Aussies reign supreme in Titanic clash
One of the most awaited clashes in ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 ended in an anti-climax as the mighty Australians bulldozed South Africans to establish their supremacy before flagging off the Super Eight stage of the tournament.
The Group A contest between South Africa and Australia at the Warner Park Stadium in St. Kitts was inconsequential, with the result having virtually no bearing on the tournament as both teams had already reserved their seats in the Super Eights. Nevertheless, the two teams played like this was the most decisive game of the tournament for them. However, the brilliant Aussies stayed put till the end and beat the Proteas by 83 runs in this inconsequential game.
Put in to bat first after losing the toss, Australia piled up a century for the opening wicket before the first 15 overs. Both openers, Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist, were at their destructive best, hitting South African seamers all over the park.
Hayden scored the fastest World Cup century, making 101 runs in just 68 balls, and hitting 14 fours and four towering sixes in the process. Gilchrist scored a perfect 42 runs off 42 balls. After the openers went off, Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting (91 off 91) and Michael Clarke (92 off 75) started their blitzkrieg. Both these batsmen hit awe-inspiring strokes that made for sheer entertainment.
In their 50 overs, Australia scored a total of 377 at the loss of six wickets. For South Africa, Andrew Hall (2-60) was the only one with an economy rate of six - all the others were way above this mark.
When South Africa came into bat, they were highly motivated by their last year's record-breaking feat of beating Australia by scoring 438-9 in the second innings at the Wanderers in Johannesburg. The openers, Graeme Smith (74 off 69) and AB de Villiers (92 off 70), started off in a destructive mode and contributed 160 runs in the opening stand. All-rounder Jacques Kallis (48) did his bit to ensure that the scoreboard kept ticking.
However, it was not to be. South African wickets kept falling at regular intervals and the team was bundled out for 294 runs in 48 overs. For Australia, Brad Hogg was the most effective bowler - he claimed three wickets for 61 runs. Nathen Bracken and Shaun Tait grabbed two wickets each.
After this game, both South Africa and Australia move on to the Super Eights, with the latter leading Group A with six points in tow.
Brief Scores: Australia 377/6 (Hayden 101, Ponting 91, Clarke 92) vs. South Africa 294 (de Villiers 92, Smith 74, Hogg 3/61)
Result: Australia won by 83 runs
Man of the Match: Matthew Hayden
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