mr_mister
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Two of my favourite matches as a kid, I was too young for the 96 WC but my friend's dad had this match on tape. People only ever talk about the '99 SF which was awesome too but anyway I find them very hard to split as sporting events. They also have very similar scorelines, right down to the final over finishes and back n forth momentum. Also both teams had played each other in close matches earlier in the Cup
Two terrific matches, great contests between bat and ball. This is what cricket is meant to be about.
1996 SF
-Australia crumble to 4-15 to a fiery WI pace attack(consisting of Ambrose and Bishop!), losing their 4 best batsmen of the bloody decade in the process, with 2 ducks(an ugly 15 baller for Ponting), a 1 and 3(off 18 balls for SR Waugh).
-Bevan and Law scrounge together a hard fought 69 and 72 before Healy chips in with a typically ugly but effective 31 to bring Australia to 207
-Chanderpaul scores a valiant 80 combining with Lara(45) and Richardson(49) for two strong, potentially match winning partnerships. At one stage they are 2-165.
-8 wickets fall for 37 runs due to the prowess of Warne(with 4) and Fleming with help from Pidge to leave W.I 5 shy after 49.3 overs on 202
Man of the match goes to Warnie though Bevan deserved it equally as much
1999 SF
-ME Waugh falls for a duck in two successive WC semis early(after having a terrific group stage both times) but Ponting comes out guns blazing and races to 37 before Donald, eventually getting 4 wickets and Pollock with 5 tear through the top order but with less malice than the Windies did, leaving Australia at 4-68 at one stage
-SR Waugh grinds out a 56(backing up from the innings of his life, 120* the previous game) and Bevan again is the saviour with a 65(at nearly the exact same strikerate of his 96 performance) to help Australia to 213, six better than in '96
-South Africa like the Windies start off strong, putting 48 on for the first wicket before Warne strikes like a black mamba, 3 times in 6 balls to open the game up and put Australia in the box seat. Cullinan falls next not to Warne(for once) but to a run out.
- From 4-61 it looks to decidedly in Australia's favour but the all-rounders show they're worth. Kallis hits 53 and Rhodes 43 to bring the Proteas right back into it. Pollock smacks 20 off 14 balls and the man of the tournament(Man of the Year if you ask me), Lance Motherloving Kluesner waltzes out and hammers 31 in 16 balls without a false shot.
-Wickets continue to fall as Flem and McGrath again help out Warnie, and with 1 wicket needed poor, Paul Pistol spills a catch over the fench for six. Oh the humanity
- I don't need to go into too much detail of the final over as we've all seen it. 2 amazing, effortless fours that put Flem's career on the line before it, and Australia are saved by a colossal screw-up and the run out of all run outs occurs. The game ends tied on 213 after 49.4 overs, one ball than in '96. Australia advances
Man of the Match again goes to Warnie and again Bevan deserved it as much, but there's no denying Warne's second 4/fa in two straight WC semis won us the match.
Some interesting notes:
Warne got 4 wickets both times, proving he was the man in these situations. In '96 he got a wicket off his first ball, then 3 in his next spell. In '99 he got a wicket off his second ball(I think it was was his first over) and took 3 in that spell, before 1 in his second go.
Bevan helped save Australia's batting both times with a 69 and a 65 at a very similar strike rate.
Pollock with 5 wickets and a crucial 20 probably staked a claim for MOTM if SA had won, however
Kluesner got 17 wickets(4th) at 20.58, and scored 281 with the bat(6th), including 2 fifites, batting around 8 most of the tournament, at a staggering average of 140.50. They couldn't get him out all Cup
So which is better? I got a bit carried away with the second review, SA's perhaps my favourite innings to watch of all time. It had everything. But as matches I rate them both 10 out of 10.
Two terrific matches, great contests between bat and ball. This is what cricket is meant to be about.
1996 SF
-Australia crumble to 4-15 to a fiery WI pace attack(consisting of Ambrose and Bishop!), losing their 4 best batsmen of the bloody decade in the process, with 2 ducks(an ugly 15 baller for Ponting), a 1 and 3(off 18 balls for SR Waugh).
-Bevan and Law scrounge together a hard fought 69 and 72 before Healy chips in with a typically ugly but effective 31 to bring Australia to 207
-Chanderpaul scores a valiant 80 combining with Lara(45) and Richardson(49) for two strong, potentially match winning partnerships. At one stage they are 2-165.
-8 wickets fall for 37 runs due to the prowess of Warne(with 4) and Fleming with help from Pidge to leave W.I 5 shy after 49.3 overs on 202
Man of the match goes to Warnie though Bevan deserved it equally as much
1999 SF
-ME Waugh falls for a duck in two successive WC semis early(after having a terrific group stage both times) but Ponting comes out guns blazing and races to 37 before Donald, eventually getting 4 wickets and Pollock with 5 tear through the top order but with less malice than the Windies did, leaving Australia at 4-68 at one stage
-SR Waugh grinds out a 56(backing up from the innings of his life, 120* the previous game) and Bevan again is the saviour with a 65(at nearly the exact same strikerate of his 96 performance) to help Australia to 213, six better than in '96
-South Africa like the Windies start off strong, putting 48 on for the first wicket before Warne strikes like a black mamba, 3 times in 6 balls to open the game up and put Australia in the box seat. Cullinan falls next not to Warne(for once) but to a run out.
- From 4-61 it looks to decidedly in Australia's favour but the all-rounders show they're worth. Kallis hits 53 and Rhodes 43 to bring the Proteas right back into it. Pollock smacks 20 off 14 balls and the man of the tournament(Man of the Year if you ask me), Lance Motherloving Kluesner waltzes out and hammers 31 in 16 balls without a false shot.
-Wickets continue to fall as Flem and McGrath again help out Warnie, and with 1 wicket needed poor, Paul Pistol spills a catch over the fench for six. Oh the humanity
- I don't need to go into too much detail of the final over as we've all seen it. 2 amazing, effortless fours that put Flem's career on the line before it, and Australia are saved by a colossal screw-up and the run out of all run outs occurs. The game ends tied on 213 after 49.4 overs, one ball than in '96. Australia advances
Man of the Match again goes to Warnie and again Bevan deserved it as much, but there's no denying Warne's second 4/fa in two straight WC semis won us the match.
Some interesting notes:
Warne got 4 wickets both times, proving he was the man in these situations. In '96 he got a wicket off his first ball, then 3 in his next spell. In '99 he got a wicket off his second ball(I think it was was his first over) and took 3 in that spell, before 1 in his second go.
Bevan helped save Australia's batting both times with a 69 and a 65 at a very similar strike rate.
Pollock with 5 wickets and a crucial 20 probably staked a claim for MOTM if SA had won, however
Kluesner got 17 wickets(4th) at 20.58, and scored 281 with the bat(6th), including 2 fifites, batting around 8 most of the tournament, at a staggering average of 140.50. They couldn't get him out all Cup
So which is better? I got a bit carried away with the second review, SA's perhaps my favourite innings to watch of all time. It had everything. But as matches I rate them both 10 out of 10.
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