Check this out.. South Africa 206/5, need FOUR runs to win with 5 wickets in hand in 5.2 overs. Malinga is the bowler, he has had a horrible day going for 49 runs in 7 overs in a low scoring game. Match in the kitty you would suppose. But wait, this is South Africa, nothing is over till the last run is obtained. Then this happened:
44.5: Malinga to Pollock, OUT, BINGO! Finally Malinga strikes, that is a superb bit of bowling. It's a slower ball on the stumps, Pollock just does not pick it, plays inside the line of the ball and loses his leg stump. Even with the game all but gone Sri Lanka are fighting. Pollock played a good hand but now he's gone!
44.6: Malinga to Hall, OUT, ANOTHER! Andrew Hall goes off the very first ball! It's another speared-in yorker, Hall just about manages to dig it out, but he can't keep the ball down ... it bobs up into the air for the man at cover to pouch easily! Is there a twise left in this game
46.1: Malinga to Kallis, OUT, Would you believe it? Malinga has got the hat-trick! Full, furious, outside off stump, Kallis goes for a square-drive and nicks it behind. Loud appeal. Kallis stays rooted. Even louder appeal and Harper raises the fatal finger. SA eight down and choking real badly.
46.2: Malinga to Ntini, OUT, And then they were one! Malinga gets four in four. Unbelievable! Screaming yorker and Ntini drives, bat comes inside the line and ball crashes into the off stump. Malinga is slinging down magic deliveries and SA are nine down.
In between Vaas bowled an over where Kallis took a single off the first ball. Wondering if the last pair can get the 3 runs needed. Langeveldt just got a single as they negotiated the last four balls of the Malinga over. Surely they have to finish it off against Vaas before Malinga comes back to bowl his next over. Or Will we have a tie between these two teams again?. Surely everyone remembers the previous world cup where South Africa got the D/L wrong and ended up tieing the game. Will South Africa have another tie in World cup matches?
Vaas bowls a maiden to Langeveldt. Over to Malinga again and two runs needed. Something tells me Sri Lanka are actually on top here. South Africa win Pieterson gets the expected edged FOUR and South Africa hold on to win what must have actually been an easy and convincing 5-wicket victory. Surely, that must have sent a few jitters in the dressing room and I am sure other teams will pick on it to play some mind games.
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