The semi-final between South Africa and Australia at the 1999 World Cup is one of the greatest ODI matches of all time. 

The game ended as a tie, but Australia advanced to the final because they finished higher in the Sup Six stage of the tournament, which was held in England.

 

South Africa won the toss and elected to field. In seaming conditions, Australia managed to put up a total of 213 with Michael Bevan and Steve Waugh scoring vital half-centuries. Shaun Pollock and Allan Donald tore through the middle and lower order picking up 9 of the ten wickets between them. South Africa began their chase steadily with Kirsten and Gibbs putting on a good opening partnership.

Wickets then fell at regular intervals as South Africa collapsed to 61-4. Jonty Rhodes and Jacques Kallis then put together a vital partnership taking South Africa within 40 runs of victory. Through some valuable runs from Mark Boucher and Pollock, and some big hitting from Lance Klusener, South Africa moved closer to the target.

South Africa entered the final over at 205-9, needing a further nine runs to win. The two men at the crease were Lance Klusener who was on strike and Allan Donald at the other end. Damien Fleming was the bowler.

South Africa needed one run to win with three balls to go. The fourth ball of the final over was similar to the third. Klusener mis-hit to Mark Waugh at mid off, but this time Klusener went for the run, even though the chances of a run out were high and there were still two balls remaining. Klusener sprinted down the pitch while Donald, at the other end, was watching the ball instead of his partner and did not hear the call to run.

Waugh threw the ball to Fleming who rolled it along the pitch to Adam Gilchrist standing over the stumps at the batsman’s end. Donald (who had dropped his bat) was run out by some distance for a duck.

Donald and most of his team mates were in tears after the result and most of them put towels over their heads to hide this.

Australia went on to win the 1999 Cricket World Cup Final beating Pakistan by eight wickets after bowling them out cheaply and also had maintained an undefeated streak in world cup matches that was broken in their final group match of the 2011 World Cup.