CWC 2015 - India v South Africa At The MCG on 22nd Feb 2015

‪#‎Ind‬ v ‪#‎Pak‬ done and dusted, India now take on ‪#‎SouthAfrica‬ in another scorcher of a league match on 22nd Feb 2015. 

Another #SuperSunday in the offing for #cricket fans! ‪#‎CWC2015‬ ‪#‎India‬ v ‪#‎SA‬ (‪#‎Proteas‬) at the ‪#‎MCG‬

India are down 0-3 in head to head ties against #SA in ‪#‎CWC‬ tournaments.

Is this their ‪#‎Mauka‬ to set the equation straight?

1992 - lost by 8 wickets
1999 - lost by 4 wickets
2011 - lost by 2 wickets

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Herschelle Gibbs - "You just dropped the World Cup Son"

"You just dropped the World Cup son..." Did Steve Waugh say that? Yes or No .. the debate will go on but it was undoubtedly the defining moment in the 1999 world cup. IF Steve Waugh would have gone at that stage, Australia would have never qualified for the semi finals and SA would have had the best chance to win the world cup. As luck would have it, the best fielder in the side (alongside Jonty Rhodes) had to drop this sitter.

The score card should have read like this
Steve Waugh caught and dropped Gibbs b Kluesner 52

Waugh went to score his typical gritty century and bail Australia out of this game to set up semifinals against? You guessed right... SA again. What happened at Birmingham in the semis? ... is part of cricketing legend!

Will South Africa Bury Ghosts Of Previous Cricket World Cups in 2015?

Will #SA break the #CricketWorldCup jinx this time?

The eternal "chokers" of cricket enter yet another world cup carrying ghosts of previous editions. The dreadful #Rainrule in 1992, the #Lara magnum opus in 1996, the ultimate #KluesnerChoke in the greatest one dayer of all time in 1999, the silly miscalculation against  #SriLanka in 2003, complete annihilation by #Australia in 2007 and the #NewZeland choke of 2011.

What are their chances this time around then?

Almost every world cup has thrown a situation that has pushed them out of the cup. Ironically, on most occasions they are the team to beat. Wessels' team in 1992 was their re-entry into world cup after the apartheid era but they did tremendously well to reach the semis only to be cruelly thrown out due to the ridiculous rain rule that was being applied to rain curtailed games. The #DuckworthLewis rule came in later to even out a contest.

In 1996 and 1999, under #HansieCronje, they were arguably the best side to win both tournaments on form and man-to-man strengths. Bowling, Batting, Fielding, All round ability .. they had it all. And some of the best names at that. However in 1996, they ran into a rampaging #BrianLara in the quarterfinal to be blown under his assault. In 1999, the greatest one day match of all time (a tied semi final against Australia) saw them bow out on account of losing to the Aussies in the group stage. An eternal #choke (that went on to become a sobriquet associated with them for years to come).

In 2003, under #GraemeSmith and being hosts, was another golden opportunity. And what did they do? Fluff up a Duckworth-Lewis calculation and failed to take an extra run that would see them in the next round. Instead Sri Lanka went through. What a mega blunder!

2007 World Cup was dominated by Australia throughout and they blew away everyone along the way including SA in the semifinals. Fair and square. No bad luck involved here.

Come 2011, and again tragedy struck in the quarterfinals against New Zealand. From what seemed like a easy win, they wasted another opportunity...

Any luck this time around?

Well, they seem a bit inexperienced and a lot of fresh faces.
However their key strength is their bowling, especially #DaleSteyn and #MorneMorkel. They will hold key on the fast Australian pitches and seams NZ tracks.

Batting is in safe hands of #ABDevilliers, #HashimAmla and #FafDuPlessis.

Solid all round strength and fielding is extra-ordinary right from the #JontyRhodes era.

With SA its all going to be about self belief.
Can they conquer their mental demons this time around?

SA Team for Cricket World Cup 2015
A B Devilliers
Hashim Amla
Kyle Abbott
Farhan Behardien
Quinton De Kock
Jean Paul Duminy
Faf Du Plessis
Imran Tahir
David Miller
Morne Morkel
Wayne Parnell
Aaron Phangiso
Vernon Philander
Rilee Rossauw
Dale Steyn

AB's Historic feat - Fastest Century In One Dayers

A long standing record in cricket is broken !!!

#ABDevilliers has done it.... 
Century in 31 balls ... OMG ... unbelievable batting from the most valuable player in cricket today.

#SouthAfrica vs #WestIndies
Venue: Wanderers, Johannesburg
Date: 18th Jan 2015

Batting first and riding well on #HashimAmla and #RileeRossouw hundreds, South Africa looked to build momentum for a big score through some quick runs from their middle order. #AB decided scoring quick was not good enough. He decided to take the bullet train route. 

And boy, did he explode?

Absolute carnage followed.
The hapless #Windies could do nothing but see the bowls flowing over their heads into the crowds in what has been one of the most audacious batting display in cricket history. Scoops, Sweeps, Paddle shots, Flicks, the runs flowed from everywhere... and AB the magician provided them all  .. in just 31 balls..

And that didn't end there.
He carried on and piled up 149 in 49 deliveries (including 16 sixes, a SA record)

Records set
50 runs - 16 balls - World record #ABDevilliers
100 runs - 31 balls - World record #ABDevilliers
16 sixes - South African record #ABDevilliers
Total score 439 - just four short of that magical 443 SA scored against Australia (again at Wanderers in that classic massive scoring game few years ago)

West Indies were so blown away by that onslaught, that their reply ended before it actually started.
Although #DeneshRamdin and #DwayneSmith got half centuries, they lost the game by 148 runs. Had they plucked AB early in his innings, they could have made a game of it. Not to be.

AB take a bow!

Ind v Pak (Group Match, Centurion, World Cup 2003)

Venue: Supersport Park, Centurion, SA

Huge game!!
Traditional rivals at it again ... in a #WorldCup match.
Build up to this game was big. Pakistan bowling vs India batting.
It was predicted that if Pak batting clicks, they win. If Ind bowling clicks, they win. Simple as that.
But, Ind v Pak matches are never simple. right?

This match was more important for Pakistan than India because their victory/loss here would determine their slim chances to proceed ahead in the tournament. India was sitting in a better position but a win here would ensure their safe passage to the next phase.

Many battles were being looked forward to. Shoaib v Sachin, Waqar v Sehwag, Zaheer v Anwar, Kumble v Inzamam. It reached a feverish state prior to the game. Everyone just wanted the game to start ..... rather explode!!

On a wonderful Centurion morning, #WasimAkram, Pakistan captain, won the toss and elected to bat first. A good decision considering the pressure involved. #Saeed Anwar and #TaufeeqUmar started the Pak innings steadily. Mixing caution and aggression, they touched fifty under 10 overs without any damage done. Then #ZaheerKhan struck, uprooting Taufeeq stumps. First blood for Ind. #AbdulRazzaq, promoted up the order, to up the ante didnt stay for too long edging one behind off Nehra for 12. 90 for 2.

In walked #InzamamUlHaq, the best best Pakistan batsman. With Anwar in full flow by then, Pak would have imagined both of them to build a big partnership, Instead, the inevitable happened!! Inzy was run out (any surprises there?). A complete miscommunication and poor running cost him dearly. His reaction aftter the dismissal said everything. Frustration, disappointment and anger .. all in one. Indians were delighted. Pak 98 for 3.

#YousufYouhana joined Anwar and together they started their repair work. Answar crossed his individual fifty and Youhana was just about to let loose when #JavagalSrinath struck getting him to hit one down Zaheer's throat.  Pak 171 for 4.

Saeed Anwar completed a beautifully crafted century shortly after. he had played some delightful strokes in his innings holding one end strongly. Just as he was about to open up, #AshishNehra castled him. Pak 195 for 5. In spot of bother.

The extremely unreliable #ShaahidAfridi, follwed suit leaving Pak struggling to up the tempo in the end overs. Pak 208 for 6.

#RashidLatif though had different ideas. He unleashed his dogged style of batting and pushed the scoring quickly along with #YounisKhan. Both pushed the score past 250 before Younis was caught behind off Zaheer. Pak 256 for 7.

In walked Pak captain, #WasimAkram. He took charge and unleased some lusty blows in the final over to give the Pak total a mighty look. At the end of their innings, Pak 273 for 7. A good score considering the pressure and tension of an Ind v Pak game.

Can India pull this off? or Pak will walk away with an easy win?

In walked #SachinTendulkar and #VirenderSehwag to open Ind innings. The best opening pair vs the best pace attack on display (Shoaib, Waqar and Wasim). A contest was on the hands. Both batsmen knowing the required rate was high started pushing score quickly. Sachin was extremely severe on anything short of length. His #uppercut six of Shoaib is part of cricketing folklore now. What an amazing shot. The commentators were spell bound, the spectators were wow and Pak bowlers zapped by this onslaught. #WaqarYounis met the same fate the following over. 50 of the team was brought up in 5 overs. Tremendous start!

In desperate search for wickets, Waqar finally broke through Sehwag getting him to hit a full-length delivery to short cover. He trapped Ind captain #SouravGanguly #lbw the very next ball. Great fightback. Ind 53 for 2.

India promoted #MohamadKaif to number 4 to stem the rot and not risk another key wicket. A great decision since he played perfect foil to Sachin's aggression. At the other end, Sachin was most lucky to be dropped by Razzaq off Wasim. he continued to attack the Pak bowling unit though. 

His assault on Wasim and Afridi derailed the Pak camp completely. The genius at work showed his team how to do it? However due to the #Centurion heat, he developed cramps in legs and asked for a runner, Sehwag it was. His concentration seemed to have been lost and he fell to a Shoaib short delivery. What an innings he had played? 98 for 75 deliveries. A dream effort and one of the greatest ODI knocks ever seen. Ind 177 for 4.

The impact of Sachin's assault on Pak bowlers was such that the run pressure was off. All it now needed was someone to stay put and complete the chase. With #RahulDravid and #YuvrajSingh the crease, winning the game was no biog deal. Yuvraj played his usual aggressive stuff while Dravid supported him beautifully. India crossed the line with ease. A comfortable 6 wicket victory.

#RobinJackman, the presentor for Man of the Match, said "Thank you Sachin for such a wonderful innnings. Take a bow".

With this win, India was more or less assured of the next phase (#SuperSixes) while pakistan had to work their way around the group to move ahead.
  
MOM: Sachin Tendulkar

Watch the video highlights of this game here: