Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith reflected on the epic game against Australia, in which his team set a new record for the most successful run chase in one-day internationals. As the Proteas chased down 434 with one ball remaining in Johannesburg, Herschelle Gibbs’ 175 surpassed Ricky Ponting’s 164, and the world witnessed one of the greatest run-chases in limited-overs cricket.
Australia chose to bat first, and openers Adam Gilchrist and Simon Katich put up a 97-run partnership. After Ponting’s 105-ball 164, Michael Hussey (81 from 51 balls) and Andrew Symonds (27 off 13 deliveries) aided Australia in putting up a formidable total.
Smith was dismissed for 90 runs in 55 balls, but Gibbs scored 175 runs in 111 balls, including 21 boundaries and seven maximums. The game came down to seven runs needed off Brett Lee’s final over, thanks to cameos from AB de Villiers (14) and Jacques Kallis (20). With a lofted shot over mid-on by Mark Boucher, who scored a quick fifty, South Africa won the game and the series 3-2.
Smith recalled how Jacques Kallis joked in the dressing room to “break the ice” during the innings break during the high-octane game at the Wanderers Stadium.
“As a captain, you can imagine how I felt walking off the field after winning the toss and electing to bowl first. We only had a short amount of time to turn around. ‘Let me pad up first because I’m going to open the batting.’ Let me finish that first.’ It’s all about getting my head ready to bat, and then we’ll get the rest of the team in the right mindset “Cricket.com quoted Smith as saying.
Herschelle Gibbs was incredible and so was Ricky Ponting’s knock, according to Smith. The momentum kept swaying for the whole 100 overs, given that the opposition had scored 434.
