Image Credit- ICC
Australia is in the World Cup final once more. But
this wasn’t Ricky Ponting’s Invincibles or Steve Waugh’s monsters of a
mentality. These guys were human. It was almost too late for them. They were
barred entry by South Africa. Strangely enough, the winning total was also the
combined total that these two highly entertaining teams had achieved in what
was, for a very long time, the best One-Day International ever played. 211.
Similar to the 1999 hit, this one too owed a lot to
the spinners. Instead of really turning the ball, Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz
Shamsi were giving it more of a chance to think for itself. For 16 overs, they
collaborated and produced about equal amounts of dot and false shot every two
balls, four balls each four balls, and almost the same number of wickets as
boundaries – 3 vs 4.
In fifteen years of ODI cricket, South Africa’s
10-over score was the lowest. 18 versus 2. They scored that many runs in a
single over 14 times going into this semifinal. Like a computer infected with a
virus, the most formidable batting lineup of the competition was brought down.
David Miller was the lone exception. On his end, he raised 101 for one. From
theirs, the others fell to 100 for 9.
In the chase, things didn’t get any better either. It
took 52 balls for South Africa to score their first boundary. Australia
required a pair. In the fifteenth over, they had lost over half the score they
had to defend.
The spectres of previous knockouts were all present,
but Shamsi had other plans for the ball. He was the one who gave Labuschagne a
really embarrassing appearance in the 16th over by having an LBW call rejected
despite the fact that his leg was right in front of the wicket. It was he who
hit back Maxwell’s leg stump, a long hop that turned into one of the most
significant deliveries of the match, slipping under the bat that had conjured a
double-hundred to save a hopeless situation the previous week.
With joy, Shamsi circled the entire plaza. Temba
Bavuma had greater foot control, but his eyes were burning brightly. Josh
Inglis entered the room just as the ghosts of previous knockouts started to
scatter.
This player, who was playing in just his 17th ODI,
produced the most impressive cameo of the World Cup amidst circumstances that
denied any batter a sense of security. With 89% of the balls he faced under
control, Inglis outperformed the average by a remarkable 15 percentage points.
He made it obvious that he would play such a decisive hand when he hit Shamsi,
who was at the height of his abilities, with the very first boundary.
Australia was 174 for 5, and the scene was all too
familiar—but this time, Gerald Coetzee—headband and everyone else gave it a
fierce fight with all of his might.
Even though he had only played four ODIs before to
this competition, his ability to strike the deck at 150 kph in the middle of
overs has proven to be extremely beneficial. He has claimed the most wickets
(20) in South Africa, and his two wickets tonight were really noteworthy.
He outwitted Smith, bowling the wide length ball when
he was expecting a bouncer and having him caught, and bulldozed through Inglis,
bowling a yorker that went onto the stumps even though the man actually managed
to hit it, to expose Australia’s tail in the middle of an eight-over spell
where he was instructed to target the batter’s nose.
There were still 19 runs available for South Africa.
They expanded the opportunities. There was no slip-in even though Mitchell
Starc snatched one. Miller was diving to catch a ball that Pat Cummins scooped
towards short midwicket, but it missed him. De Kock, who is no longer playing
in the ODI format as the game is over, made a very difficult catch behind the
wicket with the target nine runs away. Under normal conditions, Kagiso Rabada
would have been all fired up by now, but he was still recovering from a damaged
heel.
The ghosts prevailed. Australia together with them.
They advance to the men’s ODI World Cup final in Ahmedabad on Sunday to play
India; there have only been 12 of those matches thus far.