1) Oh, it is unbelievable. What an absorbing Semi-finals between New Zealand & South Africa.There was see-saw, there were ups & downs.New Zealand had come so far unscathed till quarter finals.It was widely believed that the Black Cats may be losers still & SA may have an edge.Cricket is game of glorious uncertainties & more so T20 &
One-day cricket ,prediction amongst equals becomes well-nigh impossible.Perhaps that was it,here, as rains stopped play & D/L formula had to be adopted & NZ was to score 293 in 43 overs ,a very tall order,as against 281/5 by SA. 7 runs per over
throughout & consistent is not an easy task.Yet, NZ Captain known for his rollercoaster breezy knocks & superlative power-packed hits with only Boundaries & Sixers stormed SA bowlers, powdered & pounded the SA fast bowlers with such anticipatory reflexes ,even if Steyn & Morkel, world class renowned speedsters with speed & swing,tried their best to dislodge.Only when his hurricane batting ended with scoring rate for the openers at 14 per over slowly climbed down.
One-day cricket ,prediction amongst equals becomes well-nigh impossible.Perhaps that was it,here, as rains stopped play & D/L formula had to be adopted & NZ was to score 293 in 43 overs ,a very tall order,as against 281/5 by SA. 7 runs per over
throughout & consistent is not an easy task.Yet, NZ Captain known for his rollercoaster breezy knocks & superlative power-packed hits with only Boundaries & Sixers stormed SA bowlers, powdered & pounded the SA fast bowlers with such anticipatory reflexes ,even if Steyn & Morkel, world class renowned speedsters with speed & swing,tried their best to dislodge.Only when his hurricane batting ended with scoring rate for the openers at 14 per over slowly climbed down.
2) Though bit by bit, brick by brick, the 1 down & 2 down batsmen played their part, yet scoring rate was drooping & runrate to score to cross Victory was going up & up.If regular 50 overs have to be toned down as time is lost due to rains, that scale becomes uneven for 1 team or the other & so was it here to day in this gripping game, interest not sagging, crowd & viwers enthu never came down, barometer of suspense continued to ebb & flow,pulse rate for avid spotsmen & supporters, as the case may be, up-down, down-up with only 4s & 6s like a throb not to stop the heartbeat of the everlasting game of cricket, thrill & suspense alternating .When many thought, after 5 wickets down & class batsmen back in pavilion, Elliott, slow, steady, choosy to select loose balls ,with calm composure bringing runs required & balls to go balance popping up on scoreboard, wa, grandold man & former Captain & worlds topmost silent spinner & allrounder Vettori played second fiddle inspiring Elliott to take on the show,many had mentally written down NZ as losers but the last 3 overs fight between bat & ball changed the course of destiny,
As 25th MARCH 2015 tomorrow ,for Pensioners going to be ,thanx to eminent SC Bench empathy & equity, is one to be etched in letters of gold in WORLDCUP HISTORY.That was WC 2015 1st semifinals.NZ won with 299 runs in 42.5 overs with a glorious 6 by Elliott,tears ran down SA cricketers, fireworks for New Zealanders & gungho for the supportive applauding NZ spectators.
As in Cricket, so too in LIFE, patience & Perseverance pays.I enjoyed my PC typing & side by side witnessing this razor-sharp, biting finish, a grand finale indeed
RBKISHORE
ED(Retd),LIC,PROBUS LIFE MEMBER,
044-28155810 / 098403 40591
