Please remember the date – 12th March 2006 (you will surely find this date as a question in a sports quiz in your future…keep my word). It was on this day that 872 runs were scored in an ODI at the Wanderers, Johannesburg. I mean 872 and not 278! The teams who made this possible – South Africa and Australia. Who won and who lost? Read the newspaper of 13th March or read my article.
I must say that seeing the encounter was comparable to seeing the first day first show of a movie like ‘Sholey’ (repeat – first day first show of Sholey! Imagine). And if you missed it, only you yourselves are to be blamed (as the match was on Sunday) and started well past noon (thereby giving you enough time to conclude your dreams).
Just a brief overview of the series – First two matches were won by SA; one of them by 196 runs. Third match saw Aussies returning like a phoenix. Fourth match was won by Aussies (they won by one wicket with 5 balls to spare). This was the final match of the series and before the start of the match 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 the pitch report, etc, etc and finally Aussies won and elected to bat.
AUSSIE TIME:
Gilchrist and Katich opened the innings and they just blasted…just blasted. Four and sixes rained heavily and finally 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 for four or a six. Personal records were breaking like anything. Ponting jumped 9000 runs mark (first Aussie batsman to do this) and also made the third highest score by an Aussie in an ODI. Meanwhile, Katich got out on 79 (90 balls, 9 fours, 1 six). Mike Hussey, whose average is only next to the great Bradman, was also in the same mode of hitting. He arrived and deceided to go and went after making 81 (51 balls, 9 fours, 3 sixes). Then was the turn of the only specie of its kind (he is the alone piece left in this world)…Andrew Symonds. He believes in just one thing – anything you see hit that hard. On the other end, Ponting reached his century off 73 balls and finally got out 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 bowled by Mark Telemachus. The first four balls saw (4,1,4,6) and the worst part was that all these balls were no balls.
-----------------------------------------HALF TIME----------------------------------------
The scoreboard at the ground read –
“CONGRATS TO AUSTRALIA FOR ACHIEVING THE HIGHEST TEAM TOTAL IN ODI CRICKET HISTORY”
SOUTH AFRICA TIME:
With the local crowd, a bit down on confidence on the home team, SA innings started in disarray with Dippennar playing-on a Bracken delivery (but his departure was good for SA as Dippennar is a tuk-tuk …defensive player). Then arrived THE player, who was responsible for dropping the famous Steve Waugh catch in ’99 World Cup, Herschelle Gibbs. Graeme Smith (the SA captain on the other hand) wasn’t playing his best cricketing shots but somehow every second ball from his bat went through the covers or edged to a four (thanks to his good luck and power-play periods). Gibbs was also in attacking mood but not as much as Smith. Smith on-slot was so much catastrophic that Lee and Bracken were taken out of the attack and replaced by Clarke and Mike Lewis. The first time Smith chanced himself, he was caught at deep mid-wicket for 90 (55 balls, 13 fours, 2 sixes) at the bowling of Clarke in the 23rd over. By the time he went, 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 (thus making the most of the last power-play period). But at the score of 130, believe it or not Gibbs 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 to fours. Shortly Lewis and Clark were also replaced with Bracken and Symonds. AB de Villiers got out, trying to hit a six over long-off on the bowling of Bracken. Next over, Gibbs smacked the first two deliveries of Symonds over for two sexy sixes (above deep square leg) 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. A run rate of 7.5 was required at this moment. Two new batsmen were at crease – Kallis and Boucher. In quick succession Australia managed to take 2 very important wickets (of Kallis and Justin Kemp) and also managed to stall the scoring rate. Then arrived Johan van der Wath.
Now will be the comparisons b/t the balls left and runs required and the rest of the match:
56 runs -> 34 balls
Van der Wath became mad and smacked 2 sixes and 1 four of one Bracken over.
34 runs -> 19 balls
Van der Wath was caught at extra cover by Ponting at the bowling of Bracken. He made 35 (18 balls, 1 four, 3 sixes). Roger Telemachus arrived at the centre and the first ball he faced, swept Bracken outside off stump to fine leg to a blistering four. If you get an opportunity, please do see this shot.
30 runs -> 18 balls (48th over)
This was do or die situation for the Africans. Three fours of this Lewis over (one by Telemachus, two by Boucher). Meanwhile, Mike Lewis also cracked a hundred in this over (bowling wise).
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 came to the party and the whole over was full of singles.
7 runs -> 6 balls
The last over was bowled by Lee. The first ball was faced by Boucher. He bashed hard down the wicket and 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 see this stuff to understand why have I used the term ‘baby’).
2 runs -> 4 balls
Hall try’s the same baby-scoop stuff but is caught by Clarke at mid-wicket. Enters Makhaya Ntini (and not Mallika Ntini) giving an unfriendly look to Hall.
2 runs -> 3 balls
How! Just how!
Ntini somehow managed to get 2% of his willow onto the ball, hence saving the ball from hitting the stumps and also fetched him a run.
SECOND-LAST ball, LAST run
Boucher, the self calm composed wicketkeeper of SA lifted the over-pitched ball to the mid-wicket boundary and also completed his fifty in this way.
Final score – 438 – 9 (49.5 overs)
South Africa won and Australia lost.
The scoreboard at the ground read –
“CONGRATS TO SOUTH AFRICA FOR BREAKING THE FOUR HOUR LONG RECORD OF AUSTRALIA FOR THE HIGHEST TEAM TOTAL IN ODI CRICKET HISTORY”
“you won the toss, you bat first, you set up 434, you are the number one team in the world and still you can’t defend your score” – these lines said by Tony Greig says all. I am feeling sympathy for two guys – Mr. Ricky Ponting (now for his whole life he would be remembered for this loss and not his excellent captaincy skills…just like Chetan Chauhan, who his remembered for his last ball vs Pakistan 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 batting on 130 off his bowling. Lastly, I must give credit to the commentary team (minus that Zim player, whose name can’t be spelled….may be! not even by his parents) for making viewers sit to the edge of there butts. This was the first time I enjoyed the game (as earlier …thanks to ***** Mandira Bedi, I had developed an anti-cricket feeling inside me). “So! Mr. Ponting who are THE chokers?” If anybody could convey this message to Mr. Ponting, I would highly grateful to him.
By the way! Is anybody interested in India's match?
NEAH! I knew it!
