Commoner's Viewpoint- Uncommon view of a Commoner

By V Sreenivasan

The Greatest Cricket Match Ever

After seeing Monday’s match between Australia and New Zealand, I was reminded of the match between Australia and South Africa almost a year ago in the Wanderers. In that match more than 800 runs were scored, something which almost all cricket lovers must be knowing. This may not be the best time to write on such a topic, but it is interesting and debatable at least. There have been many dramatic, unexpected and nail-biting finishes in ODI cricket. For example, Miandad hitting Chetan Sharma for a six off the last ball, India successfully defending a modest target of 120 odd runs against Pakistan, South Africa chasing a target of 434 runs or Donald getting run out with one run needed in semifinal of CWC 1999 have been some of the unforgettable finishes in the shorter version of the game. All of these finishes have confirmed that cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties. But which is the best among them? Many if not most, will say that South Africa successfully chasing a mammoth target of 434 was the best they had ever seen. Understandably so, given that Australia could not retain the honour of having scored the highest total for more than a few hours. Undoubtedly, very few sane men would have imagined that a target of 434, a score unheard of in the three decades of ODI history would be chased by the Proteas against the mighty Australian team. But that was all it had, and that alone does not make it the greatest match ever played. Different people have different views. I will present my opinion.
For those who were not privileged to see, what in my opinion was the greatest match played here is a brief description. The match I am referring to is the CWC 1999 semi-final played between South Africa and Australia in Edgbaston on June 17, 1999. Just four days earlier in a must-win match for Australia, Herschelle Gibbs dropped Steve Waugh in 31st over with the score at 152 for 3. Waugh went on to make an unbeaten 120 and guide his team to a victory and achieve a better net run rate than South Africa. Later he is said to have gone over to Gibbs and said that the latter just dropped the World Cup. How correct he turned out to be!
In the semi-final Australia bat first to have its top-order back in the pavilion by the 17th over thanks to some brilliant bowling by Pollock and Donald. As usual, Waugh and Bevan steady the ship and do the repairing. Donald and Pollock return and account for nine wickets between them as the Australians are all out for 213.
In reply the South Africans make a decent start before Shane Warne comes and picks up three quick wickets. Rhodes and Kallis do the rescue work only to perish in the end. Some shots to the fence and a couple of dropped catches later the final over comes. Fleming to Klusener and nine needed of six balls. The first two balls, close to being yorkers, are dispatched to the fence with ferocious power by Klusener’s battering ram. The Australians are stunned into silence and disbelief. With all fielders inside the circle, all Klusener has to do is to get the ball past any of the fielders. 1 needed off four balls. Klusener tries to do the same again but this time hits it straight to the fielder. Donald backing out a long way from his crease is almost run out by Lehmann. 1 off 3 needed. Klusener manages to get the ball past the bowler and scampers to the non-striker’s end. Donald, who is busy watching the fielder, fails to respond and by the time he realizes where he is supposed to be, it is all over. Australia, having a better run rate go into the final and South Africa’s World Cup aspirations ends tragically. Lance Klusener who terrorized bowlers during the tournament is named ‘Man of the Series’ for his all-round performance.
South Africa have played in four editions of cricket’s biggest event i.e. the World Cup (1992, 1996, 1999 & 2003). The closest they ever came to winning one was in 1999. With nine batsmen, five specialist bowlers and some of the best fielders they were clearly the favourites to win the World Cup and remained so till the last ball of that unforgettable semi-final.
It had its share of controversy, as well. Replays showed that Cronje was not out as the ball had come off his boots. By then umpire Shepherd had already sent him to the pavilion. It didn’t end there, four years later in their own backyard, they were ousted of the league stage of the World Cup as they fell short by one run and Sri Lanka were declared winners as per the D/L method. Again, Klusener was stranded in his crease when needed one run to go through to the next stage.
Cricket has never been the same since that epic battle. South Africa has never been able to regain their lost glory and the Australians have ceaselessly dominated and demolished oppositions. Klusener and Donald have faded into the background.
For the purist, the match at Wanderers was merely a bloodbath of sixes and fours on a placid pitch and in a small ground with short boundaries. The bowlers, helpless and clueless, were not very different from goalkeepers during penalty-shootouts.
On the other hand the semi-final was a perfect combination of Shane Warne’s bamboozling balls and guile, accuracy of McGrath, guts and courage by Bevan & Waugh, aggression of Donald and fierce display of power by Klusener.
If the S/F of CWC 1999 was a tragic blockbuster that swept the Oscars and the box office, then the match at the Wanderers was merely a run of the mill Bollywood film. If the former was a clash of the titans, then the latter was a merely a street side contest of amateurs.