A match that had more twists than a cheap mystery thriller finally culminated in Australia’s eighth entry to a men’s ODI World Cup final, leaving South Africa with another heartbreaking knockout.
There were some dramatic twists and turns on the field and in the script as the low-scoring thriller finalized India’s opponents in Sunday’s final match of the season.
Here are five turning points for the all-inclusive semifinals.
De Kock’s red-hot swansong ends in a whimper
Due to their obvious strength in defending their total, South Africa chose to bat first, making the same decision as Pat Cummins. Things didn’t go as expected as the ball was sewn on and the zipper installed, but Australia were overjoyed. Themba Bavuma is already a controversial player due to injuries, but he missed five balls.
But the real foreshadowing of what the day was going to be was the dismissal of an in-form Quinton de Kock after a brilliant running catch from Pat Cummins. South Africa had almost nothing at that point. The overall result was disappointing with a power play score of 18:2.
Turned on its Head
Raine’s intervention allowed David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen to avoid relegation and give them time to breathe. Upon his return, Australia’s talisman Adam Zampa was quickly dispatched, but the South African duo initially survived and then maneuvered him well. It wasn’t his day.
When Zampa was defeated on his second mission, the Australians suddenly found themselves on the other side of a rearguard operation. Zampa were leading after eight overs and needed a breakthrough while Maxwell kept the opposition excited. The World Cup featured Travis Head, who had not taken a wicket so far.
Successive fours from the first two balls suggested a Zampa-like treatment, but then a misjudgment from Klaasen’s two balls sparked an incredible comeback. Number 7 Marco Jansen failed his cornering test, making it 2-2, but the result was a huge setback and suddenly Australia were pushed back into the front seat.
Miller thrills, but what if?
22-4 to 203-8: David Miller’s counterpunching wasn’t like Maxwell’s, but he made a match out of virtually nothing. First with Claasen and then alone, Miller kept Australia at bay and created several pressure relief points to allow the innings to continue. When he hit his six off Cummins and reached his triple digits with his 17 balls remaining, the South African could realistically have dreamed of him reaching 230 or even 240 balls. .
But on the next ball he went wide and could not find the same connection and Miller was sent back for 101. More importantly, the final pair still had 16 balls left. They survived 14 times and conceded nine times. You never know what impact a strong finish (like a mirror finish) would have had on the match.
Maharaj enters late, and how
Was Maharaj introduced too late? Even after 14 overs, South Africa’s top spinner did not appear. At this point, Australia had improved to 106 wins and 2 losses and appeared to be well on its way to securing the final spot. Travis his head took on the task and survived despite dropping several catches on his way into the 60s.
They had been holding back until then, but Maharajji appeared and turned the match on its head. A sniper slipped past Head, knocking him to his knees and shaking the woodwork behind him. The central stump is gone. The game is running.
The Smith heave from bizarro world
Steve Smith saw plenty of drama at the other end, but played a much-needed anchor role in the chase, bravely surviving over 100 minutes. He hit just two fours out of about 60 pitches, one of which was a scramble, but Smith was determined to go that deep. In 100 balls he scored 39 goals and Smith, with whom a partnership was emerging, strangely tried to challenge Gerald Coetzee, but he could only send the ball into the air.
De Kock skied through, hoping it would not be his last ODI match, and an enraged Smith brandished his bat in anger and disgust. The game that was theirs suddenly went in a different direction. Fortunately, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc were smarter and did enough to end the roller coaster ride for good.
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