Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting, perhaps in an unreflective state of mind, had once decided to end his friendship ties with former pacer Paul Reiffel after he had dropped a “sitter” in a crunch ICC Cricket World Cup 1999 semi-final against South Africa.
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Speaking to the ICC (International Cricket Council) on the day of another World Cup semi-final between the same two teams 24 years later, Ponting had recalled how Reiffel’s dropped catch led him to thoughts of his team getting eliminated.
Requiring 18 runs in two overs to chase down a 213-run target, the Proteas had lost a couple of wickets in the penultimate over bowled by Glenn McGrath. It was all down to all-rounder Lance Klusener to single-handedly play an ever-memorable cameo in an edge-of-the-seat thriller and take his side through to a World Cup final for the first time.
It seemed that the Goddess of fortune was on his side after what transpired on the fifth delivery of that over. McGrath bowled a fiery full toss aiming the stumps and the southpaw clobbered the ball powerfully towards Reiffel at long-on. Failing to judge the pace at which the ball was travelling towards him, Reiffel overran a tad bit only for the ball to pop out of his reverse-cupped hands and land over the boundary ropes.
Ponting, in the aforementioned interaction, claimed Reiffel’s dropped catch moment as the one where he could’ve drawn the friendship ending line between the two.
“Paul Reiffel dropped Lance Klusener at long-on off Mcgrath’s bowling. Not only was it a ‘sitter’, not only had he dropped him, but he actually parried it over the ropes for six. And I’m there sitting and thinking, ‘That’s the game, the game’s done’. I am thinking, ‘Paul, I am not gonna ever speak to you again. I think our friendship is over, I am not talking to you again’.”
This wasn’t the only opportunity lost by the Aussies as another one was yet to arrive. After Klusener nailed back-to-back boundaries in the final over to have his side just one run away from victory, he hit one straight to Darren Lehmann at short mid-on. Allan Donald, backing too far at the non-striker’s end, would have been run out by a fair margin had Lehmann not made a mess of a rather easy opportunity from such a small distance.
However, much to their delight, Donald had an unfortunate brain-fade moment the very next ball as he found himself way short of the crease at the striker’s end to finish the match in a tie. Courtesy of a higher finish at the Super 6 points table, Australia advanced through to the grand finale.
No one but the South African fans can better explain the meaning of the phrase “so close yet so far” as the scars of agony of those memories continue to have their heads shake in disbelief. In fact, years later, Donald even went on to compare the post-match dressing room environment to death!
Ricky Ponting And Paul Reiffel Were Involved In An Airborne Scuffle
Three years before the above mentioned incident, Ricky Ponting and Paul Reiffel were involved in an airborne scuffle while traveling from Indore to Bengaluru. Playing Titan Cup 1996 in India, the two fought over a petty issue only to sit out of the Playing XI in the next match against the hosts at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Reportedly, Ponting had taken a jibe at Reiffel after a co-passenger had spill his food all over the latter. Perhaps the words of mockery were too harsh for the fast bowler to dismiss it as just another banter, as it ultimately resulted in an ugly scuffle.
As a result, the then Australian captain Mark Taylor decided to impose a punishment (one-match ban) upon the two on grounds of indecency and irresponsible behaviour before the journalists and other commoners on board.
