in typically uncompromising fashion.

Eleven sixes and 38 fours meant his wagon-wheel resembled a London A-Z map as Australia were able to declare on 735-6 after five sessions of fearsome batting.

Rahul Dravid - India v Aus, second Test, December

India were in trouble at the Adelaide Oval. Replying to the hosts' 556 they were 85-4 as Dravid and VVS Laxman were joined in partnership.

Dravid went on to hit 233 in an overall score of 523 and battle was unexpectedly joined.

Perhaps unsettled by Dravid's exploits, Australia contrived to be all out for 196 in their second innings, leaving India an eminently gettable 230 to win.