Australia in South Africa, 5th ODI, 2006

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The 5th One-Day International cricket match between South Africa and Australia, played on March 12, 2006 at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, has been acclaimed by many media commentators (see below) as being one of the greatest ODI matches ever played. The match broke many records, including both the first and the second team innings of over 400 runs.

Australia won the toss and elected to bat first. They scored 434 for 4 off their 50 overs, smashing the previous record of 398-5 by Sri Lanka against Kenya in 1996. In reply, South Africa scored 438-9, winning by 1 wicket with one ball to spare.

Contents 1 Background 2 The Match 3 Trivia 4 Reaction 5 Match Stats 5.1 Records 5.1.1 Team 5.1.2 Overall 5.1.3 Individual 6 See also 7 References 8 External links

[edit] Background

For some years, there had been an intense rivalry between the two teams in One-Day Internationals, dating from the semi-final of the 1999 Cricket World Cup, where South Africa could only tie against Australia in a match they needed to win to progress to the final. Some followers of cricket considered that to be the greatest game of all time ^[1][2]. Earlier in the 2005–06 season, South Africa had toured Australia, where they had failed to reach the final of the three-team one-day series, including losing three of their four matches against Australia. They had also lost the three Test series 2-0. It was also of constant irritation to the South Africans that the Australians were referring to them as 'chokers'.

This match was the final match of a five match series in South Africa. South Africa had won the first two matches comfortably, but Australia had fought back to win the next two, making this match the deciding match. Australia had to play the series without their best one-day bowler, Glenn McGrath, whose wife was suffering from cancer. The South African team also missed their best one-day bowler, Shaun Pollock in the final match due to a back strain. The absence of these two bowlers who possess two of the best economy rates in one-day cricket may arguably have contributed to the large number of runs scored in the match.

[edit] The Match

The Australian captain chose to bat after winning the toss. Adam Gilchrist and Simon Katich got the side off to a good start, both scoring fifties. A great catch by Andrew Hall diving to his left removed Gilchrist in the 16th over, while the partnership was on 97. Ponting then scored one of the greatest innings ever seen at the Wanderers ground, his highest score. He reached 100 off 73 balls, his fastest century, and then got to 164 from 105, including 9 sixes and 13 fours. He was finally dismissed after his drive shot was caught by Boeta Dippenaar in the 48th over. A promoted Michael Hussey, Andrew Symonds and Brett Lee helped the side past the world record and to become the first side to ever score 400 runs in a One-Day International. Ponting and Katich put on 139 runs for the second wicket, before Katich was caught at third man by Roger Telemachus after a delivery by Makhaya Ntini. By the end of the innings, South Africa were under pressure with Telemachus beginning the 49th over with four no-balls. Australia made 40 runs off its last two overs. ^[3] News sites were already reporting how Australia had smashed the world record before the game had finished. ^{[4] [5] [6] [7]}

With the series at two all, South Africa went out batting, giving it their all, requiring 8.7 an over from the start. The early loss of Dippenaar for 1 probably helped the cause, as Dippenaar was not seen as a batsman who could score quickly. Herschelle Gibbs, batting at number 3, played what is surely one of the greatest One-Day International innings ever seen. Gibbs reached his 16th ODI hundred in 79 balls, beating his own South African record for the fastest scoring of a hundred that had previously been off 84 balls against Zimbabwe. ^[8] Gibbs scored the second highest total by a South African with 175 off 111 balls. He and Graeme Smith had a 187 run partnership, bringing the South Africans back into the game. When Smith was out for 90, Gibbs shared another strong partnership, this time with AB de Villiers. Australia kept the pressure on after Gibbs' dismissal with consistent wickets, but big hitting by Johannes van der Wath and Mark Boucher kept the Proteas in the hunt. Nathan Bracken, in contrasting fashion to the rest of the match, bowled particularly well collecting 5 wickets and keeping his economy a respectable 6.7. By the final over of the match, South Africa needed 7 off 6, with Boucher on strike. He pushed a single, giving the strike to Andrew Hall who hit a four away, leaving 2 required off four balls. However he was out caught attempting to repeat the shot, leaving the side at 433-9. Ntini, the number 11 batsman, managed to get the bowler, Brett Lee, away for a single to third man and tie the scores. Boucher then hit a four the next ball (getting his 19th fifty in ODI cricket), with commentator Tony Greig exclaiming "one of the great one day matches of all time".

Both Ponting and Gibbs were awarded the Man of the Match, but Ponting declined it, saying that it belonged to Gibbs. ^[9] Shaun Pollock was named Man of the Series, although he was resting for a back injury during this game.

[edit] Trivia

According to Neil Manthorp of the South African website SuperCricket ^[10], the game was also notable for a number of eerily precise prognostications advanced by members of the South African team:

• After the team had reassembled in the changing room during the lunch break, South African vice-captain Jacques Kallis is reported to have said, ostensibly in jest: "It's a 450 wicket, guys...they're about 15 short!"

• Herschelle Gibbs, who scored a remarkable innings of 175, told journalists later that he had woken up feeling "different" and that he knew it was going to be a special day for him.

• Following the dismissal of Graeme Smith and with South Africa on 190-2, the injured Shaun Pollock turned to Makhaya Ntini and said - for no apparent reason: "George, you are going to hit the winning four. You're going to be there at the end." Ntini didn't hit the winning four, but did hit the tying single and was very much there at the end as he watched Boucher hit the winning four from the other end.

• With Herscelle Gibbs out for 175 and South Africa at 299-4, Ashwell Prince is reported to have suddenly exclaimed: "Oh my God, we're going to win this by one wicket!"

• While the Australian innings was progressing, South African commentator and former Proteas allrounder Pat Symcox commented that they would see the first 400 total scored in a match.

• Radio sport commentator and former Springbok cricketer Hylton Ackermann burst into tears at the end of the game when South Africa won and he was still on air.

• An Australian punter placed a bet of AU$20,000 on Australia to win during the innings break at the odds of $1.01. He therefore stood to win only $200. ^[11]

[edit] Reaction

The huge score has led Steve Waugh to say that 500 in an innings is the next possibility. Others have said that that scores like this are bad for the sport, with Barry Richards saying There is such a propensity for hitting boundaries that bowlers have been taken out of game. This was said despite Nathan Bracken picking up career best bowling figures.

Cricinfo's headline for the match was South Africa win the greatest game, while the Sydney Morning Herald called the match The greatest the world has seen ^[12]; The Advertiser called it the Greatest of all time ^[13]; The Age The best one dayer ^[14]; iafrica called it The greatest match ever ^[15]; iol the greatest match ever played. ^[16]

[edit] Match Stats

Australia innings
Batsman	Method of dismissal		Runs	Balls	4s	6s
+A. C. Gilchrist	c Hall	b Telemachus	55	44	9	0
S. M. Katich	c Telemachus	b Ntini	79	90	9	1
*R. T. Ponting	c Dippenaar	b Telemachus	164	105	13	9
M. E. K. Hussey	c Ntini	b Hall	81	51	9	3
A. Symonds	not out		27	13	3	1
B. Lee	not out		9	7	0	0
Did not bat: D. R. Martyn, M. J. Clarke, N. W. Bracken, S. R. Clark, M. L. Lewis
Fall of wickets: 1–97 (Gilchrist, 15.2 ov), 2–216 (Katich, 30.3 ov), 3–374 (Hussey, 46.1 ov), 4–407 (Ponting, 47.4 ov)
Extras	(lb 4, w 5, nb 10)		19
Total	(for 4 wickets, 50 overs)		434

South Africa bowling statistics
Bowler	Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets
M. Ntini	9	0	80	1
A. J. Hall	10	0	80	1
J. J. van der Wath	10	0	76	0
R. Telemachus	10	1	87	2
G. C. Smith	4	0	29	0
J. H. Kallis	6	0	70	0
J. M. Kemp	1	0	8	0

South Africa innings
Batsman	Method of dismissal		Runs	Balls	4s	6s
*G. C. Smith	c Hussey	b Clarke	90	55	13	2
H. H. Dippenaar		b Bracken	1	7	0	0
H. H. Gibbs	c Lee	b Symonds	175	111	21	7
A. B. de Villiers	c Clarke	b Bracken	14	20	1	0
J. H. Kallis		c & b Symonds	20	21	1	0
+M. V. Boucher	not out		50	43	4	0
J. M. Kemp	c Martyn	b Bracken	13	17	1	0
J. J. van der Wath	c Ponting	b Bracken	35	18	1	3
R. Telemachus	c Hussey	b Bracken	12	6	2	0
A. J. Hall	c Clarke	b Lee	7	4	1	0
M. Ntini	not out		1	1	0	0
Fall of wickets: 1–3 (Dippenaar, 1.2 ov), 2–190 (Smith, 22.1 ov), 3–284 (de Villiers, 30.5 ov), 4–299 (Gibbs, 31.5 ov), 5–327 (Kallis, 37.4 ov), 6–355 (Kemp, 42.1 ov), 7–399 (van der Wath, 46.3 ov), 8–423 (Telemachus, 48.2 ov), 9–433 (Hall, 49.3 ov)
Extras	(b 4, lb 8, w 4, nb 4)		20
Total	(for 9 wickets, 49.5 overs)		438

Australia bowling statistics
Bowler	Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets
B. Lee	7.5	0	68	1
N. W. Bracken	10	0	67	5
S. R. Clark	6	0	54	0
M. L. Lewis	10	0	113	0
A. C. Symonds	9	0	75	2
M. J. Clarke	7	0	49	1

[edit] Records

[edit] Team

• Second highest total in an ODI (highest at the time): 438-9.
• Third highest total in an ODI (also the highest at the time): 434-4.
• Highest successful run chase in an ODI.

[edit] Overall

• Highest aggregate runs in a match: 872, beating the previous 693 of India v Pakistan in 2004.
• Most sixes in a match: 26, now equaled by New Zealand v Australia, 3rd ODI, Hamilton, New Zealand, February, 2007.
• Most fours in a match: 88.

[edit] Individual

• Herschelle Gibbs's 175 is the tenth-highest individual score in ODIs and the second-highest by a South African.
• Gibbs's innings is the third fastest in terms of strike rate for scores above 130, while Ponting's is the fourth fastest.
• Fastest 150. By Ponting, off 99 balls (Gibbs made his 150 off 100 balls)
• Mick Lewis becomes the most expensive bowler in the history of ODI cricket for a single match, becoming the first bowler to have 100 hit off his 10 overs. He ended with 0-113 off 10.

[edit] See also

• Australian cricket team in South Africa in 2005-06

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• The Australian, One-day records smashed
• cricinfo match home