A DAY TO REMEMBER

 

Image Credit- ESPN CricInfo.

Venue- New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg [March 12, 2006].

In the summer of 2006, Australian Cricket Team toured South Africa to play 1 T20, 5 ODIs and 3 Test Matches. The Proteas won the T20 game by the barest of margins. However, the ODI series at the end of 4 games was levelled at 2-2. The Hosts won the first couple of one day games at Centurion and Cape Town. However, the visitors made a strong comeback as they won the next 2 games at Port Eilzabeth and Durban. All eyes were now set in Johannesburg wherein the final encounter was to take place. 

On a batting friendly wicket, Australian Captain Ricky Ponting won the toss and elected to bat first. The Aussies got off to a strong start, thanks to half centuries from Adam Gilchrist and Simon Katich. In the 16th over, with the partnership at 97, Andrew Hall made a challenging catch diving to his left to dismiss Gilchrist. This is when Ricky Ponting came into bat at one of his favorite venues. Ponting then made his fastest one-day century, 100 off 73 balls, and eventually went on to make 164 off 105 balls, his greatest total at the Wanderers Stadium, with 9 sixes and 13 fours. Ponting and Katich stitched a partnership of 119 for the second wicket before Katich was caught by Roger Telemachus off Makhaya Ntini at third man for 79. 

Michael Hussey was then promoted up the order and he too made a quickfire 81 of just 51 deliveries.  Ricky Ponting was eventually dismissed in the 48th over when Boeta Dippenaar took his catch of the bowling of Andrew Hall. However, the slaughter continued even after Ponting's departure and at the end of 50 overs the Australian scorecard read 434/4. The Australians have created a new world record.

The Proteas needed 435 runs to win the game and the series. The required run rate was 8.7 per over. Something which is very difficult to do. At the interval, South African legend Jacques Kallis did try to bring some humor in the dressing room when he joked that it was a 450 runs wicket and the Aussies are actually 15 runs short, but the Proteas got off to a worst possible start as they lost their opening batsman Boeta Dippenaar for just 1 run. 

This is when Herschelle Gibbs stepped into bat. Gibbs smashed his own South African record for the fastest hundred, which had previously been off 84 balls against Zimbabwe, by reaching his 16th ODI hundred in 79 balls. With 175 off 111 balls, Gibbs had the second-highest score by a South African. He and Graeme Smith combined for 187 runs, which helped the South Africans get back into the match. Gibbs and AB de Villiers had another important partnership after Smith was dismissed for 90 from 55 deliveries. After Gibbs was out, Australia continued to put the Proteas under pressure with regular wickets, but strong hitting by Johannes van der Wath and Mark Boucher kept them alive in the game. 

In contrast to the rest of the game, Nathan Bracken bowled exceptionally well, taking 5 wickets while maintaining a reasonable economy of 6.7 in his 10 overs spell. South Africa needed 7 runs off of 6 balls in the game's final over, and Boucher was on strike. He pushed a single, giving Andrew Hall the opportunity to strike, who then hit a four, leaving two out of the next four balls. He attempted to duplicate the shot but was dismissed, reducing the Proteas scorecard at 433-9. The bowler, Brett Lee, was taken out for a single to third man by Ntini, the number 11 batter, tying the score. The following ball, Boucher smacked a four, giving him his 19th fifty in ODI cricket, and securing South Africa's famous victory.

The boundary sent the Proteas into a frenzy. In the words of Tony Greig, "Straight down the ground, what a victory! That is a sensational game of cricket, and it is a superb victory. Well, I've been around the world watching this game...look, there are tears, they are crying out there! The South Africans are charging out on to the field. Gilchrist shakes hands with Boucher. Ntini is on a high. Ponting cannot believe this has happened to his team. The South Africans at the Bullring today have seen the best one day international ever played."

[Postscript- Both Ponting and Gibbs were awarded the man of the match award for their excellent knocks, however the Aussie Captain declined his award because he felt that it was only Gibbs who deserved all applause.  The Aussies then went on to win the test series 3-0.] 

To watch the Australian innings, Click Here.

To watch the South African innings, Click Here.