South Africa
vs New Zealand Semi-Final - Auckland,
Mar 24, 2015
Words aren’t
enough to describe this epic Semi Final between the two teams, one who had just
won their first Knock Out game ever and reached this stage, and another which
had previously reached 6 Semi Finals and never made it to the Finals. This match
was laden with so many nerve-wrecking moments, that each of those would go down
in history as some of the most unforgettable moments in cricket. First off, SA
survived an early collapse and managed to bring the score from 31-2 in 8 overs
to 216-3 in 38 overs. At this critical juncture when both AB de and du Plessis
were on song with half centuries and SA looked to reach 350+, their perennial
and unlucky connection with rain showed up, as the match was reduced to 43
overs a side, leaving SA only a 5-over notice to try and maximize their score.
With the help of Miller’s cameo, they reached 281, and 298 was set as target as
per D/L method – SA’s eternal enemy. SA were initially shaken by McCullum’s
blitzkrieg, as NZ raced to 71 in just 6 overs. SA got back into the game, as NZ
struggled at 149-4 in 21.4 overs. Anderson and Elliott then steadied the ship
and looked to take NZ home, when a mighty easy run-out chance of Elliott was
fumbled upon, even in the 2nd attempt, by AB de himself and this
proved to be a turning point. SA’s best talent – fielding – let them down, as
another crucial catch of Elliott was dropped, thanks to a collision between Behardien
and Duminy. The match was getting to its nerve-wrecking best, with NZ needing
12 off the final over, and Steyn being given the task of defending it. In the
penultimate ball of the innings, Elliott smashed Steyn for a 6, securing a
tense and historic victory for NZ, as they entered the Finals. The mere sight
of AB de and his men, letting off their emotions after a close loss, caused an
overwhelming heartache for all viewers.
- Harini Raman
- Harini Raman
No comments:
Post a Comment