(Image courtesy: New Indian Express)L Suresh looks back on a day when the world of cricket was turned topsy-turvy.
In 2348 one-day internationals, no side had managed to reach the 400 mark. On Sunday, two teams did.
It was a busy Sunday for the cricketing world. In Mohali, Kumble, fresh from making history by becoming the first Indian bowler to reach the 500 club, was spinning the Indians towards victory. In New Zealand, Shane Bond was exercising his license to kill with the red cherry, with five Caribbean scalps under his belt. In Bangladesh, Sri Lanka were sitting back and savouring a win that, despite rain, had come a day in advance, on Saturday. In another part of the world, Australia and South Africa were stepping into the Wanderers for the last of the one-day encounters. Little did they know that they were walking right into the history books.
“A 270-280 game” predicted an expert as Australia won the toss and decided to bat. The commentators, seated in their ivory towers, were condescending enough to raise the ante up to 300. But Smith and Ponting seemed to have their own plans – they were going shopping for runs and there was a Sunday sale on at the New Wanderers Stadium. At the end of 99.4 overs, 872 runs were scored of which 504 runs came off boundaries, with 87 fours and 26 sixes. Misfields, mishits and thick edges were overshadowed by bloodthirsty pounding as the ball discovered parts of the Wanderers it never knew existed.
If it's a Sunday in March at the Wanderers, it must be Ponting on the rampage. For it was another glorious Sunday on March 23, 2003, when Sourav Ganguly mistook some passing clouds for favourable seaming conditions and put Australia into bat, that Ponting gave the Indians a lesson on why the stadium was called Wanderers - it was an accurate description of the fielders who, like condemned souls seeking salvation, prowled the grounds, hoping that the ball would stop with them and not go through them to the ropes. But this Sunday was different. It was the day Australia had earmarked to commune and collectively shut out Graeme Smith's high-pitched moans and groans.
Anyone who would have suggested to Ponting, as he boarded the flight to South Africa, that he would be receiving a standing ovation at the Wanderers one day, would have been considered ‘off his trolley’, as the Aussies say. But as he walked back to his dressing room after a stunning 164 that messed up a Sunday morning for a nation, taunts and racial slurs were put aside for a historical moment as the crowd got to its feet to hail a man who, like Captain Kirk, took his team to where no man had ever gone before - the 400 mark in a one-day international. The crowd's acknowledgement was even more significant considering the fact that a few months back, things had been nightmarish for South Africa in Australia.
After some amazing individual performances by the two Jacques - Rudolph and Kallis and Ashwell Prince, and practically by every member of the Australian team, the South Africans found their sense of pride and a fairly impressive record take a battering even as a hurting bunch of cricketers found out why a series in Australia is referred to as a tour 'down under'. Not only had they been whipped 2-0 in the tests and humiliated in the tri-series, they were also at the receiving end of many a racial barb. South Africa lost the series and with it, their respect for some of the Australian players. The Aussie assault had ended, but the verbal attacks continued.
To add to the decibel levels, both camps suffered from bouts of verbal diarrhea. While Smith thought that the Ashes loss had led to Australia losing their ‘aura of invincibility’, Warne thought that he lacked imagination as a captain. Round Two: Smith ridiculed Warne saying that he was itching to become captain, while Warne opined that Smith had made a fool of himself. Smith preempted the next round hoping that the Aussies wouldn't moan about crowd behaviour in South Africa. Warne meanwhile suggested that the Proteas consult a psychologist to get over their Aussie nightmares. Even as the media had a field time playing back each sound bite, it was time for the two teams to take the field for the one dayers.
If Australia looked weak without Ponting, Symonds and McGrath in the first one-dayer, they were dismissed like a pedestrian club team in the second, when Ntini ran through them with a career-best 6 for 23. South Africa 289 for 7, Australia 93 all out and South Africa led the series 2-0. However Ponting's return pumped in the much-needed steroids for Australia as the scores evened out at 2-2 after 4 matches. And then began the trip to the Wanderers for that eventful Sunday.
The beginning was sedate enough. Both teams had lost their best bowlers - Glenn McGrath and Shaun Pollock and had got back their key allrounders - Andrew Symonds and Jacques Kallis. There was hardly anything to choose between the teams - so much so that at the start of play, one of the commentators had gone on to forecast a 2.5:2.5 split in the five match series. (He had no idea how close he came to predicting the fate of the match, as South Africa hung in there perilously at 434 for 9, with one run to score and one wicket in hand.) Man to man, they stood there, trading blows and copping a few on their bloodied chins. Ponting's brilliant century was equalled by Gibbs' sensational 175. Hussey's belligerent 81 was emulated by Smith's 55-ball 90. Halls' unbelievable catch - one that made Gilchrist smile as he walked back to the pavilion - could only be equalled by Symonds' caught and bowled effort to remove Kallis. (Of course, Kallis was in no mood to smile. Scoring 20 runs, by no stretch of imagination, made amends for having given away 70 runs in his six overs.) As for the bowlers, Mick Lewis got the mickey taken out of him as he made Kallis look economical and entered the record books for giving away 113 runs in his ten overs. But one catch could have made a big difference - just as it did, seven years ago.
The year was 1999. The venue, Headlingley, Leeds. Australia was faced with a do-or-die situation and had to beat South Africa to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup. Herschelle Gibbs repeatedly launched the ball into space until he reached a hundred. It was the Aussies' turn now and Steve Waugh (looking so cool, one would have thought he had just walked out of a refrigerator) did the unthinkable. At 55, he hit Klusener straight into the hands of Gibbs at midwicket. For a terrifying moment, his heart was in his mouth - but the ball wasn't in Gibbs' hands. While the ball didn't stick, a media-generated quote did, according to which Steve Waugh was rumoured to have said that Gibbs had just dropped the World Cup. It was a nightmare that he would live with - until last Sunday. The ghost wasn't exorcised, but like in Indian folk tales, it simply found a different shoulder to cling on to - that of Nathan Bracken. Standing at mid-on, Bracken undid all the good work that came off his 5 for 67 with one dropped sitter. Gibbs smashed 45 more runs - and Australia's chances of winning the match.
Kumble’s 10 for 74. Jayasuriya’s 17-ball 50. Jonty Rhodes record of 5 catches in an innings. There’s something about a Sunday that makes cricketers hyperactive. This Sunday was another of them. Consider this - while it took over three decades for a team to set an unbelievable record of 434 runs in 50 overs, it took another team a little over three hours to break it.
In 2348 one-day internationals, no side had managed to reach the 400 mark. On Sunday, two teams did.
It was a busy Sunday for the cricketing world. In Mohali, Kumble, fresh from making history by becoming the first Indian bowler to reach the 500 club, was spinning the Indians towards victory. In New Zealand, Shane Bond was exercising his license to kill with the red cherry, with five Caribbean scalps under his belt. In Bangladesh, Sri Lanka were sitting back and savouring a win that, despite rain, had come a day in advance, on Saturday. In another part of the world, Australia and South Africa were stepping into the Wanderers for the last of the one-day encounters. Little did they know that they were walking right into the history books.
“A 270-280 game” predicted an expert as Australia won the toss and decided to bat. The commentators, seated in their ivory towers, were condescending enough to raise the ante up to 300. But Smith and Ponting seemed to have their own plans – they were going shopping for runs and there was a Sunday sale on at the New Wanderers Stadium. At the end of 99.4 overs, 872 runs were scored of which 504 runs came off boundaries, with 87 fours and 26 sixes. Misfields, mishits and thick edges were overshadowed by bloodthirsty pounding as the ball discovered parts of the Wanderers it never knew existed.
If it's a Sunday in March at the Wanderers, it must be Ponting on the rampage. For it was another glorious Sunday on March 23, 2003, when Sourav Ganguly mistook some passing clouds for favourable seaming conditions and put Australia into bat, that Ponting gave the Indians a lesson on why the stadium was called Wanderers - it was an accurate description of the fielders who, like condemned souls seeking salvation, prowled the grounds, hoping that the ball would stop with them and not go through them to the ropes. But this Sunday was different. It was the day Australia had earmarked to commune and collectively shut out Graeme Smith's high-pitched moans and groans.
Anyone who would have suggested to Ponting, as he boarded the flight to South Africa, that he would be receiving a standing ovation at the Wanderers one day, would have been considered ‘off his trolley’, as the Aussies say. But as he walked back to his dressing room after a stunning 164 that messed up a Sunday morning for a nation, taunts and racial slurs were put aside for a historical moment as the crowd got to its feet to hail a man who, like Captain Kirk, took his team to where no man had ever gone before - the 400 mark in a one-day international. The crowd's acknowledgement was even more significant considering the fact that a few months back, things had been nightmarish for South Africa in Australia.
After some amazing individual performances by the two Jacques - Rudolph and Kallis and Ashwell Prince, and practically by every member of the Australian team, the South Africans found their sense of pride and a fairly impressive record take a battering even as a hurting bunch of cricketers found out why a series in Australia is referred to as a tour 'down under'. Not only had they been whipped 2-0 in the tests and humiliated in the tri-series, they were also at the receiving end of many a racial barb. South Africa lost the series and with it, their respect for some of the Australian players. The Aussie assault had ended, but the verbal attacks continued.
To add to the decibel levels, both camps suffered from bouts of verbal diarrhea. While Smith thought that the Ashes loss had led to Australia losing their ‘aura of invincibility’, Warne thought that he lacked imagination as a captain. Round Two: Smith ridiculed Warne saying that he was itching to become captain, while Warne opined that Smith had made a fool of himself. Smith preempted the next round hoping that the Aussies wouldn't moan about crowd behaviour in South Africa. Warne meanwhile suggested that the Proteas consult a psychologist to get over their Aussie nightmares. Even as the media had a field time playing back each sound bite, it was time for the two teams to take the field for the one dayers.
If Australia looked weak without Ponting, Symonds and McGrath in the first one-dayer, they were dismissed like a pedestrian club team in the second, when Ntini ran through them with a career-best 6 for 23. South Africa 289 for 7, Australia 93 all out and South Africa led the series 2-0. However Ponting's return pumped in the much-needed steroids for Australia as the scores evened out at 2-2 after 4 matches. And then began the trip to the Wanderers for that eventful Sunday.
The beginning was sedate enough. Both teams had lost their best bowlers - Glenn McGrath and Shaun Pollock and had got back their key allrounders - Andrew Symonds and Jacques Kallis. There was hardly anything to choose between the teams - so much so that at the start of play, one of the commentators had gone on to forecast a 2.5:2.5 split in the five match series. (He had no idea how close he came to predicting the fate of the match, as South Africa hung in there perilously at 434 for 9, with one run to score and one wicket in hand.) Man to man, they stood there, trading blows and copping a few on their bloodied chins. Ponting's brilliant century was equalled by Gibbs' sensational 175. Hussey's belligerent 81 was emulated by Smith's 55-ball 90. Halls' unbelievable catch - one that made Gilchrist smile as he walked back to the pavilion - could only be equalled by Symonds' caught and bowled effort to remove Kallis. (Of course, Kallis was in no mood to smile. Scoring 20 runs, by no stretch of imagination, made amends for having given away 70 runs in his six overs.) As for the bowlers, Mick Lewis got the mickey taken out of him as he made Kallis look economical and entered the record books for giving away 113 runs in his ten overs. But one catch could have made a big difference - just as it did, seven years ago.
The year was 1999. The venue, Headlingley, Leeds. Australia was faced with a do-or-die situation and had to beat South Africa to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup. Herschelle Gibbs repeatedly launched the ball into space until he reached a hundred. It was the Aussies' turn now and Steve Waugh (looking so cool, one would have thought he had just walked out of a refrigerator) did the unthinkable. At 55, he hit Klusener straight into the hands of Gibbs at midwicket. For a terrifying moment, his heart was in his mouth - but the ball wasn't in Gibbs' hands. While the ball didn't stick, a media-generated quote did, according to which Steve Waugh was rumoured to have said that Gibbs had just dropped the World Cup. It was a nightmare that he would live with - until last Sunday. The ghost wasn't exorcised, but like in Indian folk tales, it simply found a different shoulder to cling on to - that of Nathan Bracken. Standing at mid-on, Bracken undid all the good work that came off his 5 for 67 with one dropped sitter. Gibbs smashed 45 more runs - and Australia's chances of winning the match.
Kumble’s 10 for 74. Jayasuriya’s 17-ball 50. Jonty Rhodes record of 5 catches in an innings. There’s something about a Sunday that makes cricketers hyperactive. This Sunday was another of them. Consider this - while it took over three decades for a team to set an unbelievable record of 434 runs in 50 overs, it took another team a little over three hours to break it.
The perfect 10
It always takes something special to beat Australia. Here are 10 such special occasions.
1. India vs Australia – World Championship of Cricket, 1985
Eleven Australians spent the day looking over their shoulders to see if Lillee, Greg Chappell and Rod Marsh would join them and put them out of their misery. While Kapil Dev and Binny left them tottering at 37 for 5, Krish Srikkanth smashed 93 off 115 balls to win the game with 14 overs to spare.
2. Sri Lanka vs Australia – World Cup Finals, 1996
Perhaps Australia thought 241 was a decent score to defend, with McGrath and Warne leading the attack. With Sri Lanka tottering at 23 for 2, they were almost sure of it – until Aravinda de Silva came on to the crease and proved that his love of fast cars wasn’t the only reason why he was called ‘Mad Max’. 107 off 124 balls and a tiny island nation celebrated like never before.
3. New Zealand vs Australia - Chappell-Hadlee Trophy, 2005-06
331 in 50 overs with four batsmen scoring fifties – the Aussies knew they had the game wrapped up. After all, no one had chased such a massive total and won. Well, there is always a first time, as they were to find out. A century by Styris and a 25-ball 50 by McCullum made sure that the Kiwis created history with an over to spare.
4. India vs Australia – ICC Knock Out, 2000-01
After their 1999 World Cup victory, taking home the ICC Trophy was considered as routine an act as winning the Ashes. Of course, the Aussies had missed on one little detail – a 19-year old Yuvraj who blazed away to 84 off 80 balls and handed them their biggest insult ever – an early exit from a tournament.
5. Sri Lanka vs Australia - ICC Champions Trophy, 2002-03
The ICC Trophy. And Sri Lanka’s slow, spinning tracks. Two things that Australia hated most came together – and unfortunately, two negatives did not make a positive as they folded up for 162. A 7-wicket victory saw Sri Lanka reach the finals as things spun out of control for the Aussies. Needless to say, five Sri Lankan spinners had a huge role to play in it.
6. England vs Australia - ICC Champions Trophy, 2004
If Australia thought they would be third time lucky after losses to India and Sri Lanka in earlier ICC tournaments, they were wrong. They were up against a new, improved England with a battery of fast bowlers and attacking batsmen. Trescothick and Vaughan effortlessly chased an Aussie total of 259 and Strauss applied the finishing touches with a quickfire 52 off 42 balls.
7. India vs Australia - Coca-Cola Cup, 1997/98
Those were the times when cricket was an individual’s game, and Sachin was the Indian team. The Aussies found that difficult to believe, but after blasting two centuries in two consecutive days, Sachin left them with no option but to ‘think about it’. Australia made 272, but Sachin’s 134 from 131 balls raised a sandstorm and before the Aussies could get the sand out of their eyes, Sachin walked away with the Cup.
8. New Zealand vs Australia – VB Series, 2001-02
One strange series when South Africa and New Zealand took turns whipping Australia in their backyard. And just as Australia were gasping for breath and fighting to stay alive in the tournament, Astle’s 95 and Bond’s 5 for 25 ensured that they didn’t. Kiwiland lustily sang ‘My heart will go on’ while Australia did the sinking act.
9. England vs Australia – NatWest Challenge, 2005
It was the worst way to begin a tour. In a week, Australia, had lost four consecutive matches – two to England, one to Bangladesh and one to Somerset. Obviously it was the sign of things to come, but the Aussie bravado persisted. A nine-wicket loss to England followed in the NatWest Challenge, with Trescothick’s 104 sealing the fate of the visitors who managed just 219.
10. India vs Australia – VB Series, 2003-04
Laxman had always been a thorn in the Aussie hide in tests. Unfortunately for them, he decided to repeat the act in one-dayers as well, with a blistering 103 as India ran up 303 for the loss of just 4 wickets. For the umpteenth time, a side had shown how vulnerable Australia was without McGrath and Warne.
1. India vs Australia – World Championship of Cricket, 1985
Eleven Australians spent the day looking over their shoulders to see if Lillee, Greg Chappell and Rod Marsh would join them and put them out of their misery. While Kapil Dev and Binny left them tottering at 37 for 5, Krish Srikkanth smashed 93 off 115 balls to win the game with 14 overs to spare.
2. Sri Lanka vs Australia – World Cup Finals, 1996
Perhaps Australia thought 241 was a decent score to defend, with McGrath and Warne leading the attack. With Sri Lanka tottering at 23 for 2, they were almost sure of it – until Aravinda de Silva came on to the crease and proved that his love of fast cars wasn’t the only reason why he was called ‘Mad Max’. 107 off 124 balls and a tiny island nation celebrated like never before.
3. New Zealand vs Australia - Chappell-Hadlee Trophy, 2005-06
331 in 50 overs with four batsmen scoring fifties – the Aussies knew they had the game wrapped up. After all, no one had chased such a massive total and won. Well, there is always a first time, as they were to find out. A century by Styris and a 25-ball 50 by McCullum made sure that the Kiwis created history with an over to spare.
4. India vs Australia – ICC Knock Out, 2000-01
After their 1999 World Cup victory, taking home the ICC Trophy was considered as routine an act as winning the Ashes. Of course, the Aussies had missed on one little detail – a 19-year old Yuvraj who blazed away to 84 off 80 balls and handed them their biggest insult ever – an early exit from a tournament.
5. Sri Lanka vs Australia - ICC Champions Trophy, 2002-03
The ICC Trophy. And Sri Lanka’s slow, spinning tracks. Two things that Australia hated most came together – and unfortunately, two negatives did not make a positive as they folded up for 162. A 7-wicket victory saw Sri Lanka reach the finals as things spun out of control for the Aussies. Needless to say, five Sri Lankan spinners had a huge role to play in it.
6. England vs Australia - ICC Champions Trophy, 2004
If Australia thought they would be third time lucky after losses to India and Sri Lanka in earlier ICC tournaments, they were wrong. They were up against a new, improved England with a battery of fast bowlers and attacking batsmen. Trescothick and Vaughan effortlessly chased an Aussie total of 259 and Strauss applied the finishing touches with a quickfire 52 off 42 balls.
7. India vs Australia - Coca-Cola Cup, 1997/98
Those were the times when cricket was an individual’s game, and Sachin was the Indian team. The Aussies found that difficult to believe, but after blasting two centuries in two consecutive days, Sachin left them with no option but to ‘think about it’. Australia made 272, but Sachin’s 134 from 131 balls raised a sandstorm and before the Aussies could get the sand out of their eyes, Sachin walked away with the Cup.
8. New Zealand vs Australia – VB Series, 2001-02
One strange series when South Africa and New Zealand took turns whipping Australia in their backyard. And just as Australia were gasping for breath and fighting to stay alive in the tournament, Astle’s 95 and Bond’s 5 for 25 ensured that they didn’t. Kiwiland lustily sang ‘My heart will go on’ while Australia did the sinking act.
9. England vs Australia – NatWest Challenge, 2005
It was the worst way to begin a tour. In a week, Australia, had lost four consecutive matches – two to England, one to Bangladesh and one to Somerset. Obviously it was the sign of things to come, but the Aussie bravado persisted. A nine-wicket loss to England followed in the NatWest Challenge, with Trescothick’s 104 sealing the fate of the visitors who managed just 219.
10. India vs Australia – VB Series, 2003-04
Laxman had always been a thorn in the Aussie hide in tests. Unfortunately for them, he decided to repeat the act in one-dayers as well, with a blistering 103 as India ran up 303 for the loss of just 4 wickets. For the umpteenth time, a side had shown how vulnerable Australia was without McGrath and Warne.
(Appeared in the New Indian Express Sunday Supplement on 19 March, 2006)
5 comments:
That was a nice read Suresh..
the previous happenings..was a nice throw-back and I was trying to recollect those games..a few of which are still vivid in memory.
Thanks for a late-saturday night snack here..instead of a Sunday brunch:)
Good one. Was truly a great match...Loved the part that said "while it took over three decades for a team to set an unbelievable record of 434 runs in 50 overs, it took another team a little over three hours to break it." Ah, Sport!
I .. know .. this.. man .. who .. writes.. this .. wonderful ..stuff .. gulp ! I always wanted to know someone famous .. and he was right there with me at college !!
I am not surprised sir, just amazed for the 1000th time about your skills :)
to quote lines from piano man --
"He says, bill, I believe this is killing me.
As the smile ran away from his face
Well I’m sure that I could be a movie star
If I could get out of this place
Oh, la la la, de de da
La la, de de da da da
"
what are you doing here man !!!
very well written! im in love with ur writing!
wow ...
that was kool post
eat cricket , drink cricket ..
everything is just cricket ;)
Post a Comment