Cricket Tournaments

Indian Team celebrates after defeating Pakistan in ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 at Mohali

It did not possess the quality of 2003 at Centurion nor were there Ajay Jadeja like pyrotechnics of 1996, but for an India Pakistan clash, there was enough ebb and flow in the game to make the match memorable for the crowds in both the nations, who had put a full stop on their daily chores for a day. The crowds at Mohali, in fact, kept the spirit alive at times when the going wasn’t intense. And why not? After all, this was an Indo-Pak clash and it was the semi finals of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. At the end of the day, the best team won as Pakistan self-destructed and India, even though not at their best, did well enough to hold their nerves. Here’s a look back at key events in the game that eventually decided the fate of the Mohali battle.

Sehwag outsmarts Gul

Prior to the match, Umar Gul was Pakistan’s best bowler in the series. But, the occasion clearly got to him as he sprayed the ball all over the place and Virender Sehwag was all set to take advantage of the same. The Indian opener launched such a brutal attack on Gul that the latter leaked 21 runs in his second over to get India going. It was a big setback for Pakistan and the perfect start for India as Sehwag was all guns blazing. To the surprise of many, Shahid Afridi, who lost the toss, asked Abdul Razzaq to accompany Gul with the new ball, bowling his gentle medium pacers. Thankfully, Razzaq did not perform as badly as Gul, but the fact was that he did not trouble the Indians either and Sachin Tendulkar also began getting into the groove. Round one, without doubt, went to India.

Wahab fightback!

Just when it seemed Sehwag would bat Pakistan out of the game, Wahab Riaz rose to the big occasion. There was plenty of pressure on the left-arm seamer considering calls from many quarters to bring back Shoaib Akhtar. However, Riaz proved that for a change, Pakistan got it absolutely right. It was Riaz who gave Pakistan the major breakthrough, trapping Sehwag right in front of the stumps, which was confirmed by the review taken by the batsman. Riaz had not only cut short Sehwag’s threatening knock, but also brought down the scoring rate, as it often happens with Sehwag’s dismissal. However, he wasn’t done yet. His best was yet to come. Riaz bowled some brilliant deliveries to send back Virat Kohli – beaten by a rising, pacy delivery and the very next ball the in-form Yuvraj Singh with a fast in-swinging delivery, to which even the left-hander had no answer. Thanks to those strikes Pakistan were not only back in the game, but on top of the Indians. Deservedly, Riaz came back to complete his five-wicket haul by dismissing M S Dhoni and Zaheer Khan in his final spell, again with some exceptional bowling and the batsmen weren’t good.

Sach(in) a lucky day!

Even as Riaz was making the right moves, something bizarre was transpiring in the field, which eventually cost Pakistan the match. Sachin Tendulkar, who went off the boil following Sehwag’s dismissal was dropped four times, three of them coming off their skipper Shahid Afridi’s bowling. All the three catches were dollies, and even the last one wasn’t all that tough by international standards, but probably can’t be considered as a chance taking the standards set by Pakistan into consideration. Eventually, the captain himself took the catch that led to the maestro’s dismissal and was expressive, showing his team how to do it. But, by that time Sachin had made 85 and, in hindsight, the difference as well. Apart from the fielders, Sachin also had the UDRS come to his rescue for a change. It is no secret that the Indians aren’t great fans of the system, but on a manic Wednesday, it was on India’s side as it overturned an lbw decision at a time when Sachin was only just beginning to settle in. Well, the reprieve did not last long as the very next ball, he was nearly stumped off Saeed Ajmal, who eventually got his scalp. Post those anxious moments, Sachin never looked comfortable, but for some inexplicable reason, the Pakistanis did not want to see the back of him, until they finally ran out of luck!

Raina’s crucial cameo

Two games and two valuable 30plus undefeated scores, both resulting in the team’s victory. M S Dhoni’s purpose of getting Suresh Raina in for Yusuf Pathan has worked wonders. On Wednesday, as the Indian lower order once again crumbled, this time to Riaz’s swinging deliveries, Raina was a picture of calm. A couple of boundaries were all he managed, but importantly ensured that India batted out 50 overs. And, how crucial that turned out to be…

Hafeez’s paddling blunder

Chasing 261, Pakistan got off to an impressive start with both Mohammad Hafeez and Kamran Akmal finding the boundaries at ease. And then Kamran fell, trying to go for his favourite cut shot that had got him his runs. But, Pakistan were still in command as they were off to a flyer. And then came the shocker. Hafeez, who had the Indian bowling at his mercy, got arrogant ala Aamir Sohail 1996 and trying to play a cheeky paddle sweep off Munaf Patel to give a simple caught behind chance to a relieved Dhoni. There was no pressure on Pakistan until that moment. But, Hafeez brought it upon them and the Indians ensured they stayed down their throat from that point onwards.

Harbhajan seals it

Post Hafeez’s exit, India were on top with wickets tumbling and Yuvraj getting into the act once again, scalping two big guns in Younis Khan and Asad Shafiq. However, the talented Umar Akmal counter-attacked ferociously and hit Yuvraj for a couple of magnificent sixes and some boundaries. For a brief while, Pakistan’s hopes were raised. After all this was an Indo-Pak game and the arch rivals weren’t going to give up easily. For India though, Harbhajan rose to the challenge and deliveries a fasting delivery from around the wicket that stayed a trifle low and beat Umar for pace. Perceptibly, it was the last nail in the coffin and when Misbah-ul-Haq tried to make amends for his slow scoring in the final overs, the horse had already bolted by then.

Dhoni and Afridi

It was supposed to happen in 2007 in the West Indies, or we all thought so. After all, who would have given Bangladesh and Ireland a chance against India and Pakistan respectively? But, everyone now knows what transpired and how the much-anticipated Indo-Pak clash was replaced by the one between Bangladesh and Ireland. The shocking exits of India and Pakistan had such far-ranging repercussions that fours year later, the World Cup format had to be tweaked to ensure the two Asian giants progressed safely into the second round. Pity that the tournament had to be ‘fixed’ in such a manner. Yet, nothing can take away the excitement of an Indo-Pak encounter. After all they are meeting for the first time in seven years in the game’s premier tournament.

On paper, India have an incredible record, having beaten their arch rivals in all four battles between the two sides thus far – 1992, 1996, 1999 and 2003. However, that will count for nothing when the teams meet one more time. And a stakes are at an all-time high too, which means the pressure will be that much more intense. This will be the first time the teams are meeting in a semi final scenario, and the winner of this mouth watering clash will only be one step away from glory.

Key clashes

Sachin Tendulkar vs. Umar Gul

Back in 2003, Shoaib Akhtar had (infamously) commented on the eve of the match that he had developed a special delivery to get rid of Tendulkar. Well, whatever he had developed did not work as the Mumbai maestro blasted him as well as Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis to every part of Supersport Park, Centurion. This time round, Umar Gul has said that he would be targeting Tendulkar among others. The good thing from Pakistan’s point of view is that, unlike Akhtar, Gul is a far more settled bowler and is in the best form of his life. Even so it is not the best ploy to speak out about your opponents on the eve of the match, as it is only likely to inspire greats to better things. Tendulkar’s knock in 2003 is the best example. There has been evidence of the same even in this World Cup. Yuvraj Singh had pointed out prior to the game against the Aussies that Ricky Ponting wasn’t in the best of form and, although in a losing cause, the outgoing Australian skipper came up with a respectful ton that reinstated his stature as one of the modern greats. It, thus, would be intriguing to see how the battle between Tendulkar and Gul pans out. Whoever outperforms the other will ‘open’ up the door for their side’s victory.

Virender Sehwag vs. Wahab Riaz/ Shoaib Akhtar

There is still a lot of uncertainty over who would partner Gul in the mother of all battles at Mohali. Although most indications point to the fact that Akhtar remains out of favour with the Pakistan team management, with them you just cannot predict. Even at the last moment, Pakistan could change their minds and bring in Akhtar. And so, India should be prepared for any eventuality. In such a scenario, Virender Sehwag is India’s best bet. The swashbuckler does not play the bowler on reputation, but just looks at the delivery and if it is there to be hit, he will give it the full monty. This might work well for India if either Wahab Riaz or Akhtar are chosen. To be fair to the former, he has done better than the speedster Akhtar in the limited opportunities that he has got and is rated very highly as well in the Indian camp. As such, Sehwag shouldn’t take him lightly and get his eye in before making an effort to launch his trademark assault.

Yuvraj Singh vs. Shahid Afridi

Expect this to be the battle of all battles. Yuvraj Singh and Shahid Afridi are two great characters, who are as expressive on the field as much as they are explosive with their respective talents. For a change, Yuvraj’s batting is being pitted against Afridi’s bowling. And why not, after all the latter has been the best and most successful bowler in the tournament so far, which cannot be a fluke. Afridi has been picking up wickets at will in the middle overs, while Yuvraj has been solid for India. The team will look up to him chiefly to keep Afridi at bay during this period. Historically, India haven’t been troubled by spin, but every once in a while comes a spinner who gives India a hard time. For a while, India found even Muralitharan unplayable and then there were times recently when Ajantha Mendis made Indians look like club cricketers. Clearly, the Indian batsmen have seen a lot of Afridi for such an eventuality to occur. But, the fact is that the leggie is now a changed bowler, who is a lot smarter with a number of variations. And thus, Yuvraj’s battle with his assumes greater significance.

Zaheer Khan vs. Pakistan openers

The Indian speedster has been in great form in the tournament. However, most of his wickets have come with the new ball. Against Pakistan, India cannot afford to let the openers get off to a good start. With Munaf Patel not delivering up to expectations, there will be added pressure on Zaheer Khan to strike early. It would be important to do so since both Kamran Akmal and Mohammad Hafeez played themselves into form in the quarter finals. It would help if Ravichandran Ashwin delivers the goods from the other end, but like India, Pakistan are also good players of spin and hence it might be a bit too much to except Ashwin to come up with some kind of heroics. Zaheer has been the best bowler in the tournament after Afridi and, being India’s premier bowler as well, the whole country would be looking up to him to deliver the goods.

Harbhajan Singh vs. Misbah ul Haq and Younis Khan

It’s about time the turbanator comes to the party. While most of the less fancied spinners have made an impact, Harbhajan has struggled. Thanks to Yuvraj, India haven’t had to suffer much because of Harbhajan’s lack of form. But, against Pakistan it could haunt India if the other Singh doesn’t rise to the occasion. Like Afridi isn’t expected to wreak havoc among the Indian batsmen, the same applies to Yuvraj in spite of their excellent bowling performance in the tournament so far. Harbhajan has to be reminded that he is the main spinner in the team. And while it is good that he has been keeping the runs down, the fact is that he is in the team to take wickets. And as long as he is not doing that, he is not fulfilling his duty at all for the team.

Sri Lanka were always expected to be here, but no one New Zealand gave a chance to make it to the semi finals, especially after their performance in the series against Bangladesh and India on the sub continent that took place prior to the World Cup. But some resolute efforts, other outstanding ones and, yet again, a bumbling South Africans saw them through. Of course this not the first time and possibly not the last time that they have made it to the last four. In fact this will mark their record sixth appearance in the semi finals, an achievement worth appreciating. The flip is that they haven’t progressed any further in the preceding tournaments.

In contrast, Sri Lanka have lot going for them. Firstly, they will be playing at home, which anyways will give them an added advantage. Secondly, most of their players are in great form and will be looking to put up another imperious showing against the Kiwis. Their recent World Cup record also has been excellent. They made it to the finals back in the Caribbean with some superlative performances before running to a man named Adam Gilchrist in the finals. The only factor which might go against them in the semis will be the fact that they came through untested in the quarter final clash against England. The latter, which had be the most erratic side in the tournament reserved the worst for the game against Sri Lanka and as a result Sri Lanka came through unchallenged. While the manner of victory must have thrilled them no end, deep down even they would have wanted a closer game considering the stage of the tournament.

Key clashes

Malinga vs. McCullum

Both Lasith Malinga and Brendon McCullum are mavericks – one with the ball and the other with the willow. But, while the Sri Lankan has been at the top of his game again, the same cannot be said of McCullum. His big knocks have been thus far reserved for minnows. But, on the big day against Sri Lanka, he would be expected to come good considering his vast experience. Cometh the hour, cometh the man they say. Against South Africa, McCullum couldn’t prove the adage right, but the Proteas have given him another chance to do so against the Lankans. It would be an incredibly tough task though as Malinga is in the greatest form of his like akin to 2007. Like that year, he has taken a hat trick this time too and has been getting wickets at will. His slinging action and unplayable yorkers have found pride of place in soft drink commercials too. If New Zealand want to kill the Malinga threat, McCullum is one man who is capable of the same. Will he be able to do it or whether he, at present possesses the confidence to do so is another matter altogether.

Taylor vs. Murali

The Ross Taylor versus Muttiah Muralitharan battle will be another great contest within the contest that could go a long way in deciding the fate of the match. Taylor is without doubt a great player of spin, but he will be able to quell the Murali challenge remains to be seen. The good thing for New Zealand is that Taylor has been in excellent form post his Pakistan bashing. Having said that, Murali will offer a totally different challenge. Pakistan’s attack wasn’t as strong as Sri Lanka’s and it will not be an easy task for the Kiwis to take on Murali and co. They will thus look forward to a Taylor-made solution.

Ryder vs. Mendis

Like Taylor versus Murali, Jesse Ryder taking on Ajantha Mendis will be another key battle. Till the quarters, Ryder was not in great form at all, but he played a mature knock against the South Africans which should stand him in good stead for the semis. He probably doesn’t have the technique but does possess the temperament to come good in big matches. On the other hand, Mendis has not been deadly by any stretch of the imagination, but has still been a good foil for Murali. If the legend gets his act right, it will be difficult to get him away and the likes of Ryder will then be forced to attack. That will be his best chance to get among the wickets.

Southee vs. Dilshan

For New Zealand to do well, they will need to get the in-form Lankan openers cheaply. And Tim Southee will be the key here. He has done exceptionally in patches, but will have to be in his elements against the Lankans on Tuesday. That is because he will be up against Tillakaratne Dilshan. The latter has been in exquisite form in the recent games and that does not augur well for the New Zealanders. It has helped that he has got good support from fellow opener Upul Tharanga. New Zealand’s biggest hopes to upset the Lankan opening combo lie with Southee. It will be battle worth watching.

Vettori vs. Sangakkara

It’s the battle of the captains, one with the bat and the other with the ball. Kumar Sangakkara has a distinct advantage here as Lankans are among the best players of spin. Even so, Vettori is undoubtedly the best left arm spinner in world cricket today. Even if he cannot come up with something sensational, he would be expected to rise to the occasion and lead from the front in all aspects not least of all with the ball.

This day may not be the most significant of days in cricketing history, but there are a few memorable incidents that have taken place.

In 1998, Michael Atherton faced his last day as England’s Test skipper. England lost to West Indies in Antigua and also lost the Test series subsequently. West Indies were not the strongest side in those times, but England had this uncanny knack of a batting collapse in Test matches, when Atherton was captain. And his tenure ended in that fashion. In the second innings of the Test, England lost their last seven wickets for 26 runs in a span of 26 overs, and the demolition was led by Courtney Walsh.

Today we celebrate three birthdays. One is of the Australian, Dean Jones. He was Australia’s reliable No.3 for a long period in his career. The innings of 210 in the tied Test in Chennai in 1986 was an example of his steadfastness despite him throwing up due to the heat. Once he quit the game, he switched to commentary. He was fired by a TV channel for allegedly calling Hashim Amla, the South African batsman a ‘terrorist’ in 2006 on air. Also lately he has also been under controversy for bearing a love child. Yet, he remains one of the most enigmatic Australian cricketers of all time, who has had moderate success.

The other is of Graeme Swann. He is England’s No.1 spinner at the moment in all formats of the game. Born in 1979, Swann made his Test debut as late as in November 2008 in Chennai against India. And he has been a revelation since that game when he picked Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid in two consecutive balls. He is a wily off-spinner whose guile and flight have troubled many a batsmen across the world. He ended as the second highest wicket-taker in 2010, and is currently ranked 3rd in the ICC Test bowler rankings. His contributions were vital in helping England being unbeaten at home since his debut, and levelling the Test series in South Africa in 2009 as well as winning the Ashes in Australia in 2010 for the first time since 1986.

Bangladesh’s captain, Shakib al Hasan turns 24 today. He made his international debut in August 2006 against Zimbabwe. Keeping in mind his consistent performances, he was rewarded with the national side’s captaincy in June 2009 due to an injury to Mashrafe Mortaza. As skipper, he has led Bangladesh to their first series win away from home, i.e, against West Indies in July 2009, in both Tests and ODIS. As well as a home series win against New Zealand in November 2010, beating them 4-0 in 4 ODIS. He is a cunning left-arm spinner and a handy middle-order batsman. His status as the world’s No.1 allrounder was accentuated, when he was picked by the Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2011 IPL auction.

The same guy refused to walk out when the IPL final took place, yet nothing was said or raised then. For now, when he decides to walk, the alter form of god is bestowed upon him.
A lot has been made of Sachin Tendulkar’s walk the other day against the West Indies at chennai. Along with this, analogies to Ricky Ponting’s stay at the wicket, only depicting the yawning difference that exists between their personalities.

Ponting was not wrong, but Sachin was right!

Something that began way back in 2003 when Adam Gilchrist walked in the semi finals in Sri Lanka, the spirit of the game has come into question especially since two of the generation’s greatest cricketers went their own ways in what they believed to be right.

But has this always been the case?

Indubitably with Ponting, the Australian captain was never the one to walk, it was the umpire’s decision that set him moving. Ponting was pretty candid in admitting the same too. He said “There were no doubts about the nick, I knew I hit it, but as always I wait for the umpire to give me out. That’s the way I’ve always played the game.”

However, the conundrum here is with Sachin. Sachin has not been the alter form of God, all the time, at least when it comes to walking. In the decisive Commonwealth bank first final down under in 07-08 season, Sachin nicked one straight through to Adam Gilchrist. Replays confirmed Sachin had indeed got a nick.

Another instance of the same, was the IPL final. Sachin nicked one through to Dhoni and despite the latter’s regressive appealing, Tendulkar looked the other way playing down the incident. Once again, replays suggested that Sachin had hit the cover of the ball, yet, stay put. It is hard to lay forth anything in the great man’s defense, despite this, his act against the West Indies was indeed laudable.

He is human after all, the best the world will ever see. Never showcase out one’s weakness by comparisons, for statistics don’t add up equivalently to the titles won. That’s something that truly does lie by Ponting’s side.

This is a day Indian fans would not wish to remember. In 1994, Kapil Dev played his last international match, and in 2003, India were thumped by Australia in the World Cup final in Johannesburg.

Kapil Dev won the World Cup in 1983 as India captain , the same being the only instance. He turned out for his last Test match in Hamilton. He finished the Test with just 2 wickets to his name, but had the world record of 434 Test wickets until Courtney Walsh broke it a few years later. He also was a part of the ‘elite’ club as he hit 5248 runs in his 131-Test career. Although Stephen Fleming, one of New Zealand’s all-time best skipper, made his Test debut in this game and scored 92, it was an emotional farewell for Kapil, who would still be remembered as one of the greatest cricketers India has ever produced.

This day, ’03 would have hurt more than 1994, as Sourav Ganguly had a golden opportunity to become only the second captain after Kapil to lift a World Cup. But India ran into a steam engine, an in-form Australian unit in the final.

Ganguly though seemed to have lost the plot at the toss itself, when he astonishingly decided to put Australia into bat on a flat Johannesburg pitch which was a little moist, due to overnight rain. A brave decision had boomeranged big time. Zaheer Khan, the then-young fast bowler bowled a shambolic first over, giving 15 runs and the game was going in Australia’s favour.

A good start by openers Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist set the platform for one of the best ODI innings played ever in cricketing history, let alone World Cups. And that came off the bat of Ganguly’s counterpart, Ricky Ponting who scored 140 runs off 121 balls. He played with such audacity that no Indian bowler was spared off this blitzkrieg. But one cannot forget the contribution of Damien Martyn who hit 88 runs of 84 runs, ably supporting Ponting, despite having a broken finger.

India’s fate was sealed by the end of 50 overs as Australia scored 359/2, the highest total in a World Cup final. Sachin Tendulkar, the highest run-getter of the competition gave India a lot to cheer about with the first boundary he hit, but the next ball he was tamely dismissed by Glenn McGrath. Wickets kept falling at one end despite Virender Sehwag putting up a brave fight, scoring 82 runs off 81 balls. The target was always out of reach for India and a rain break in between did not help much. India crashed out for 234, giving Australia a comprehensive 125-run victory and the World Cup title for the second consecutive time since 1999. Ponting led his men to world domination, just a year after taking over as ODI captain. And this enhanced Australia’s power to become ‘world-beaters’.

Also, today is the birthday of former England captain Michael Atherton who would be duly remembered for his famous tussle with Allan Donald in 1995-96 in South Africa, and his steadfastness with the bat in that series. ‘Athers’ as he fondly referred as, is currently on the commentary team with Sky Sports. And today is also the 9th death anniversary of Ben Hollioake, the English cricketer who expired due to a car accident in Perth, which left a deep impact on the entire team as he was one of the loved and popular members of the team.

A day after Pakistan won an eventful World Cup semi final against New Zealand, England played South Africa in the second semi final at Sydney. England batted first and posted 252 in 45 overs, as the Proteas were 5 overs short. This alongside the flawed D/L method, proved to be disastrous for South Africa. They needed 22 runs off 13 balls and were cruising along, before rain played spoilsport. But post rain, South Africa needed 22 runs off 1 ball! England had qualified for their third World Cup final and were to face Pakistan if they had to win for the first time.

In 2001, India locked horns with Australia yet again at home. But on this day, India won the deciding Test at Chennai by two wickets and thus, the series 2-1. Who would have ever thought of an Indian comeback after Australia won their 16th consecutive Test match at Mumbai by 10 wickets? However, the passionate and young Harbhajan Singh bamboozled the Australians with 32 wickets in 3 Tests, and there could have been no better end to the match with Harbhajan hitting the winning runs off Glenn McGrath as the world champion team led by Steve Waugh was stunned. March 22 could be credited for the beginning of an exciting India-Australia rivalry which has been maintained throughout a decade.

Also this day marked Sri Lanka’s entrance into world cricket as a superpower. They won a Test series for the first time overseas that is against New Zealand. In a span of one year, they won the World Cup.

In 2009, the England women’s team could achieve what the men could not. Winning a 50-over World Cup. They beat New Zealand by 4 wickets in the final at Sydney.

South Africa

What can one say about the South African cricket team. For the fifth World Cup in a row, they got felled in the knockouts when everything seemed to be going their way. Against a New Zealand side with limited ability, they were always the favourites. And for almost 75 overs of the game, they played like that but a disciplined bowling effort and their usual brilliant fielding was enough to upset the Proteas’ applecart. Dejection was writ large on the face of skipper Graeme Smith, who was retiring from one-day cricket, but it was the loss against the Kiwis that undoubtedly hurt him more. Unfortunately, South Africa have only themselves to blame for they were cruising at one stage, but it all came down like a pack of cards.

The wicket of Jacques Kallis was without doubt the turning point of the game. Until then, they were cruising and Kiwis needed something special to be back in the game. All of a sudden, Kallis in an effort to break free went for the big hit and perished thanks to an awesome catch on the boundary by Jacob Oram. Only a man of his ‘height’ could have pulled it out. After that, the rest just could not handle the pressure cooker situation and cracked. The bad aspect from South Africa’s point of view was that a number of their batsmen got starts, but not one could go on to register that match-winning effort. Among the culprits were captain Graeme Smith, Kallis and AB de Villiers — all experienced enough to absorb the pressure of the situation, but unable to do so. It did not help that Hashim Amla had a rare failure.

Despite the Proteas’ hara-kiri, credit must be given to the Kiwis for the manner in which they kept up the pressure once they saw an opening. Their bowling wasn’t sensational by any means, they hardly possess the attack to do so. But, what they did well was to maintain a tight leash on the South African batting once they found an opening post Kallis’ exit. There were too men in particular who did exceedingly well with the ball for the Kiwis. Jacob Oram, bowling his medium pacers was on target on most occasions. He bowled a tight line and length and just did not allow them to break free. And every time the South African batsmen tried to break the shackles, they perished one after the other.

Off spinner Nathan McCullum was the other star with the ball for the Kiwis. He typified South Africa’s woes against slow bowling as three men fell to him. Between McCullum and Oram, they captured seven wickets, including some key ones like Amla, Smith and not least of all JP Duminy. The latter, who has been known to be a great finisher, too felt the heat as he played an atrocious shot to revive the Kiwis further. And the final nail in the over arrived rather soon for South Africa’s comfort. de Villiers, always lighting between the wickets, responded to an attempted quick single call from Faf du Plessis, which was never there. And it was proved by the fact that even de Villiers ended up way short of the crease despite diving full length. Was it pressure? There wasn’t much until a few moments back, but South Africa self-destructed to change things around. The pitch wasn’t playing any great tricks, but was only offering a hit of turn. Yet, South Africa batted like it was a minefield. Fauf du Plessis did try to make amends for his big-match blunder, but while there were glimpses of hope courtesy some big hits, it was too little and too late.

Unlike their batsmen, the South African bowlers did a much better job. Opening the bowling, Robin Peterson once again got the early breakthrough, read the wicket of the dangerous Brendon McCullum. And when Dale Steyn fooled Martin Guptill with a well disguised slower one early on in the innings, it seemed all one way traffic. Some even had thoughts of a game akin to the West Indies-Pakistan quarter final. But while Jesse Ryder and Ross Taylor took their time while rebuilding the innings, their approach wasn’t as negative as the one shown by Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul the other day. Neither Ryder nor Taylor went for too many big hits and were content rotating the strike. The thoughts of another middle and lower order collapse akin to the one against Sri Lanka must have definitely crossed their mind, which made both the usually free scoring batsmen adopt a cautious approach. As a result, New Zealand did have wickets in hand but not a score that was challenging by any means.

Owing to their wait and watch approach, when they eventually tried to break the shackles both Ryder and Taylor fell and New Zealand found themselves in no man’s land. Thanks to a sensible cameo by the impressive Kane Williamson, the Kiwis managed to end up with a somewhat respectable total. But without doubt, at the halfway stage, South Africa held the aces thanks to their impressive showing with the ball. Steyn was once again among the wickets at the start. Irman Tahir’s impressive tournament continued as he picked up both of the big scalps of Taylor and Ryder and, towards the end, Morne Morkel returned to damage the good work done by New Zealand in the middle overs, by picking up wickets at will. The game was now South Africa’s for the taking. And, midway through their chase, all seemed to be going according to plan. How the panic button got switched on will remain a mystery.

Key moments

Early loss of New Zealand openers

Rebuilding partnership between Ryder-Taylor

Tahir’s double strike

Morkel’s triple success

Amla’s early dismissal

Loss of a well set Smith

Oram’s brilliant catch to get rid of Kallis off Southee

de Villiers’ run out at a crucial juncture

End of du Plessis’ resistance