“But this was not a tale of Antipodean incompetence, but rather of African inspiration. Smith and his players outdid themselves. They chased not as a gesture but with conviction. And every player responded.”

and

“Was the 2349th ODI the greatest ever played? It was. Does it belong alongside four-minute miles and 28-foot leaps? It does not. Astonishing athletic feats widen our appreciation of man’s possibilities. Instead, the match was a reminder that the true glories of any game occur in the conflict between committed and capable sides both desperate to prevail. Apart from the excitement of the finish, it is the rawness of the struggle and the response of the performers that holds our attention.”

“This is to make a more general point. As astonishingly as South Africa batted, they did so with the liberation of condemned men. It might even have been harder to chase 300, because that would have tested temperament, not just instinct. And the more Herschelle Gibbs’s instinct paid off, the more Australia panicked. The sheer horror of the prospect of defeat - in front of the baying Bullring, against a team they have so often labelled chokers, after notching up a world-record total - overcame them. South Africa showed what very talented batsmen can do if they have to. Australia showed what slightly less talented bowlers can do if doubt creeps in. That’s why a miracle happened on Sunday. And it’s what makes cricket, with its uncanny gift for the unexpected, such a great sport.”

On the other hand I think that the spectators would have been the most thrilled. This match seemed to be influenced by the recent surge in the 20-20 compact Cricket we have been recently witnessing. Gone are the days when people talked abt less than 4 rpo for a bowler.

Coming to the scenario back home, I am beginning to get worried if the BCCI will ever ger serious abt 20-20 cricket. It surely is a new rage in the cricketing world and seems to have taken the world by storm. In an age where people want everything in a short time, 20-20 offers the best viewing possibility of in 3 hrs. I just hope India do not commit the same mistake which they made during the introduction of the one-day format. It took them years to actually digest the fact that there is a 1-day cricket. Now with the board completely against the 20-20 format and the whole world against the BCCI, I am just beginning to wonder if BCCI might just be caught on the wrong foot.

As an afterthought, “what if” Nathan Bracken had caught Herschelle Gibbs at the crucial time! Well If ifs and buts were pots and pans there would be no tinkers, would ther’?