Australia and South Africa have had many memorable contests across Tests and One-Day Internationals, but their clash in the 1999 World Cup semi-final at Edgbaston on 17 June 1999 has its own place of pride in cricketing history.
This match ended in a tie, but Australia went through to the final because of their superior run rate in the Super Six stage. It was not a game for the weak-hearted as there were twists and turns aplenty, which finally ended following a brain-fade on the part of Lance Klusener, who had a brilliant outing in the 1999 World Cup. BRIEF SCORES: Australia 213 in 49.2 overs (Michael Bevan 65, Steve Waugh 56, Shaun Pollock 5-36, Allan Donald 4-32) TIED WITH South Africa 213 in 49.4 overs (Jacques Kallis 53, Jonty Rhodes 43, Lance Klusener 31*, Shane Warne 4-29).
South Africa captain Hansie Cronje won the toss and elected to field first. Shaun Pollock gave South Africa a dream start when he had Mark Waugh caught behind by Mark Boucher off the fifth delivery of the match.
Ricky Ponting hit three boundaries and a six in his 48-ball 37 before Allan Donald ended the 51-run partnership for the second wicket between 'Punter' and Adam Gilchrist. Five balls later, Donald struck again when he had Darren Lehmann caught behind by Mark Boucher.
Jacques Kallis just about passed the fitness test for this semi-final, but he then put in a heroic and Herculean effort with the bat and ball. He had figures of 10-2-27-1 in Australia's innings and accounted for Adam Gilchrist, who found life uncomfortable in the middle and made an uncharacteristic 39-ball 20. At the fall of Gilchrist's wicket, Australia had slumped to 68 for 4 after 17 overs.
Australia captain Steve Waugh and Michael Bevan then put on an invaluable 90-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Though it took the pair 22.3 overs to get those runs, their safe and go-slow approach paid rich dividends in the end.
The partnership was broken by Pollock when he had Waugh caught behind off the third deliver of the 40th over; and three deliveries later the South African all-rounder trapped Tom Moody plumb in front.
Bevan then had his second important partnership of Australia's innings as he and Shane Warne (18) added 49 runs for the seventh wicket before Pollock and Donald took two wickets each as Australia lost their last four wickets for six runs and set South Africa a target of 214 to chase and book their place in the final.
Herschelle Gibbs and Gary Kirsten got South Africa's chase off to a solid start with their 48-run partnership before Shane Warne started doing what he does best. In his second and the 13th over of the South African innings, Warne bowled a gem of a delivery that was pitched outside the leg stump but then turned sharply and clipped Gibbs' off stump. Gibbs, who made a 36-ball 30, was so shocked that he stood transfixed in the middle for a while before eventually trudging back to the pavilion.
In his very next over, Warne was at it again as he bamboozled Gary Kirsten (18) and clean bowled him as the left-handed opening batsman attempted an ill-advised sweep shot. Warne wasn't quite done for this over as two balls later he had Hansie Cronje caught by Mark Waugh at first slip. The leg-spin legend had taken three wickets in eight balls to reduce South Africa to 53 for 3 from the comfort of 48 for 0. South Africa's woes worsened when Daryll Cullinan, who had struggled to a 30-ball 6 was run out by a Michael Bevan direct hit to leave the Proteas at 61 for 4 in the 22nd over.
Like in the Australian innings, Jacques Kallis and Jonty Rhodes did a repair job as the pair added 84 runs in 19.1 overs for the fifth wicket with the latter being the more aggressive. Paul Reiffel ended the partnership and Rhodes' 55-ball 43 knock when the batsman holed out to Michael Bevan in the 41st over.
Shaun Pollock hit a boundary and six in his 14-ball 20 even as Kallis (53 from 92 deliveries) continued to mix caution and aggression at the other end. But, Warne took his fourth wicket of the match when he had Kallis caught by Steve Waugh at covers and then Damien Fleming clean bowled Pollock. At this stage, South Africa was 183 for 7 in the 46th over.
It was then the Lance Kluesener show as the left-handed lower middle-order southpaw was at his attacking best and blitzed his way to a 16-ball 31* without taking too many risks even though Mark Boucher and Steve Elworthy were dismissed within two deliveries of each other to leave South Africa 198 for 9 in the 49th over.
South Africa needed 9 runs to win from the last over of the match bowled by Damien Fleming. Klusener hammered the first two deliveries to the boundary as the target was reduced to one from four deliveries. In a trailer of the events that would soon unfold, Allan Donald backed up too far while trying to get a single but Darren Lehmann missed the run out opportunity.
Kluesner and Donald failed to learn from that near escape and off the very next delivery, the latter was run out to provide the first ever tie in World Cup history. Klusener pulled the delivery down the wicket and called Donald through for the single, but South Africa's No. 11 was late to react and then dropped his bat; to make matters worse, both batsmen found themselves at the bowler's end. The Australian fielders then did a bit of relay throwing before Adam Gilchrist eventually whipped off the bails with Donald well short.
The semi-final match ended in a tie and Australia held their nerve to sneak into the final even as South Africa choked yet again in the knockout stages of the World Cup.
Australia went on to thump Pakistan by eight wickets in the final to lift their second World Cup trophy.
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