Greatest Cricket Match Ever !!

What a match ! its been more than 2 hours since the match has finished and i still can believe it. South Africa chased 434 runs and how they chased !! With a spirit and gutso hitherto unseen, Gibbs and Smith plundered their way towards an improbable target . It was a true Captain's knock from Graeme Smith . It takes a lot of courage and will to even THINK of chasing such a score but Smith's men did it. What an innings Gibbs played . It was out of this world. He was hitting as if there was no tomorrow and every shot was of the meat of the bat. Such was his brilliance that Ponting's astonishing knock was overshadowed. The match could not have been won without the contribution of the cucumber-cool Boucher and a revelation called as Van Der Wath .

Spare a thought for Aussies . After scoring 434 no one in their wildest dreams would have thought it possible that they are gone lose. Ponting played the 2nd best innings of his life ( the first one is the WC2003 finals against Indians ) . He is a treat to watch when in full flow. Its a shame that he ended up on the losing side. I feel he made a crucial tactical error when he persisted with Mick Lewis even after he had gone for 80 of 8 overs. Brett Lee still had overs left and Ponting should have given the ball to him . As fate would have it, Lewis was whacked to all corners and ended up with dubious world record of conceding the maximum runs in a ten over spell .

I watched the match in the hostel TV room and the atmosphere was electric. It was as if the finals of the world cup was going on . Half the hostel was there and they were putting their entire weight behind the gallant South Africans . When SA won, everyone celebrated as if India had won the match . Truly , it was the GREATEST one day match ever. Hats off to both SA and Australia.

P.S Wonder what India would have done when faced with a target of 435 in 50 overs !!