Finally, a nail-biter at Auckland!
Right from the word go, there were nerves on display. Boult's first over went for 10 runs. Inside the first ten minutes, two catches were dropped by the black caps. Run out chances missed; mis-fields happened; more catches dropped; Big Mac as usual almost bowled all his top bowlers by the 40th over - you were left wondering whether it is going to be SA's day finally.
Then the rain.
Overs reduced.
Suddenly Big Mac's finish-'em-by-40 seemed to be a master-stroke (MSD will say 'fluke!')
Chasing 300 in 43 is easier than chasing 350 in 50, albeit the run rates are same!
And Big Mac was typical in his response. Quick-fire half-century. Funny that we say quick-fire for 50s these days; it used to be for 20s and 30s :-)
But the small Eden Park ground meant that no total is safe there. Couple that with such a wet ground. Tribute to Tahir for confounding the Kiwis through-out; especially that maiden to Guptill!
Boundaries flowed. Catches dropped. Run-outs went abegging. I personally counted that Elliott was dropped twice and was spared from run-outs twice as well. Morkel was electric. ABdV was adequate. But in the end, all it required was a length ball to be dished up. Steyn obliged. Elliott accepted. Game over.
MSD used to say that in such tight situations, just make it as 'bowler vs batsman and let their individual mental fortitude take care of the duel. Unfortunately for the Proteas, Steyn ended up second today.
SA will look back and rue Steyn's lack of form and an unfit Philander. And where was Kyle Abbott? There is only so much that the bastmen can do to bail out a team time and again. Ask India on how it used to feel until Feb 14th :-)
PS: Please ask Ian Smith to shut up! Whenever he was on air, the other two commentators were just quiet not because they did not have anything to say; but because Smith simply out-shouted them! If ever there was a one-sided commentary then it was from Ian Smith today! He acted as if he was still on the ground!
G-Section:
Funny that SA took more wickets than NZ; put it to vagaries of the game due to rain!
Rambo and Siva* managed to clean the kitty today.
Now for the second semi-finals.
Australia vs India @ Sydney by 1100 SGT on 26/March Thursday
And the default entry would be:
Australia wins by 31-60 runs / 4-5 wickets / Australia taking more wickets / 8-11 sixers
Reasons for the same tomorrow!
Q-Section:
Here is Qn. No. 26 of GQ'15.
The Brittish hath shewn compleat disregard!
Thus spake the document - more or less!
Give the motto of the company named after the stylish signer.
3 points.
Guesses to the usual place.
(The usual place is my email address/FB PM/Whatsapp; details of ranges etc., are at http://sribees.blogspot.sg/2015/02/gq-15-here-we-come.html)
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