In a cruel twist of fate Zulu Klusener once again found himself in a similar situation to that he found himself in in the 1999 world cup semi-final against Australia.
And, unfortunately for him, the last few balls again played to script with poor running again tripping him up.
Last night Northants took on Warwickshire in a Pro40 game at Edgbaston, scene of South Africa 1999 World Cup exit against Australia. Yip, it’s that game. The one where Allan Donald and Lance Klusener couldn’t claim a simple run in the last three balls of the game and so seal the deal and a spot in the final. Warwickshire, batting first, scored a cracking 266-5 with South Africa’s own Jonathan Trott scoring a very well-played 108. A masterful, comfortable, well-balanced innings he rightfully deserved the Man-of-the-Match award.
Ably assisted by some poor bowling by Northants (Andrew Hall 7-67-3), Trott made sure that the challenging total was always going to be a struggle to get.
Always chasing the score it seemed at times as if Northants weren’t even going to get close.
But then enters Mr. Klusener and one Rikki Wessels to amount a huge challenge with a flurry of boundaries to take Northants to within a hair’s breadth of victory.
When Wessels holed out for 54 (strike rate of 165+) in stepped another SA discard, Johan van der Wath, with three overs to go.
Needing about 14 runs an over it seemed possible, especially with van der Wath being dropped three times in the penultimate over. It was actually on one of these balls that the two batsmen gave away the chance to win the game.
On the third dropped catch, an absolute skyer from van der Wath, the batsmen had time to run two runs while the ball was in the air but instead were caught ball-watching and neglected to take any runs whatsoever.
In a repeat of Edgbaston circa 1999, again Zulu opted not to take the runs on offer and, ultimately, was forced to pay the price.
The irony, of course, is that everybody had thought they’d taken the runs on offer and the scoreboard was later changed to reflect the fact that they hadn’t taken the runs.
It was actually quite funy watching it unfold as van der Wath’s head drops the moment he hits the ball and he sort of starts bumbling down the pitch.
It seems they then realised that the new batsman would be on strike and then stopped to think about it in the middle of the pitch with a cup of tea. Then they turned back and ambled back into their crease.
To be fair to him it was actually van der Wath who didn’t take the runs on offer but ultimately it was another poor running display and again Klusener was involved.
6 or so balls later and Klusener is on strike needing a six off the final ball for victory.
And that’s the rub, because needing a four for victory off the last ball is one helluva lot easier than needing to put it over the fence. Having a huge smash Kluesner wasn’t able to find the fence and Northants lost their third Pro40 on the trot.
All-in-all a drama-filled last few overs and a thoroughly enjoyable game (if not of the highest standard), especially for one Allan Donald sitting in the stands as Warwickshire’s bowling coach… no sense of deja vu for him last night then!
With eight South Africans in the middle between the sides it was good to see some of the old faces again.
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Oh, and yes Rikki is Kepler’s son…
Poor Zulu … 😥
@blackshark (Comment 2) :
Yeah it was sad to watch.
He hit a few lusty blows and the commentators were saying things like “is this the old Klusener we’re seeing again today”.
Apparently it was the same old Klusener…
Still like Lance though… very sad that he’s no longer in SA.
@VinChainSaw (Comment 4) : This becoming a CRICKET site 😯 😆 😆 😆
Is anyone surprised he comes from Natal???
CHOKER!!!
Talking about chokers… we’re five down… Prince out.
@Me2 (Comment 5) :
lol. We roll with the times… 😉
Nah, thought I’d put up a cricket arti for the test. Instead of us taljkign cricket on a Willem de Waal thread.
123/5.
Reckon AB’s gonna be opn the slog from here-on in.
@VinChainSaw (Comment 8) : Yeah & get Me2 off her “high horse” 😀
Who is the bowler doing the damage?
I’ll tell you somethign for free though – it sure makes a change seeing the Proteas have a batting collapse when it doesnt count rather than when it does, as is normally the case.
@Me2 (Comment 10) :
Harmison has two, Anderson has two.
@VinChainSaw (Comment 11) : 😀 BUT we still have the One Day games..so not so good for the moral 😕
Is the ball swinging after the rain?
@Me2 (Comment 13) :
From what I can gather the Oval pitch is the quickest it’s been for years.
Wickets listed below:
19.6 Flintoff to McKenzie, OUT, Cook makes up for his early drop, wide delivery from Flintoff, hardly a wicket-taking one, McKenzie decides to chase it and the outside edge flies to third slip and Cook nicely cups it over his head
ND McKenzie c Cook b Flintoff 17 (55b 2×4 0x6) SR: 30.90
South Africa 56/1 GC Smith 36* (67b 5×4) A Flintoff 5-1-11-1
31.4 Harmison to Smith, OUT, gone! Harmison strikes on his comeback. It was a well-directed bouncer, Smith couldn’t control his hook, getting a top edge high down to long leg. Anderson, one of England’s best outielders, steadies himself and holds the catch with ease…Harmison raises his arms in celebration, England have a breakthrough
GC Smith c Anderson b Harmison 46 (103b 7×4 0x6) SR: 44.66
South Africa 103/2 HM Amla 36* (34b 8×4) SJ Harmison 9.4-3-29-1
31.5 Harmison to Amla, OUT, gone again, two in two as Harmison strikes again, a ripping yorker spears through Amla’s defences with late swing, he couldn’t get down in time and England are bouncing…registered as 93mph, he’s on top of his game at the moment
HM Amla b Harmison 36 (35b 8×4 0x6) SR: 102.85
South Africa 103/3 JH Kallis 0* (0b) SJ Harmison 9.5-3-29-2
32.5 Anderson to Kallis, OUT, England on fire! Superb inswinging delivery from Anderson takes Kallis on the pad on front of off stump…Aleem Dar raises the finger and another one bites the dust, that’s 100 Test wickets for Anderson
JH Kallis lbw b Anderson 2 (5b 0x4 0x6) SR: 40.00
South Africa 105/4 AG Prince 0* (1b) JM Anderson 6.5-0-17-1
36.6 Anderson to Prince, OUT, and another one goes, a touch wider of off stump and Princes flays his drive in the air to Ian Bell at point…everything working for England at the moment and South Africa in trouble
AG Prince c Bell b Anderson 4 (14b 1×4 0x6) SR: 28.57
@VinChainSaw (Comment 14) : Thanks!
Can’t understand why England give Harmison such a hard time…he delivers for them time & again.
@Me2 (Comment 15) :
There was a story about that and it all centred around him not delivering when he gets in a comfort zone.
Apparently he only delivers when he is playing for match fees and isn’t on a permanent contract – story went soemthign like that.
@VinChainSaw (Comment 16) : Moral of the story…don’t give him a contract!!!
Another bloody wicket. Boucher gone.
Boys seem as if they’re ready to get on a plane.
42.1 Anderson to Boucher, OUT, Boucher’s consumed by the Anderson outswinger, 86 mph, it lands on a fullish length on offstump and swings away from him, Boucher walks into the drive but fails to get behind the line and the thin edge is taken by Ambrose
MV Boucher c Ambrose b Anderson 3 (13b 0x4 0x6) SR: 23.07
132/6
That match in 1999 is the 2nd saddest moment in sporting history… the saddest being the 2007 Super 14 final… I was devastated both times….sniff….sniff… now Pokkel pull yourself together… 😥
😥 😥 😥 😥 😥
@Pokkel (Comment 21) :
Up there with McMillan’s 22 off 1 ball.
Boucher OUT 👿
@Pokkel (Comment 22) : @VinChainSaw (Comment 23) : Hey, you guys are chocking the “ole girl” up here 😥 🙁 😥 too many memories!!!
Now just remember when our boys won the swimming relay in Athens & wait for them to do it again now 😀
Now imagine if we had Dale Steyn in our side to bowl on this pitch?
Kom nou AB. 😎
@Me2 (Comment 25) :
Will be a bit difficult with Ryk Neethling and Roland Schoeman being dropped from the relay team for refusing to participate in the final trials.
@wpw (Comment 26) :
Yip, the irony… the first truly pacy pitch and our fastest bowler is out injured…
I am so confused…someone with an incredible amount of patience needs to explain cricket to me.
@VinChainSaw (Comment 27) : When did that happen???
@Milissa (Comment 29) : Hi Milissa! Maybe when you come out next time!!
Read an article in Time, that reckons Twenty/20 cricket could take off big time in the States. 🙄
Saw that Zulu got a big hundred not long ago, Wessels also among the runs then. Has R.Wessels ever played in S.A.
Its also incomprehensible to me that Kepler does not play a prominent role in SA cricket.
@Me2 (Comment 30) :
There was an article on iol yesterday. I’ll try dig it up.
See! It is important for me to learn now..that way when it takes off here I’ll be all prepared. 🙂
Once the ’09 fixtures are up for S14 I will begin planning in earnest for the big trip. I am thinking 2 wks in SA will be perfect.
@Me2 (Comment 30) :
http://www.news24.com/News24/Sport/Olympics2008/0,,2-9-2370_2371226,00.html
Neethling, Schoeman dropped?
06/08/2008 22:24
Adnaan Mohamed
Beijing – Ryk Neethling and Roland Schoeman, gold-medal winners in Athens four years ago, could be dropped from South Africa’s 4x100m freestyle relay team at the Beijing Olympic Games.
The two most experienced SA swimmers allegedly refused to take part in “final trials” called for by Swimming SA’s chief coach, Dirk Lange, on the final day of the training camp in Deagu, South Korea, on Monday.
Lange is said to have insisted on trials before finalising the relay team.
Neethling, Schoeman, Darian Townsend and Lyndon Ferns won gold in the event in Athens. At the SA championships in Durban earlier this year, Schoeman, Neethling, Ferns, Gideon Louw and Townsend were the fastest qualifiers in the 100m freestyle.
It seems Gerhard Zandberg was to have joined Schoeman, Neethling, Louw and Townsend in the “time trial”.
Swimming SA did not deny rumours on Wednesday that changes would be made to the relay team.
The organisation’s performance manager, Rusdee Warley, was unwilling to say anything about what had happened in Korea.
He admitted, however, that the composition of the relay team was still a secret.
“At this stage we are not going to release any information to the news media. We’re keeping our cards close to our chest,” Warley said.
Lange apparently wants to keep other relay teams guessing about the SA team until the serious swimming starts on Saturday.
Meanwhile, swimsuit manufacturers Arena introduced their brand new products here on Wednesday.
Arena are the sponsors of Swimming SA but Sascoc (SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee) have decided that the SA swimmers may wear any brand of swimsuit at these Games.
Schoeman and Neethling are also sponsored in their personal capacity by Arena but it is still unclear whether they will compete in the company’s gear.
@VinChainSaw (Comment 33) : Shooting ourselves in the foot , again!
Thats the problem with one day cricket, it can sweep you up on an emotional rollercoaster and keep you holding on until the last ball and then dump you on the shore very battered and bruised and pretty pisshed after many, many beers.
@Milissa (Comment 34) : Can’t wait to see you again & meet Brian!!
As for cricket..well I’l have to send an e-mail 😀
de Villiers gone. 158/7
ROTFLMAO… were there any non-Saffa’s playing in this game, Trott, Hall, Zulu, Wessels, Van de Wath…
@VinChainSaw (Comment 35) :
Certainly won’t be competing in the counterfeit Mizuno RSA gear supplied by the good minister and his cronies, complete with BELJING 2008 prints…
@bryce_in_oz (Comment 40) :
I counted eight.
Boje,
Trott,
van der Wath,
Ant Botha,
Hall,
Wessels,
Zulu,
Groenewald (who I presume to be saffa)
Oh, and bowling coach Allan Donald!
@bryce_in_oz (Comment 41) :
Heard half the clothes are so poorly made that they are falling apart at the seasm – literally. Before they’re evn made!
Supposedly the clothes are also suited to the colder climes even thgouh forecasts are that the temperature could top 40 degrees in Beijing!
Hey Vin – how weird is this. I met a former Natal Craven Week player at rugby practice last night!
@robdylan (Comment 44) :
Where you playing now dude?
@robdylan (Comment 44) :
And and what’s his name? do I know him?
@VinChainSaw (Comment 42) :
And also Neil Carter from Warks…yet another Saffa. Maties old boy and former Boland cricketer…
@Le Requinny (Comment 47) : so that’s almost a full side just out of two teams… lol!
@VinChainSaw (Comment 46) : Sevenoaks Rugby Club.
The dude’s name is Wessel Booysen. A lot younger than the likes of us. Played with Brad and Waylon