The Australian form had been more or less patchy with no one being consistent throughout. Micheal Bevan and Steve Waugh were the in form players and the bowling led by Glenn Mcgrath and Shane Warne was just peaking. This match had all the ingredients for being a classic and it did not disappoint one bit. Here's a recap of that surreal encounter.
Australian innings:
South Africa won the toss and put Australia in to make use of the pace friendly conditions. They were rewarded very early when the star Aussie opener Mark Waugh was caught behind off Pollock. This start boosted the Proteas who were rather infamously known for their ability to choke in big games. Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist combined in an aggressive stand, with the highlight being Ponting's excellent pull shot for six off Steve Elworthy. The partnership was looking rather dangerous when Allan Donald was introduced in the attack. He struck immediately when, with the score on 54, Ponting played an extravagant drive and was held in the covers by Gary Kirsten. Disaster struck for the Aussies when Darren Lehmann was caught behind by Boucher off a beauty from Donald which just seamed away a touch. The Proteas were well and truly on top a bit later when Gilchrist was caught down at third man trying to upper cut a Jacques Kallis delivery. With the score on aa rather shaky 68/4, the captain Steve Waugh was joined by Michael Bevan who was the orchestrator of many a rescue act previously.
Waugh and Bevan started off a little cautiously but soon opened up and played some great shots. When Lance Klusener was brought into the attack, Waugh lofted him straight for a boundary and a little later for a six. Bevan also started playing some confident shots. The match had taken a sudden twist and the South Africans were playing catch up. But, just as it seemed that the Aussies would wrest the initiative, Shaun Pollock came back for a spell and removed Steve Waugh for 56 caught behind by Mark Boucher who was having a great game thus far. The pair had added an invaluable 90 runs for the fifth wicket and helped the Aussies recover from a precarious position. Pollock was bowling beautifully and trapped Tom Moody plumb in front just three balls later and the see saw game was well and truly now swinging the way of the Proteas.
The great leg spinner Shane Warne joined Bevan to help consolidate. Warne did get away aith a few lucky edges and managed to help add some quick runs when with the score on 207, he was completely foxed by a great slower delivery by Shaun Pollock and Hansie Cronje, the South African captain clung on to the skier at short mid wicket. Allan Donald followed this up with two crackers to bowl Paul Reiffel and Damien Fleming and all of a sudden, when it looked like Australia would post a cmpetitive target of 225, they were 207/9. Michael Bevan who had reached 50 earlier, swung a boundary to mid wicket off Pollock before being caught behind trying to repeat the same shot. The final score was 213, one that the Proteas must have fancied to chase down quite comfortably..or so they thought.
South African Innings
The openers Gibbs and Kirsten made their way out and by now the spectators knew they were in for a feast. Gibbs started off extremely positvely including a glorious backfoot drive off Damien Fleming and also essayed a couple of gorgeous straight drives. Kirsten meanwhile was looking as solid as ever and the Aussies realized it was time for a change. 'Cometh the hour cometh the man' is a popular phrase but it has never been more perfectly applicable than to the wily genius of Shane Warne who was handed the ball by his captain with the SOuth Africans on 48 after 12 overs. Back in the 1996 edition , with Australia staring down the barrel in the semi finals against the West Indies, Warne grabbed 4 wickets to spin Australia to victory in a thriller at Mohali. This time around he was bowling toa much more confident pair of openers. The second ball of Warne's first over was an absolute peach. It drifted towards leg stump and drew Gibbs forward before spinning viciously to take the of stump. It was in some ways reminiscent of the 'ball of the century' he had bowled at Old Trafford in 1993 to Mike Gatting. As David Gower put it so perfectly on commentary, it was absolutely exactly what Australia wanted.
Shane Warne was pumped and playing him now required some skill and resolve. Gary Kirsten had been solid thus far, but played a rather uncharacteristic slog sweep at Warne who was turning it big now. The stumps were pegged back and Warne roared. He knew that getting that wicket was vital. Two balls later, Warne had Cronje driving and the edge flew to Mark Waugh at slip. Replays showed that the ball had come off the foot but the umpire had thought otherwise and by now the Aussies sniffed the chance. They tightened the screws and runs dried up and with the score on 61 in the 22nd over, Daryll Cullinan was run out by a direct hit from Michael Bevan after being slow to respond to a call from Kallis. South Africa were now in dire straits and they badly needed aa partnership. Kallis and Rhodes started finding the gaps, Rhodes in particular looking very aggressive. He played a couple of unorthodox sweep shots off Moody and then swept Mark Waugh for six. The score had moved along to 145 in the 41st over when Rhodes fell trying to pull Paul Reiffel and holed out to Bevan at deep mid-wicket. Shaun Pollock came in and smote Warne for a huge six over long on. But, Warne had the last laugh when he had the top scorer Kallis caught at cover by Steve Waugh when he tried to chip over the infield.
The tension was now palpable and both spectators and the thousands of viewers were on tenterhooks at this stage. The commentary duties were entrusted to the vocal and highly excitable Aussie Bill Lawry and the equally enthusiastic South African Mike Procter. Things just could not have been better!. Fleming came back to bowl and castled Shaun Pollock off an inside edge and the Aussies were on cloud nine. 30 runs more to get and just 4 overs remained. It seemed like the match was all but Australia's. The man of the tournament till then Lance Klusener had other ideas. He had been in scintillating form and continued it by hitting boundaries to third man and mid wicket and keeping the Proteas in the hunt. Glenn Mcgrath came on to bowl the 49th over and the tension was unbearable now. The atmosphere had reached fever pitch and the commentary provided the extra bit of excitement. Off the second ball, Mcgrath bowled a near perfect yorker to castle Boucher and with it, one wondered- the South AFrican hopes of winning. Steve Elworthy walked in and just 2 balls later he was run out after a brilliant throw from Reiffel in the deep was deflected by Mcgrath onto the stumps at the non striker's end when Elworthy attempted a second run. At 198/9 it seemed like the Proteas were dead and buried considering that the next man in Allan Donald was pretty much the perfect tailender. Klusener smashed the next delivery which was a low full toss to Reiffel at long on who should have held on to a fairly simple chance but he grassed it and worse still, he tipped it over the ropes. This was a massive moment and Klusener pushed a single to deep quare leg to keep the strike. 9 runs were required off the last over now which was to be bowled by Damien Fleming.
Fingernails were being chewed, players couldn't stand and watch, spectators were off their seats and tv viewers were just enthralled and the fascinating contest was approaching its grand finale. It almost seemed like the only way these teams be able to decide a contest between them but no one was prepared for this thriller. Lawry and Procter watched as Fleming bowled the first ball. Klusener crashed it to the cover boundary and the ball sped on the turf and even before the sweeper moved, it was gone. Now it was 5 required off 5 balls. The next ball was a yorker, but Klusener whacked it again and Mark Waugh, one of the finest fielders could not even get a sighter of it at long off. The extraordinary game had just turned again. Procter was going crazy and Bill Lawry, still hopeful suggesting that a tie, now a definite possibility would see Australia go through by virtue of their earlier win at Headingely. Steve Waugh, cool as ever, brought all his fielders into the circle enticing Klusener to go for a big hit which is all the Aussies could hope for now given that 1 run to get from 4 balls was not a difficult task. Fleming, realizing his mistake switched to over the wicket and bowled a short ball which Klusener mistimed to mid on where Lehmann fielded and threw at the non striker's end where Allan Donald had backed up too far. The throw missed the stumps by a whisker and Donald looked to the heavens. And as Procter put it, the ball missing was the difference between a world cup final berth or nothing!..The players and the crowd waited with bated breath for the next ball. Surely this was going to be SPuth Africa's day they thought. The next ball which was fuller on the stumps was squeezed down the ground past the bowler by Lance Klusener and he set off immediately for the run which would clinch it, but Donald wasn't sure where the ball was and in that moment of horror he didn't run and the throw was relayed by the fielder to the bowler who then threw the ball to Gilchrist and the keeper whipped off the bails to leave Donald stranded, Klusener stunned and Hansie Cronje devastated. Australia had gone through because the match had ended ina a tie. The most unlikely of results when the match started became quite a possibility as the game went on and finally when it happened, it left people looking for words and the sheer excitement of every minute of that nail biting thriller left the spectators and viewers alike believing that they had been treated to a match of epic proportions, and a contest between bat and ball which is unlikely to be rivalled in the years to come.
At the end of the match and even after years, cricket lovers ponder about the last over and what could have been. Shane Warne's magical spell, Bevan and Steve Waugh's grit, Klusener's great hitting have all become a part of cricket folklore and this magnificent cricket match will undoubtedly rank right up there as the greatest ODI ever played.
The detailed scorecard of this classic world cup encounter can be found here.
Trivia:
- This was the first ever tie in the history of the world cup.
- This match was also the last time that Australia did not go on to win a World cup match. They have won all games ever since.
- Lance Klusener was dismissed only twice in the entire world cup averaging over 140 and finished as Man of the series.
The highlights of this match can be found here.
1 comment:
o god.. tht was BIG! and machi very well written. the way u have written is like haan ok wad happens next, i wanna know typz! tht's the best part. and lovely snap o warney~ :)
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