I still have faint
memories of the game and it has been replayed time and again and has indeed
become a part of the Cricketing Folklore...May be day that fortunes would have
changed for a nation so much in a fix that everyone felt, may be, they deserved
better...The chokers tag lived on with South Africa that day and it stays
etched with them…May be its meant to stay this way for long and nonetheless
they have found out enough ways to justify the same...
Rewind back in
history to the 1999 Cricket World Cup...
The key moment came
perhaps the night before, at a team meeting where Shane Warne cautioned his
mates not to walk if they happened to hit a catch to Herschelle Gibbs. "He
has a tendency to flick the ball away before accepting it properly," said
Warne, only to be greeted with mocking laughs...
This was a do or
die game for Australia and it’s a known fact that Kangaroos fight the hardest
when cornered. So, in a thriller, they duly did - leapfrogging South Africa in
the process, and loading the dice heavily in their favor for the semi-final
which eventually helped them get through. South Africa batted first on a bouncy
Headingley pitch and rattled up 271, despite the return to form of Warne.
Gibbs, with his own customary brilliance made South Africa's only century of
the tournament and the innings was well finished by Klusener. A chase of 272 in
a crunch game is always meant to jangle up the nerves...
Australia's
response was mirrored by doubt - Adam Gilchrist bowled, Mark Waugh run out, and
Damien Martyn lofting a catch to mid-on. When Waugh strode out, with the board
reading a poor 48 for 3 in a knockout game, Australia's hopes appeared to be in
tatters. "Let's see how he takes the pressure now," taunted Gibbs.
Waugh urged a struggling Ricky Ponting to go for his strokes, showing the way
with some punishing shots of his own. They were steadily progressing further...
Waugh had made 56,
with the score on 152, when he flicked a Lance Klusener delivery to midwicket.
Gibbs took it, but in his anxiety to celebrate with a skyward hurl, he dropped
the ball. Waugh's reaction has gone down in the annals of the game as one of
the most amazing comments made. Though he admitted later that it was stupid, he
told Gibbs: "I hope you realise that you've just lost the game for your
team"...
With his captaincy
on the line, Waugh had indeed played one of the greatest innings ever seen on
the World Cup stage with an awesome 120 not out. Not only did it keep Australia
in the Cup, it did put them above South Africa in the Super Six stage even
though both eventually qualified through the stage. However this game would
have a monstrous significance when the two sides tied in the semi-final four
days later and Aussies went through in a great fashion. Australia did go on to
win the World Cup then and may be the History stayed on with South Africa…They
were out to create history and ended up setting something not so memorable for
them...
Quote- Unquote:
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