Please remember 12th March 2006(you’ll surely find this date as a question in a sports quiz in ur future…keep my word). It was on this day that 872 runs were scored in an ODI at the Wanderers, Johannesburg. The teams who made this possible – SA & AUS.
Brief overview of the series – 1st two matches were won by SA; one of them by 196 runs. 3rd match saw Aussies returning like a phoenix. 4th match went to Aussies(they won by 1 wicket with 5 balls to spare). This was the final match of the series. Before the start of final, the SA team was termed as ‘chokers’.
The telecast started with opening comments from a(can’t-be-spelled) Zim player, who with the help of make-up tried his best to look like a human(but was unsuccessful in my opinion). Then pitch report, etc; Aussies won the toss & elected to bat.
AUSSIE TIME:
Gilchrist, Katich opened the innings and they just blasted. Fours and sixes rained heavily but with score on 97, Hall dived at mid-on to encase a majestic catch to remove Gilchrist for 55(44 balls, 9 fours). Then Ponting arrived and did nothing wrong. Every second ball he touched went to boundary. Personal records were breaking like anything. Ponting jumped 9000 run mark+ also made the third highest score by an Aussie in an ODI. Meanwhile, Katich got out on 79(90 balls, 9 fours, 1 six). Hussey, was also in the same mode of hitting. He went for 81(51 balls, 9 fours, 3 sixes). Then was the turn of the only species of its kind(THE alone piece left in this world)…Andrew Symonds. He believes in one thing – anything you see hit that hard. Oppositely, Ponting reached 100 off 73 balls; finally departing to Telemachus on 164(105 balls, 13 fours, 9 sixes). Aussies ended there rage with 434 – 4 after 50 overs. The turning point of the Aussie innings was the 48th over by Roger Telemachus. The first four balls saw(4, 1, 4, 6); worst part was all these balls were NO BALLS.
-HALF TIME-
The scoreboard read –
“CONGRATS TO AUSTRALIA FOR ACHIEVING THE HIGHEST TEAM TOTAL IN ODI CRICKET HISTORY”
SOUTH AFRICA TIME:
With local crowd a bit down on confidence, SA innings started in disarray with Dippennar playing-on a Bracken delivery(but his departure was good for SA as Dippennar was playing defensive). Then arrived THE player, who was responsible for dropping the famous Steve Waugh catch in ’99 World Cup, Herschelle Gibbs. Graeme Smith, on the other hand wasn’t playing his best cricketing shots but somehow every second ball from his bat went(goes) through the covers or edged to four(thanks to his good luck+ power-play periods). Gibbs was also in attacking mood but not as much as Smith, who was finally caught at deep mid-wicket for 90(55 balls, 13 fours, 2 sixes) to Clarke in the 23rd over. By then, the run rate was above 9 and the required rate was around 8.5. Then was the start of one of the best ODI knocks. Gibbs just slaughtered Lewis and Clark and also achieved his century while doing so. But at the score of 130, believe it or not, he was dropped by Bracken at mid-on off the bowling of Lewis(by the way it was a lolly-pop catch). At this moment, even edges and all miss-timed shots were going for fours. Shortly, Bracken & Symonds replaced Clark & Lewis. Meanwhile, AB de Villiers got out, trying to hit a six over long-off to Bracken. Next over, Gibbs smacked the first two deliveries of Symonds over for two sexy sixes and the third was brilliantly timed directly to Lee at deep extra cover. He ended his 175 run knock with 21 fours and 7 sixes. Now, SA needed run rate of 7.5. Two new batsmen were at crease – Kallis and Boucher. In quick succession Australia managed to dismiss Kallis & Kemp and stalled the scoring rate. Then arrived Johan van der Wath.
Comparisons b/t the balls left and runs required for the rest of the match:
56 runs -> 34 balls
Van der Wath went berserk and smacked 2 sixes+ 1 four of one Bracken over.
34 runs -> 19 balls
Van der Wath was caught by Ponting of Bracken after making 35(18 balls, 1 four, 3 sixes). Roger Telemachus arrived at the centre & the first ball he faced, swept Bracken outside off stump to fine leg for a blistering four. If you get an opportunity, please do see this shot.
30 runs -> 18 balls
This was do or die situation for Africans. Three fours came in this Lewis over(1 by Telemachus, 2 by Boucher).
12 runs -> 11 balls
This over was bowled by Bracken and the first ball got Telemachus out, hence creating a possibility of South Africa being bowled out.
12 runs -> 10 balls
Andrew Hall arrived. Whole over was full of singles.
7 runs -> 6 balls
The last over was bowled by Lee. Boucher bashed the first ball down the wicket but the ball was obstructed by Lee’s foot; resulting in a single.
6 runs ->5 balls
Hall baby-scooped the ball over the mid-wicket for four(you have to see this stuff to understand why have I used the term ‘baby’).
2 runs -> 4 balls
Hall tried the same baby-scoop stuff but was caught by Clarke at mid-wicket. Then entered Ntini.
2 runs -> 3 balls
Ntini…just…somehow managed to get 2% of his willow onto the ball; saving the ball from hitting the stumps and this also fetched him a run.
SECOND-LAST ball, LAST run
Boucher, the calm composed wicketkeeper of SA lifted the over-pitched ball over mid-wicket+ completed his 50 in this way.
Final score – 438/9(49.5 overs) South Africa won and Australia lost
The scoreboard read –
“CONGRATS TO SOUTH AFRICA FOR BREAKING THE FOUR HOUR LONG RECORD OF AUSTRALIA FOR THE HIGHEST TEAM TOTAL IN ODI CRICKET”
“you won the toss, you bat first, you set up 434, you are the numero uno in the world and still you can’t defend your score” – these lines said by Tony Greig say all. I am feeling sympathetic for 2 guys – Mr. Ponting(now for his whole life he will be remembered for this loss and not his excellent captaincy skills…just like Chetan Chauhan, who is remembered for his last 6 runs fetching ball vs Pak and not for his hat-trick). Secondly, Mr. Mike Lewis, who also cracked a hundred(he bowled 10 overs for 113 runs) but was unfortunate…thanks to Bracken who dropped Gibbs when he was on 130 off his bowling. Lastly, I must give credit to the commentary team(minus that Zim player, whose name can’t be spelled) for making us sit to edge of our butts. This was the first time I enjoyed the game(as earlier …thanks to bith Mandira Bedi, I had developed anti-cricket feelings in me). “So! Mr. Ponting who are *THE chokers?” By the way! Is anybody interested in India’s matches? NEAH! Knew it!