ICC Cricket World Cup 1999 semi-final against Australia is treated as arguably the most forgettable match in the history of the sport by South African fans. Former fast bowler Allan Donald, who had found himself under the spotlight during an infamous event, had revealed the post-match atmosphere inside the dressing room during his appearance on The Dan Nicholl Show a few years ago.
Advertisement
Admitting that he’s still haunted by those visuals, Donald had locked himself in the physiotherapist’s room at Edgbaston right after losing a knockout contest in an era when spectators used to run to the ground to both praise and pan the players. In order to comfort Donald, even Australian legends namely Steve Waugh and Glenn McGrath had paid him a visit after the match.
“You can just imagine what it was like in that change room. It was like death. You can’t imagine how I feel,” Donald had said on The Dan Nicholl Show.
Needing a run off four balls to qualify for the final, South Africa had failed to grab a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to leave both players and fans scarred for life. In search of nine runs in the final over to seal a 214-run target, Player of the Series Lance Klusener had smashed Damien Fleming for back-to-back boundaries.
From there on, there was no way South Africa could’ve lost the match, or so it seemed. Caught watching the ball after Klusener hit one towards short mid-off, Donald had failed to make his crease at the striker’s end.
Despite the match finishing in a tie, the rules were such that the team placed better in the Super Six stage would have advanced to the finals. Even though both South Africa and Australia had six points from three wins to their names, Australia’s better NRR (Net Run Rate) had provided them with a head-start.
Apart from Donald, former batter Herschelle Gibbs dropping Waugh in a crucial Super Six match had also cost the Proteas dearly. Had the Australian captain been dismissed then and there, the Aussies probably wouldn’t have gained an advantage on the back of successfully chasing down a 272-run target at Headingley.
No One Remembers Allan Donald Picking Four Wickets In World Cup Semi-final
For one of his presumably motivational talks, Allan Donald had visited a school and asked if anyone remembered how many wickets he had taken in the aforementioned match. Unfortunately, not a lot of fans remember him picking four wickets in the first innings. Reason why the memory has lost into oblivion? The above mentioned tournament-deciding dismissal.
For the unversed, the right-arm bowler had dismissed the likes of Ricky Ponting, Darren Lehmann, Fleming and Paul Reiffel. While Ponting was caught by a fielder, Lehmann had edged the ball to the wicket-keeper in Donald’s first over itself. Both specialist bowlers in Reiffel and Fleming were bowled by Donald in his last over. Instrumental in bundling out the opposition for 213, Donald is still remembered as more of a villain than a hero.
Having eventually made peace with the incident, Donald coped with it by practicing a technique called “Flooding” in psychology. He watched it over and over again until accepting it as just another day in an otherwise decorated 12-year old international career.
Donald, who participated in a total of four World Cups, is South Africa’s second-highest wicket-taker in the history of the tournament. Only behind former spinner Imran Tahir (40), The White Lightning’s 38 wickets had come at an average and strike rate of 24.02 and 34.5 respectively.
Having also played four World Cups, former South African captain Shaun Pollock (31) is third on this list. In spite of providing countless joyous moments throughout his career, Donald’s lone moment of despair trumping others doesn’t speak highly of some fans’ mindset.
