ICC Cricket World Cup 1999 | Memories ❤️
Of an Invaluable Match Gone Awry!
On Azhar, Saurav & Jonty | And their ‘USP’s
#memoriesfromdiaries
15th May 1999 ❤️
World Cup Cricket matches were those memorable high-octane occasions that quite literally had no parallels in giving us all - those goose-bumpy, nail-biting and breath-taking moments! 😊
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| 15th May 1999, India vs South Africa Match | Source: icc-cricket.com |
That too, with the holidays in full swing, we were grounded at home, hooked to our TV sets and rooting for Ganguly and Sachin, the world-famous opening duo, whenever India took to batting!
This particular day was one such occasion, when India faced South Africa in an exciting ‘group stage’ match!
A match that’s still reeling in our minds for the dismal debacle from the Indian side, due to some really bad decisions on field, by the Indian Captain, which coulda been avoided at all costs!
South Africa went on to win this World Cup ‘group stage’ match by four wickets, with a whopping 16 balls remaining! ☹
A match which was easily tilted in our favour!
Yes! the fret and the fume on my diary entry is evidence to our shock and surprise at India having squandered away such a lovely opportunity because of Azharuddin’s dismal decisions on the ground!
Indeed! India really did have a tough challenge on the bowling front, which our boys were pretty well-equipped to handle!
You see, Sachin and Saurav were very economical on the bowling front!
Sourav – 4 overs – 16 runs – 1 wicket
Sachin – 4 overs – 22 runs – 1 wicket
But they were not considered beyond four overs each. ☹ Don’t know why-o-why! ☹
Venky was also good on the bowling front! He had given just 32 runs off 8 overs. Even he too wasn’t given his full quota!
Instead, surprisingly, Azhar preferred Srinath, who was giving away runs at 6.90 per over, giving him his full quota of ten overs!
[Although Srinath has been one of the best pace bowlers in India, this particular pitch was not quite favourable for him at all! And this being a World Cup qualifying match for India from Group A!]
Well, we felt so dismayed by the loss that, in those exciting post-match discussions we usually have with friends on the following days, our heated discussions veered on Azhar’s decisions as captain!
Yes! We were so aghast with Azharuddin, for allowing Srinath to bowl, although he was giving away runs on a platter, which indeed proved our nemesis!
A key match squandered away, which in a way, woulda really made us qualified for the next stage of the World Cup Series!
Azhar coulda! You see!
Still, what’s done is done! And can’t be undone! ☹
So let’s now move on gently, and look at some tidbits on these iconic cricketers, who played on this particular day!
Ganguly was known for his run-outs! In fact, he has been ‘run-out’ a record 23 times in ODIs.
And Jonty had always been the nemesis of any batsman with his amazing fielding skills. 😊
In fact, batsmen and spectators are quite wary on the turf when they see Jonty around.
That’s because Jonty, dubbed the ‘King of Fielding’ in cricket history, would spring a surprise from nowhere, like a bolt from the blue, 😊 ‘float like a butterfly, sting like a bee,’ and most of his victims were caught in those quite unexpected ‘run outs’, in that quite unsuspecting microsecond of sorts!
A guy who had really redefined fielding in limited-overs cricket!
A guy who told the world that, ‘saving runs is as important as scoring them’.
So yes! This was yet another instance wherein Ganguly had for a jiffy quite forgotten the fact that Jonty was there ‘on the prowl’ laying in wait for his bait - waiting for his coveted ‘prize on field!’
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| Jonty in action |
And Saurav had quite daringly gone ahead for that audacious ‘running between the wickets’ that quite proved his ‘waterloo’ moment! ☹
All his fans - yes, including me - 😊watching the match were in for a rude shock to see their master-batsman walk back to the pavilion, with just three runs away to clinching his 7th ODI century!
[Well, he later went on to get his 7th ODI century against Sri Lanka with 183 runs, in the very same month, on 26th May 1999].
Again, who on earth can forget that scintillating knock of 239 runs that Saurav had amassed, against arch-rivals Pakistan, in 2007! 😊
Well, Sourav, popularly known as the Prince of Kolkatta, has also gotten added feathers to his cap! Yes! he is also fondly known by the epithet, the ‘God of the offside!’
And that’s because, his offside shots are a real treat to behold! His knack for finding the gap even in the most brilliant of fieldings, and executing those phenomenal, awe-inducing shots – be it his scintillating square drives, or his charming cover drives – he is indeed a real delight for the avid cricket buff! 😊
On the other hand, Jonty Rhodes was also king on terra firma, in his own domain!
He has claim to fame as the greatest fielder in cricketing history, and hence he is also dubbed the ‘King of fielding’!
So yes! This match, then, was a kinda battle betwixt giants in their own right - God of the Offside on one side, and the King of fielding on the other! 😊
Minus that particular disastrous and dismal decision that resulted in India’s debacle at the hustings, the spirit of the sport was something that made us all spell-bound, and gave us all that ‘unbridled’ joy ‘unbounded’ that remains etched in our hearts forever!
And how! 😊
Pics Source: https://www.icc-cricket.com
Stats Source: espncricketinfo.com
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