11 years on, the Johannesburg run-fest between South Africa and Australia is still hailed as the ‘greatest one-dayer’ of all time. The match was played before Twenty20 Internationals ruled the roost in world cricket.
With teams easily getting past the 400-run mark, no One Day International has still managed to get past the 872-run aggregate set by the two teams. Spare a thought for the bowlers. Aussie pacer Mick Lewis, who ended with the most expensive bowling figures of 0/113 in his 10 overs never played another game for his country. For the Proteas, class bowlers like Makhaya Ntini and Jacques Kallis were taken to the cleaners.
After choosing to bat, Australia finished with a whopping 434/4, already setting the record for the highest-ever total. Skipper Ricky Ponting starred the show with yet another brutal knock at Johannesburg, finishing at 164, his highest score. Three years earlier, he had thumped the Indians during the 2003 World Cup final at the same venue.
Despite losing Boeta Dippenaar early, the South Africans roared back in the contest with a game-changing 187-run second wicket stand between skipper Graeme Smith and Herschelle Gibbs. It was Smith’s fearless 90 from 55 balls that set the tone, and Gibbs seized the initiative with a monumental 175.
The game can easily find its way into a Bollywood setting. There was no shortage of drama as the South Africans kept losing wickets during the chase. Johan van der Wath made the most telling contribution with a timely 18-ball 35. Mark Boucher would go on to finish things off with a boundary off Brett Lee in the penultimate ball of the match. The hosts won the five-match series 3-2.
Amidst the carnage, Australia pacer Nathan Bracken still came out with his head held high with figures of five for 67. As for Gibbs, the joint Man-of-the-match winner alongside Ponting, he had somewhat atoned for his costly dropped catch of Steve Waugh when the two sides met at the Super Six stage of the 1999 World Cup.