OTD| History unfolded in Johannesburg as South Africa chased down a massive target of 435 against Australia in 2006

Some matches leave a long-lasting impact on the fans. One such match was played between South Africa and Australia on this day in 2006. The 5-match ODI series between the two teams was evenly poised at 2-2 before the last match of the series in Johannesburg. It was a must-win encounter for both sides, especially for the Proteas as their home turf was at stake. 

The Kangaroos go berserk 

The Australian skipper, Ricky Ponting, won the toss and elected to put runs on the board in the first innings of the series decider. The left-handed opening duo of Adam Gilchrist and Simon Katich started the first innings in a destructive manner. The openers took on the initial onslaught of the formidable South African bowling attack and took them to the cleaners. Adam Gilchrist was the more aggressive of the two and by the time he was dismissed, he had already scored 55 runs. The 97-run opening stand gave Australia the momentum which was later capitalized on by Ricky Ponting. 

The Aussie captain went on to smash a giant century to demolish the opposition bowling attack. He scored 164 runs that deflated the hosts. Along with him, Michael Hussey was also instrumental with his 81-run knock that propelled the visitors to a humongous total of 434 runs. 

The Proteas pull off a miracle

At the end of the first innings, the general sense among the fans and pundits was that it was a done deal for Australia. However, the game is not until it is over. Australia had an early success as they got rid of the opener Boeta Dippenaar. But the South African captain, Graeme Smith, and Herschelle Gibbs switched the momentum in their favour with a 187-run partnership to push the Australians on the back foot. The Kangaroos got a respite when they dismissed Smith for 90 runs but the visitors could not build upon that breakthrough. Gibbs continued his attack and kept his team in the run chase. He scored 175 runs off 111 balls at a jaw-dropping average of 157.65. 

After Gibbs’ dismissal, there was a window of comeback for Australia as they took a few more wickets in quick succession but the resilient South African lower order did what not many would have expected. Mark Boucher stayed unbeaten till the end to guide his team across the finishing line on the second last ball of the match. The Proteas won the match by 1 wicket and pulled off arguably the most improbable victory in the history of ODI cricket.