by Arunabha Sengupta
Edgbaston. 17 June 1999.
198 for 9. 16 to win. Eight balls to go. In case of a tie, Australia would go through to the final by virtue of finishing above South Africa in the Super Sixes.
Allan Donald was walking in.
Lance Klusener had been held back. Till then in the World Cup he had scored 250 off 214 balls at 125.00. Why he was sitting in the dressing room till the final ball of the 45th over we will never know. Especially in a semi-final.
39 to get off 37 balls when he had come in. In 10 of them he had hammered 16. The others had managed 7 off 13 for three dismissals. Glenn McGrath had the ball. Fortunately Steve Elsworthy had been caught short of his ground at the non-striker’s end when the bowler had deflected the throw on to the stumps. Klusener was the man on strike.
The ball was short. Klusener pulled it down the ground, hard and straight. Paul Reiffel was stationed at long on. He ran back and reached for it. It did not stick. In fact, the fieldsman managed to parry it over the ropes. Six. 10 to win from 7 balls. Klusener needed the strike.
The next ball was coolly tucked away to deep midwicket. 205 for 9 after 49. McGrath 10 overs for 51. It would be Damien Fleming with the last over. 9 to win.
Klusener unstoppable on the leg side. Fleming tried yorkers on the off. But …
The first ball crashed to the cover fence, off the backfoot, almost dissolving into a white streak.
The second driven again. Mark Waugh was too straight at long off. The stroke perfectly placed. Scores tied. Four balls to get one run. Klusener on strike.
Field closed in. Everyone up to cut off the single. Australia could still make it if they got the wicket. But with the boundaries left open and that man on strike, it was a huge risk. Fleming ran in.
Klusener short-arm pulled out the next one to Darren Lehmann at mid-on. Donald raced for the winning run before turning back. Lehmann’s underarm missed the stumps by some distance as Donald’s desperate dive ended with a sheepish smile. That could have been the game. Three balls left, one run for South Africa to win.
Ball four. The yorker was perfect. Klusener hit it straight and sprinted. Donald, dazed by the dive the previous ball, stood with his bat grounded, following the ball with his eyes. Mark Waugh sprinted across and sent it in to Fleming standing a third of the way down the pitch. By the time Donald saw Klusener charging down and was shocked into reaction, it was too late. Fleming rolled the ball along the ground to Gilchrist. Donald, on the other hand, dropped his bat as he began his tragic, futile run.
The bails were whipped off. A mad fusion of yellows converged from all parts of the ground. And two dejected dark greens stood in varying degrees of disbelief and dejection.
Tie, Australia were through. They had held their nerves. The Proteans had lost theirs.
Perhaps the greatest ODI of all time.