The series between Australia and South Africa has just concluded, and it has been an exhilarating ride once again between the two cricketing rivals. South Africa’s hair-raising win in the series finale is ample proof of there newly discovered never-say-die attitude.

For Australia to score over 400 in an ODI was a monumental achievement, but for South Africa to chase down that total was downright unthinkable.

South Africa wrapped up the first two games, one with a scrappy win and the other a downright annihilation courtesy Makhaya Ntini. The pacer ended with match figures of 6 for 22 in the second game, perhaps the best bowling performance in one-dayers in the last couple of seasons.

Australia, over the last few years, have heavily relied on Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Ricky Ponting and Mathew Hayden for a large chunk of their victories. With Warne retired form the game’s shorter version, McGrath out due to his wife’s illness, Ponting injured, and Hayden and Symonds unavailable as well, it wasn’t surprising that Australia were staring at a third straight defeat at the hands of the home side rejuvenated by the return of Kallis, Ntini and Nel.

The 0-2 score line against the Aussies was enough for Ponting to make a return, even though he did not fully recover. He made an inspired 50 and the other batsmen supported him fairly well in the third game. Brett Lee then did what he does best – bowl fast. This time though he was accurate enough as well as Australians clawed their way back into the series. Andrew Symonds, then, celebrated his return in fine style as he made an important 70-odd chasing, that helped the world champions to deadlock the series at 2-apeice.

In the recent past, many teams have come close to beating the Australians, but one aspect common in most of those teams has been the fact that they somehow did not have the confidence and belief that they can actually defeat Australia. While their talent and grit would see them come close, their lack of self-belief in winning against the best team in the world led to a failure.

That happened to Pakistan (VB Series Finals 2005), and then to Sri Lanka (VB Series Finals 2006). South Africa, to their discredit, have choked many a times against the men from Down Under, so it was perhaps expected by many experts that Australians would use their positive momentum to run away with the series.

What happened in the final game, though, was beyond everyone’s comprehension. Australia, as once targeted by vice-captain Adam Gilchrist and coach John Buchanan, became the first team to cross 400 runs. Their final score-line made most home fans sick, while everyone else just would have just glared in total amazement to see Australia score 434 for 4. Ponting blasted his way to 164 in 105 balls also with electric performances from Katich and Hussey.

At that stage, anyone who thought that the South Africans would have even thought of chasing that total would have been joked at. But it happened, as the Proteas hunted down 434 to create history. Gibbs’ batting assault (175 off 111 balls) was one of the most destructive innings under pressure the cricketing world has ever seen. Smith also looked in devastating mood by hitting a fury of fours on his way to 90 runs off a meagre 55 deliveries.

Everyone in the mid-order chipped in, ensuring the run-rate was maintained. And it came down to Mark Boucher and Andrew Hall, as South African fans were shredding their nails. Seven more runs were needed, and memories of World Cup 1999 semi-final were ringing hard in their minds. The South Africans have looked like rabbits in such situations in the past, and when Andrew Hall played a senseless slap-shot to mid-on, the Proteas supporters’ worst fears came true and their hearts sank to new lows. Ntini grabbed single on the next ball with scores levelled.

It was all down to Mark Boucher’s experience to scrap a run from somewhere. Boucher, however, had other things in mind. He calmly lofted the ball back over the bowler as South Africa completed a famous victory.

The entire nation went into frenzy, and the world in raw amazement. For everyone, including myself, who did not follow the game live, it needed a pinch to wake up realize that 400 runs were scored in both innings of a one-day international. For South Africa, this was simply the biggest sporting achievement in their history, surpassing the magnanimous Rugby World Cup victory in 1995. For everyone else, it was simply the most unbelievable display of batting ever seen in one-day cricket.

© Copyright 2006. PointCricket.