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Untitled Document
 Records tumble as South Africa 'crush the Orange'
17th Mar 2007 09:24 IST
Agencies
South Africa resorted to pure carnage as they put up a huge score of 353/3 in a 40 over match against Holland in Basseterre on Friday.
The Dutch failed to get even close to the target and succumbed to a 221-run defeat.
This match, which broke several World Cup records also went on to prove that South Africa are going to be a force to contend with during the course of the tournament. With three hundred-run partnerships, the No. 1 team in the world stamped their authority in the match from the very beginning.
At the start of a rain-affected match that was reduced to 40 overs, the Netherlands captain Luuk van Troost won the toss and elected to field against the Proteas. Little did he fathom that it was one decision he would rue for long as the South African batsmen carted the ball all over the park to set up their highest score in World Cups till date.
AB de Villiers was the only South African batsman in the top five who was not amongst the runs. He returned to the pavilion for naught in only the second ball of the innings.
Jacques Kallis and captain Graeme Smith then took the attack to the opposition and were credited with the first of the three-century stands. The two batsmen took the score past a hundred runs with a flurry of boundaries and sixes. Kallis reached his 23rd ODI fifty in the 14th over.
However, the captain played a rash shot in the 18th over when he tried to hit Peter Borren for a six but was caught at point by Daan van Bunge for 67 in just 59 balls.
Herschelle Gibbs, who was in full flow and completely wrecked the Netherlands bowling attack was the next batsman to join Kallis at the crease. They went on to add 109 runs in 71 balls.
The start of the 29th over of the innings was one that perhaps van Bunge – the bowler, Gibbs – the batsman and the entire cricketing fraternity would never forget.
Gibbs launched into van Bunge and hit him for 6 sixes in a single over. Gibbs became only the first man in the history of World Cups and ODIs to achieve such a feat. However, the end of the 30th over also saw the end of Gibbs as he tried to loft for another six but was caught by Eric Szwarczynski for 72 in 40 balls.
Mark Boucher, who walked in at the fall of Gibbs’ wicket could not be left behind and joined the sixers-party when he hit Billy Stelling for two consecutive blows in the 34th over.
Kallis, at the other end reached his 15th ODI century when he hit Luuk van Troost for a huge six at the start of the 35th over.
Boucher, too was devastating at the other end when he hit Ryan ten Doeschate for a boundary in the 37th over to reach his 23rd ODI fifty in 21 balls. This was the fastest fifty scored by a batsman in the history of World Cup.
Together the two added 134 runs for the third wicket making it three consecutive century stands in a row – a feat never achieved before.
Kallis ended the South African innings with a huge six taking the score to 353/3 in the prescribed 40 overs. The Proteas innings also had a total of 18 sixes which was the maximum number of sixes hit in any match of the World Cup.
The target of 344 was a bit too much for the minnows. They started on a tentative note with opener Darron Reekers departing in the second over of the Dutch innings. Reekers gave up his wicket after Bas Zuiderent misjudged a single but Pollock was alert enough to run him out for 4 runs.
Zuiderent could not make the sacrifice count when he was clean bowled by in the fourth over of the innings by Shaun Pollock. He departed after scoring just 1 run in 11 balls.
The third Dutchman to head back to the pavilion was Alexei Kerveeze who was caught by Charl Langeveldt off the bowling of Pollock for 17 runs. He was closely followed by Daan van Bunge who was lbw to Andrew Hall for just 5 runs.
Szwarczynski was the next man to go to for Holland. A quick delivery by Smith rapped on his pads and he was caught plum in front for 12. At this stage half of the Dutch side was back in the hut for less than a hundred on the board.
The rest of the Dutch wickets were a mere formality as Ryan ten Doeschate was run-out for 57, Tim de Leede was bowled by Justin Kemp for 21, Peter Borren was run-out by Smith for 2 and the last man, Luuk van Troost, fell for 5 runs.
The Dutch team was wrapped up for 132/9 in their allotted 40 overs with wicketkeeper Jeroen Smits not taking the field. The South Africans won by a huge margin of 221 runs, which was the third highest margin of victory in World Cups.
Gibbs was adjudged the Man of the Match. |
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