SA Star in Sensational Thriller After Nearly Snatching Defeat from Jaws of Victory!

Sreelata YellamrazuJan 16 2009

It looked like South Africa were sailing at the forty over mark. Then four deadly strikes meant Australia were clearly in the driver’s seat. But wait on a second. This was no time to take the seat belt off.

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South Africa literally would have kicked themselves if they had lost this one. From the winning position, South Africa found themselves on a downward turn a second time in the innings, this one being more crucial because they had the Australians on the ropes literally and metaphorically speaking.

It is took the heroics of Albie Morkel and his steady dalliance with South African skipper Johan Botha to ensure that the hard work put in by - no surprises- Jean Paul Duminy and Neil McKenzie did not go to naught. It meant pulling off a couple of brave strikes that would reduce the pressure that built up as South Africa lost four wickets for eight runs, JP Duminy and McKenzie’s among them.

Earlier in the day, it was the Australians whose sunshine boy, Shaun Marsh combined with the skipper, Ricky Ponting, in a partnership that meant that the match was getting away from the South Africa. Marsh’s seventy-nine and Ponting’s forty-six meant that Australia were placed comfortably. The innings got their elevation as Australia opted for the powerplays after the fortieth over and it meant that David Hussey’s resurgence to go with Cameron White’s belligerence would inch Australia closer to the total of their desire. It would take some doing though with small contributions all the way through as South Africa struck late in the day.

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Chasing 271 would not have been easy for South Africa because of the absence of Graeme Smith and the fact that they were playing the first one day international at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, MCG, the place where they famously won the Test series, on the back on consecutive losses in the two Twenty20 matches prior to the five one day matches.

Shaun Tait got ride of Hashim Amla in the second over while Herschelle Gibbs, after looking to be in good nick, fell for twenty-two to Ben Hilfenhaus. But Jacques Kallis showed he was in the mood as well, his forty-one off forty-nine proved the beginning of Duminy’s partnerships in South Africa’s innings.

When Kallis was dismissed, Australia would have felt that they had a chance as Vaughan van Jaarsveld was making his debut and Neil McKenzie was only named after Smith was injured.

But Neil McKenzie showed he did not lose his appetite for the one day games as he bridged a partnership with Duminy that should have already run away with the match. From ninety for three in the nineteenth over, they raised South Africa to 213 in the forty-first over with the batting power play still in their hand.

But disaster struck when Duminy was dismissed by Nathan Bracken for seventy-one, Mark Boucher went for naught courtesy Tait, Jaarsveld was run out and McKenzie exited for sixty-three as Hilfenhaus struck.

South Africa were suddenly reduced to 221 for seven and looking to be going down and the runs per ball ratio kept steadily rising. In the midst of such chaos where the team could have easily succumbed to defeat and the Australia feeling like they had fought their way back into this match, walked in Albie Morkel. He could not have picked a better moment because skipper Botha was plodding around without much success and his desperation was getting more evident as the pressure mounted.

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Albie eased the pressure by piercing the off side field and then, hitting a straight six. More runs came freely as Albie innovated at the crease and Botha was left to find the singles as the combination of the batting powerplay at the forty-five over mark played to Albie’s advantage. Tension stayed taut all the way but Albie’s lusty hitting ensured South Africa were not chasing too many runs in the end.

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