South Africa Vs Zimbabwe 1999 World Cup

On May 29, 1999, South Africa, the competition's favourite, and Zimbabwe squared off in a world cup match. Zimbabwe was having a great tournament, putting up challenges against nearly every opponent. It was Zimbabwe's final and most important group stage match, and a Zimbabwean victory would mean the tournament's hosts, England, would be eliminated. Since South Africa had already advanced to the super six stage as the group leader, it wasn't a huge concern for them.

Zimbabwe got off to a strong start as they batted first, combining for 65 and 66 runs for the first and second wickets, respectively. Neil Johnson opened the batting and anchored their innings together. Zimbabwe were on 170/3 when he was removed as the third wicket after a superb 76-run innings. Eventually, Allan Donald took three wickets for 41 runs as they reached 233/6 in their fifty overs.

  It was not a game that South Africa had to win, as was previously said. But they undoubtedly felt differently after the conclusion of the competition. South Africa began their innings needing 234 to win, and things rapidly went south for them as Heath Streak and Neil Johnson destroyed the South African top order, leaving them at 6 for 40. It all started when, Gary Kirsten was dismissed of the first ball of South African innings, by Neil Johnson. Shaun Pollock then started working with Daryll Cullinan. In tandem, the two were able to raise some hope for the South African innings very gradually. But with the score at 106, Andy Whittall ended a 66-run partnership by removing Cullinan with a catch off his own bowling. Even yet, South Africa's chances remained intact when the player who was arguably the most valuable in the format at the moment entered the bat at number nine. When Lance Klusener, at the height of his abilities, joined Pollock, they were able to continue the repairs.

Neil Johnson

They succeeded in adding 43 runs to the total, and South Africa needed to score 85 more runs to win at the beginning of the 42nd over. Was not a simple task. while keeping in mind who was batting at the moment in part. But that was the moment when Andy Whittall broke the partnership once more, dismissing Pollock for 52 runs. The South African score was then increased by one run, and they lost the ninth wicket. But Lance Klusener was determined to fight to the death. He gave it his all throughout the battle. But it was a losing combat, as Klusener was undefeated at 52 and the South African innings ended in 47.2 overs with the score at 185.  For Zimbabwe, Heath Streak (3 wickets) and Andy Whittall (2 wickets) were able to offer outstanding support to a player who has all the makings of a cricket champion.  Only three South African batsmen could reach double figures, while the rest failed miserably.

Neil Johnson was the one who opened the Zimbabwean bats and took bowls. Johnson not only scored 76 runs at bat but also had the best bowling statistics for Zimbabwe, 3 for 27. Regretfully, his premature retirement prevented his career from reaching its full potential for both Zimbabwe and the sport as a whole. For Zimbabwe, this victory signified two things. Zimbabwe first earned their spot to the Super Six round and then eliminated England from the competition simultaneously. Even though it wasn't obvious at the time, as indicated above, this defeat affected South Africa's performance in the competition.

 If they had prevailed, they would have advanced to the super six round with two extra points, which would have moved them ahead of Pakistan and Australia in the standings. Now let's fast-forward to the two teams' historic semifinal match, which concluded in a draw. Australia advanced to the championship game because they finished higher on the super six points chart. As a result, this game was more important than it first seemed. Though they entered the tournament as one of the favourites, most of the time we believe South Africa was unfortunate not to make the finals at least once when we reflect on their world cup performances.  However, upon closer examination, it turns out that these minor details had a greater influence on South Africa's fortunes in world cup history than did chance.

Faiz Fazal

 

Indian Cricket player Fais Fasal announced his retirement from all formats of the game. Faiz Fasal got to play only in a lone ODI game for India. Despite scoring a half-century in the match, he never got to play in another international match for India. In the domestic arena, he played for Vidarbha. The left-hander amassed 9,184 runs at an average of 41 in 138 first-class matches. In IPL he was part of the Rajasthan Royals team in the 2009-11 season.

Faiz made his debut for India in 2016, under the captaincy of MS Dhoni. But by the time he made his debut, he was in his thirties. In the 3rd ODI match of the series, Indian bowlers restricted Zimbabwe to 123 runs. In reply, Faiz Fazal (55*) along with KL Rahul (63*) sailed to victory in 21.5 overs without any loss of wicket. Vidharbha won their maiden Ranji title in the 2017-18 season under the captaincy of Faiz Fazal. Early in his career, Faiz Fazal missed out on being a part of the U19 World Cup squad in 2004 when an injury forced him out of the squad. However, his replacement Shikhar Dhawan made the most of the opportunity and went on to become the tournament's highest run scorer.

Faiz Fazal

Interestingly, the Indian pacer Barinder Sran too, hasn’t played for India since featuring in the same match of the ODI series in 2016. The Indian batter Karun Nair’s last ODI was also in the same series. He too hasn’t played for India in ODIs since the 2nd match of the ODI series.

Left Handed Batsmen

 
Greatest Left-Handed Batsmen of the 90s

Sachin Tendulkar, Aravinda De Silva, Ricky Ponting, Rahul Dravid, Inzamamul Haq, Jacques Kallis, the list of right-handed batsmen who have reigned the cricket arena in the 90s is somewhat a long one. Team Predictors here make an effort to describe some of the great left-handed batsmen from each major team of the 90s.

1. Brian Lara(WI)

The West Indian great is undoubtedly one of the best to ever play cricket for the West Indies. He played 131 Tests for the West Indies. He made 11,953 runs at an average of 52.89. Lara held the record for the highest ever test score by a batsman, when he scored 375 against England in 1994. He held the record for a long time until Matthew Hayden of Australia made 380 against Zimbabwe in 2003. But Brian Lara once again broke the record by scoring a whopping 400 against England in 2004. Lara played 299 ODI for West Indies and made 10,405 runs at an average of 40.17. Lara holds the record of scoring the most runs in an over in Test cricket. He scored 28 runs off an over from the South African spinner Robin Peterson. The match-winning innings of Lara, where he scored 153* versus Australia in 1999 at Barbados is regarded by Wisden as the second-best ever test innings.

Brian Lara

2. Sourav Ganguly (IND)

Sourav Ganguly made a dream entry to the test arena when he scored a century on his debut at Lords in 1996. Sourav Ganguly is considered to be one of the greatest Indian Cricket team captains. He led India to the semifinals in the 2003 World Cup. Along with Sachin Tendulkar, he formed a formidable opening pair in ODIs. Ganguly was known for his big-hitting capabilities. The Southpaw 11,363 runs from 311 ODI matches at an average of 41.02. In test format, he compiled 7212 runs at an average of 42.17. Ganguly. Ganguly was known for his dominance on the offside. Once Rahul Dravid famously remarked that first there is God on the offside and then there is Ganguly.

Sourav Ganguly

3. Sanath Jayasuriya (SL)

Interestingly, Sanath Jayasuriya was included in the team as a spinner. But the left-arm spinner later went on to become the mainstay of Srilankan's batting lineup. The 1996 World Cup saw a new strategy from the Lankan team management, where the openers Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharna made most of the fielding restrictions in the first 15 overs. The opening pair went after the bowling and made quick runs in the initial overs. Sanath, 'The Matara Marauder' was known for his sweet timing and cut shots. His attacking style of play helped him dominate any bowlers in the world. He scored 13,430 runs from 445 ODIs at an average of 32.36. In tests, he scored 6973 runs at an average of 40.07.

Sanath Jayasuriya

4. Saeed Anwar (PAK)

Saeed Anwar is considered one of the greatest opening batsmen of his era. The Pakistan opener held the record for the highest ODI individual score when he scored 194 runs against arch-rival India in 1997. The stylish batsman had a trademark flick shot. He scored 8,824 runs from 247 ODI at an average of 39.21. In test format, he scored 4,052 runs at an average of 45.52 in 55 matches. He scored 20 centuries in ODIs and 11 in Tests.

Saeed Anwar

5. Matthew Hayden (AUS)

Even though Matthew Hayden was picked for Australia's England Tour in 1993, he had to wait till 1994 to play his first test match. Again he got to play his second match in 1996-97 against West Indies. The star-studded Australian batting line-up was difficult to be intruded into. The imposing left-hander was a prolific run scorer in the domestic circuit. But he couldn't reciprocate the same in the international arena in his initial matches. 2001 Indian tour changed the fortune of Hayden He scored 549 rund from 3 test matches at an average of 109. Since then he became a regular face in the Australian lineup until his retirement. Hayden scored 6,133 runs from 161 matches at an average of 43.80. In 103 test matches, he scored 8,625 runs at an average of 50.73 with the help of 30 centuries. His highest score of 380 in tests was a record at that time until Brian Lara surpassed it with 400.

Matthew Hayden

6. Gary Kirsten (SA)

The South African opener was a prolific run scorer for South Africa before he got into the coaching field. Gary Kirsten was the first batsman to score centuries against all nine test-playing nations. From 101 test matches, he scored 7,289 runs at an average of 45.27, which includes 21 centuries. In the ODI format, he scored 6,798 runs at an average of 40.95. His highest score in ODI is 188*.

Gary Kirsten

 

7. Graham Thorpe (ENG)

Interestingly, Graham Thorpe switched to a left-hand stance in his childhood, because the boundary in the garden was shorter for a left-hander! Graham Thorpe scored a century in the second innings of his debut test. He played in 100 test matches for England and scored 6,744 runs at an average of 44.66, with 200* being the highest score. In ODI matches, he scored 2,380 runs at an average of 37.18. In ODI he scored 21 half-centuries, but never scored a century. In the test format, he has scored 16 centuries and 39 half-centuries.

Graham Thorpe

 

8. Andrew Flower (ZIM)

Andrew Flower is undoubtedly the best batsman, Zimbabwe has ever produced. But often Andy Flower had to carry the workload of his team entirely on his line shoulders. Andrew Flower was technically a sound batsman and was ranked 1 in the list of test batsmen in October 2001. He scored a century on his World Cup debut. Andrew Flower is considered one of the best wicketkeeper batsmen in Cricket. Andrew Flower scored 6,786 runs at an average of 35.34 in ODI. In test format, he scored 4,794 runs at an average of 51.54 in 63 test matches. In the test, he scored 12 centuries and 4 in ODI format.

Andrew Flower

 

9. Stephen Fleming (NZ)

      Stephen Fleming is the name that automatically comes to mind when the New Zealand cricket team is mentioned. He is the longest-serving captain for the Kiwis. He captained his side for 218 ODI matches. In 280 ODI matches, he scored 8,037 runs at an average of 32.40, with the help of 8 centuries. In 111 test matches, he amassed 7,172 runs at an average of 40.06, with the help of 9 centuries.

Stephen Fleming