Mindboggling Incredible!
What a match! Close to 900 runs scored, history being created and recreated and the match itself teeter-tottering to the last but one ball! This was more exciting than any of the India-Pak match I can remember.
Started watching the match just as Hussy came to the crease. By then the way the Aussies were going, thought they would cross 350 easy, but 400! I never thought they would till they started mauling the death bowlers. Once they closed at 434, it seemed that the only interest left in the match would be to see how big a margin SA would lose with so I switched to the Bahrain F1. When I returned, Gibbs and Smith were knocking the bowlers all over the park...I was hooked!
All though the Proteas were always ahead of the Aussies in the scoring rate, it always seemed that they might reach 370-80 but fold up thereabouts. But Gibbs' batting was a treat to watch. Okay so he had luck on his side but that cannot take away the credit from him as the star of the day. And then Boucher plugged away silently steering SA to an impossible victory. Who would have thought, they would chase down the highest score in one-day history. I'm sure Ponting and his men didn't. They might have popped the champagne during the lunch time itself, and then spent the rest of the day burping it up!
Records went tumbling like dominos; the Aussies amass the biggest total in ODI history, the first team to cross the 400 run barrier only to be surpassed by SA a few hours later to post the highest successful run chase. A total of 26 sixers and 87 fours were hit during the day, the highest in any match. Mike Lewis also earned the dubious distinction of having the most expensive bowling figure in a ten over spell, 113 with no wickets! He'd get nightmares about this for a long long time. Ponting and Gibbs were adjudged joint 'men of the match' but Ponting, in true sportsman's spirit, gave up his claim in favor of Gibbs, and why not? Gibbs scripted the most amazing run chase in history.
Cinni and I were hopping around the room, too excited to sit down. We cheered each ball of SA's last 10 overs as if it was India vs. Pak in the world cup finals! This was one match that we'd be discussing for a long time to come.
Started watching the match just as Hussy came to the crease. By then the way the Aussies were going, thought they would cross 350 easy, but 400! I never thought they would till they started mauling the death bowlers. Once they closed at 434, it seemed that the only interest left in the match would be to see how big a margin SA would lose with so I switched to the Bahrain F1. When I returned, Gibbs and Smith were knocking the bowlers all over the park...I was hooked!
All though the Proteas were always ahead of the Aussies in the scoring rate, it always seemed that they might reach 370-80 but fold up thereabouts. But Gibbs' batting was a treat to watch. Okay so he had luck on his side but that cannot take away the credit from him as the star of the day. And then Boucher plugged away silently steering SA to an impossible victory. Who would have thought, they would chase down the highest score in one-day history. I'm sure Ponting and his men didn't. They might have popped the champagne during the lunch time itself, and then spent the rest of the day burping it up!
Records went tumbling like dominos; the Aussies amass the biggest total in ODI history, the first team to cross the 400 run barrier only to be surpassed by SA a few hours later to post the highest successful run chase. A total of 26 sixers and 87 fours were hit during the day, the highest in any match. Mike Lewis also earned the dubious distinction of having the most expensive bowling figure in a ten over spell, 113 with no wickets! He'd get nightmares about this for a long long time. Ponting and Gibbs were adjudged joint 'men of the match' but Ponting, in true sportsman's spirit, gave up his claim in favor of Gibbs, and why not? Gibbs scripted the most amazing run chase in history.
Cinni and I were hopping around the room, too excited to sit down. We cheered each ball of SA's last 10 overs as if it was India vs. Pak in the world cup finals! This was one match that we'd be discussing for a long time to come.
posted by The Soulforged @ 3/13/2006
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home