Manuka Magic: our favourite cricketing moments in the capital

And what better way to kick it off than with one of the most resounding wins in Prime Minister's XI history - against the old enemy, no less.

An impressive Prime Minister's XI outfit in the twilight of Australian cricket's golden era dented England's confidence ahead of their Ashes defence with a 166-run at Manuka Oval in November of 2006.

If scoring a Prime Minister's XI record 5-347 wasn't scarring enough for the English, rapid quick Shaun Tait ripped the English apart on his way to 3-21 from eight overs.

This was no second-rate English - Marcus Trescothick, Alistair Cook, Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Flintoff, James Anderson, Paul Collingwood ... they were all made to look like amateurs.

Read the full wrap here.

Chris Gayle was struggling. The charismatic calypso king was devoid of confidence, apparently.

So much so that all he could manage was a lazy 146 from 89 balls for the West Indies against the Prime Minister's XI in February 2010.

If he wasn't struggling so much, he might have even posted the highest score of the day. Instead that title belongs to Tom Cooper, who blasted a then record-breaking 160 (120) in the unsuccessful run chase.

The Windies piled on 5-399 in a rain-affected innings reduced to 45 overs before the hosts mustered a hearty 7-312 in reply thanks to South Australian batsman Cooper.

You can read the full story here.

It was one of the greatest Prime Minister's XI squads ever assembled.

Names like Lillee, Thomson, Chappell, Hughes and Matthews graced the team sheet.

But the one the all-conquering West Indies were left fearing the most was that of an uncapped, pugnacious batsman from Tasmania: David Boon.

A 23-year-old Boon's record-shattering knock of 134 (136) for the Prime Minister's XI left Michael Holding and Joel Garner in dismay as the Caribbean superstars struggled to find an answer to this determined right-hander at first-drop.

Take trip down memory lane here.

Most Australian kids grow up dreaming of scoring a century in the baggy green, not against it. Imagine the reaction if you told a young Angela Reakes she would one day make the latter a reality.

Reakes blasted a memorable ton for an ACT Invitational XI against Australia in the national side's lone warm-up for a maiden pink ball Test in November 2017.

Seeing the Meteors decked out in white was a rare sight and Reakes' unbeaten 103 (141) was a knock fitting of the occasion against a full-strength Australian attack boasting the likes of Ellyse Perry and Megan Schutt.

Check out the full story here.

There is nothing quite like the romance of a sporting comeback - especially when the headline act is one swervin' Mervyn Hughes.

The zinced-up, moustachioed Australian icon returned to be the marquee man for the Canberra Comets when the capital city was awarded a national one-day competition licence.

The Comets went winless at home in their first season in the top flight, and when a Tasmanian side featuring the likes of Ricky Ponting, David Boon, Michael Di Venuto, Jamie Cox and Shaun Young turned up in Canberra, many expected that batting line-up would pull off another win.

They clearly weren't banking on a Big Merv-inspired bowling attack knocking them over for just 162 as Hughes claimed 2-29, Jason Voros 3-28, and Lea Hansen 2-20 at Manuka Oval in the summer of 1998-99.

Veletta (68 runs from 115 balls) and Graeme Cunningham (42 from 65) chased down the target with aplomb as the Comets streaked to a six-wicket victory with 25 balls to spare.

The full story is here.

It could not have been scripted any better.

Brett Lee on a hat-trick in his farewell to Australian domestic cricket, the opposition needing one run off the final ball, with the Big Bash League trophy on the line.

The Sydney Sixers fast bowler oozed class on his way to 3-25, skittling Perth Scorchers stars Nathan Coulter-Nile and Sam Whiteman in consecutive deliveries of the 2014-15 Big Bash final.

But a botched run-out from Sixers skipper Moises Henriques saw Yasir Arafat scamper through for a single as Perth players charged onto the ground in celebration.

Here's the full recap of that thrilling night.

If anyone needs a reminder of Ian McNamee's lasting influence on cricket in Canberra, all they have to do is crane their necks upwards to catch a glimpse of the "diamonds in the sky".

The lights at Manuka Oval have been the catalyst for a host of top-level cricket to be played in Canberra since they were installed in 2013 to mark the biggest change in the venue's then 83-year history.

Former Cricket ACT chairman McNamee was a driving force behind the lights which helped lure the Australian men's team and world-class fixtures to the capital, and few would have been as rapt as he was when the lights were switched on during the Prime Minister's XI's clash with the West Indies in January of 2013.

Here's how the match unfolded.

Exciting batsman Glenn Maxwell feared his worrying form slump would cost him a place in Australia's World Cup squad, but national selectors showed faith and gave him the nod after he starred for the Prime Minister's XI.

Any remaining doubts about him seemingly evaporated in the space of 89 balls as Maxwell blasted 136 runs for the Prime Minister's XI against England at Manuka Oval in 2015.

While he booked his ticket to the World Cup - at which he would play a key role in Australia's triumph on home soil - this day belonged to an Englishman.

Man of the match Ian Bell compiled a record-breaking 187 from 145 deliveries to lay the foundations for the tourists' victory in front of 8077 in the capital.

Catch the full story here.

One was left in disbelief, the other not sure whether to laugh or cry.

The only thing everyone who had turned up to Manuka Oval knew for sure was they had just witnessed one of the greatest Twenty20 international showdowns in history.

A record-breaking Beth Mooney century (117* from 70) was immediately dubbed one of the greatest knocks in Twenty20 international history, and it was supposed to gift Australia an outright Ashes victory.

It wasn't even the best innings of the night. That belonged to England opener Wyatt, who blasted a remarkable 100 (56) to gift England a stunning four-wicket win with one over to spare in front of 3417 at Manuka Oval in November of 2017.

Here's the full story.

"There has been a lot of pressure." Chris Gayle knew it, and he could feel it mounting as he strode towards the Manuka Oval pitch. If ever he was going to turn it around, this was his time.

Within hours Gayle smashed 215 from just 147 balls to propel the West Indies to a 73-run triumph over Zimbabwe in the 2015 World Cup at Manuka Oval.

Gayle had entered the World Cup with a crippling back injury, the pain of which would have paled in comparison to the criticism fired at the charismatic Caribbean king.

The president of the West Indies cricket board even went as far as to retweet a message calling for Gayle to be given a "retirement package" after he misfired in the early stages of their World Cup campaign.

Come game three, he retreated to the change rooms under the Bradman Stand with a swathe of new records to his name: highest World Cup score, third-highest ODI score, and fastest ODI double-century.

Take a stroll down memory lane here.

Don Bradman took guard, his stance unchanged, and tipped his baggy green to the roar of the crowd.

He clipped a full toss down the ground for four, evoking memories for the older folk piled into Manuka Oval about what this man was once capable of, and giving kids too young to remember a vague idea.

Bradman would not bother the scorers again in his final game of cricket for the Prime Minister's XI in 1963, as a ball soon nudged the stumps with just enough force to dislodge one bail.

"I have just played my last game of cricket," Bradman said at a function at Robert Menzies' residence later that night. "The cricket bat has seen the last of me."

Read the full story here.

Got a magic Manuka memory that should be on the list? Let us know in the comments section below or at sport@canberratimes.com.au