ALL IN A DAY'S PLAY

 

Image Credit- ICC Cricket. 

Venue- Eden Park, Auckland [24th March 2015].

Today there is a big fear among cricket fans that the ODI format of the game will soon become a thing of the past. Innumerable T20 leagues have put ODI cricket on the brink of extinction. A few years ago, Test Cricket was in a similar situation. However, due to the passion of players (big credit goes to former Indian captain Virat Kohli) and also because of the ICC Test Championship, Test Cricket has regained its importance. For the survival of ODI cricket, it is necessary that the players playing ODI cricket play it with passion, and also, we have tense, exciting games. A game like the first semi-final of the 2015 Cricket World Cup.

In the summer of 2015, Australia and New Zealand hosted the 50 Overs World Cup tournament. After 46 games, Australia, New Zealand, India and South Africa reached the semi-finals of the tournament. The first semi-final took place in Auckland, wherein hosts New Zealand took on the mighty Proteas. On a batting-friendly wicket, South African Captain AB de Villiers won the toss and elected to bat first. The Proteas started slowly, and at the end of 30 overs, their score reached just 130 for the loss of 3 wickets. However, post that there was a massive acceleration, and after the rain break, the Proteas were simply unstoppable. The South Africans ended up scoring 281 runs in 43 overs. Faf du Plessis scored a solid 82, whereas Skipper De Villiers scored a quickfire 65 off 45 deliveries. However, it was David Miller who simply demolished the Kiwi attack in the final overs as he scored 49 off just 18 deliveries. 

The D/L target for the Kiwis was 298 in 43 overs. The required rate was close to 7 runs per over. Though the dimensions of Eden Park are smaller in comparison to other international grounds, hitting 298 runs against the premium pace attack of the Proteas was never going to be an easy task. This is when Captain Courageous took charge. Brendon McCullum just blew away the Proteas bowling attack and gave his side a solid start. The shots which he played to Steyn and Philander were simply outrageous. The crowd went gaga over his power hitting, especially when he stepped out and hit Steyn for a straight six. Eventually in the sixth over, Morne Morkel dismissed Baz, and the slaughter came to a halt. A couple of overs later he bowled Williamson out, and now the Kiwis were in a precarious situation. 

However, this is when Grant Elliot and Corey Anderson stepped in. The duo had a partnership of 103 runs and kept Kiwis in the game. By the time Anderson was dismissed for 58, the scorecard read 252/5 at the end of 38 overs. The hosts still needed 46 to win off 5 overs. 2 overs later, Steyn dismissed Ronchi for 8, and the Kiwis were reduced to 269/6. The game could have gone anywhere. The South African bowlers gave their best, but their efforts were not adequately rewarded, as their fielders, by their sloppy fielding, kept the Black Caps alive in the game. This is not a common phenomenon; after all, South Africans are known for their fielding.

At the end of 42.4 overs, New Zealand required 5 runs to win off 2 deliveries with Grant Elliot on strike. In front of him was the best fast bowler in the world, Dale Steyn. A year ago, Steyn defended 7 runs in the final over against the same opponents, but this time the same did not happen as Elliot smashed him for a 6 and took his country to their first-ever World Cup final.

The stadium erupted in joy. The crowd went wild. However, the crying faces of the South African cricketers did break the hearts of everyone who loves this game. But this is cricket. One team will win; the other will have to taste defeat. However, that day it was not the Kiwis who won, but it was cricket who won.

To watch the Highlights of the game, Click Here.