The most extra-ordinary game ever witnessed in the history of cricket played by Australia and South Africa at Johannesburg at the Wanderers Ground on the 12th of March 2006... With Australians poising the highest ever score in one day cricket(434-4) but that record lasted for just a couple of hours as it was crushed by the South Africans as they chased the score(438-9) in a nail biting finish ... registering the new world record of scoring the highest runs in one day cricket and chasing the highest ever score batting second
434-4 are the figures which might be expected by a team playing very finely in a 5 day game ... Well though unbeleivable but its true that this score had been engraved on the score card by the mighty australians in the shorter version of Cricket that is a 50 over game .... Unbeleivable for a typical cricket fan .... but its TRue!!!!!!!!!
Surely the people in Johannesburg have witnessed one of the most spectacular matches ever played in history of cricket. But its just not over here ... something which I am gonna say now will surely make u think that I am rehearsing for April 1 fools day.... well coming back to the point ... Get ready cricket lovers for those who have no knowledge of wat happened in the match ..obviously u have missed one of the greatest , best and finest cricket if u were unable to see the action live ... The news here on the cards is that the Proteas had chased the mighty score of 434-4 by the mighty Australians....
SUMMARIZING THE MATCH
Before the start of the match the series between Australia and South Africa was equally poised at 2-2 and the teams were ready for a war in the final decider which would decide who the real champion was ....
The Australians were the ones who batted first with Gilchrist and Katich leading the side ... Gilchrist as he always does launched the initial attack on the Proteas who were being tortured for every erroneous ball that had been bowled .. at 97-1 came in Ricky Ponting who was determined to continue the damage caused by the Gilchrist and he was determined and this led to Australia at a position where they were cruising for a huge total....Ricky Ponting had produced one of the most sensational one-day innings of all time as Australia powered to a world-record total of 434 for 4 - the first 400-plus score in the game’s history ....
Having a look at the Australian score card would surely tell u the rest
A Gilchrist c Hall b Telemachus 55 (44)
S Katich c Telemachus b Ntini 79 (90)
R Ponting c Dippenaar b Telemachus 164 (105)
M Hussey c Ntini b Hall 81 (51)
A Symonds not out 27 (13)
B Lee not out 9( 7 )
Total 434-4 (50 overs)
Anyways I cant try to be too precise about the match but moving on the South African innings ... obviously the cricket lovers would have seen some fireworks in the australian camp.... but that was just the beginning of the fireworks ... the attack launched by the South African captain had overshadowed Gilchrist’s innings ... this was not yet over after Dippenaar was dismissed early Herschelle Gibbs had come to crease to join his captain and his innings not only was one of the best innings ever seen but it had completely overshadowed the sensational innings of Ricky Ponting ..he was treating the Australian bowlers like a bunch of jokers .. the first seedlings to the success were laid by Smith who scored 90(55) and Herschelle Gibbs 175(111) .. but at a score 300-4 in 32overs when Gibbs departed it was a job half done ... it was the responisbility of the following batsmen to steer their team to the most famous victory ever witnessed... and the folllowing batsman did succeed with an exceptional knock from Mark Boucher 50(43) and the winning runs being scored by him... gave a hint of the end of the Australian Supremacy .... the Proteas chased the score of 434-4 with 1 ball to spare and had won the match by 1 wicket with their total score being 438-9 in 49.5 overs ..... and offcourse was a nail biting finish to this thriller...
Having a look at the South African score card
South Africa 438-9 (49.5)
G Smith c Hussey b Clarke 90 ( 55 )
B Dippenaar b Bracken 1 ( 7)
H Gibbs c Lee b Symonds 175 ( 111 )
A Villiers c Clarke b Bracken 14 ( 20 )
J Kallis c and b Symonds 20 ( 21 )
M Boucher not out 50 ( 43 )
J Kemp c Martyn b Bracken 13 ( 17 )
J Wath c Ponting b Bracken 35 ( 18)
R Telemachus c Hussey b Bracken 12 (6)
A Hall c Clarke b Lee 7 (4)
M Ntini not out 1 ( 1 )