WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:03.799
<v Speaker 1>Welcome to this moment in sports History podcast Number The

2
00:00:03.799 --> 00:00:10.080
<v Speaker 1>Miracle Match Australia's Greatest Escape January twenty sixth nineteen ninety eight.

3
00:00:10.320 --> 00:00:14.560
<v Speaker 1>On January twenty sixth, nineteen ninety eight, Australia Day No

4
00:00:14.720 --> 00:00:18.160
<v Speaker 1>Less cricket fans witnessed one of the most dramatic finishes

5
00:00:18.440 --> 00:00:21.760
<v Speaker 1>in One day international history at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

6
00:00:22.440 --> 00:00:25.000
<v Speaker 1>It was the fourth match of the Carlton and United

7
00:00:25.079 --> 00:00:29.760
<v Speaker 1>series featuring Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, and what

8
00:00:29.920 --> 00:00:35.119
<v Speaker 1>unfolded between Australia and South Africa became instantly legendary. South

9
00:00:35.159 --> 00:00:38.840
<v Speaker 1>Africa batted first and posted a formidable two hundred sixty

10
00:00:38.920 --> 00:00:42.240
<v Speaker 1>nine runs for eight rickets in their fifty overs, a

11
00:00:42.359 --> 00:00:46.039
<v Speaker 1>very competitive total on that pitch. The Proteas innings was

12
00:00:46.079 --> 00:00:49.719
<v Speaker 1>anchored by Jacques Callis as patient sixty seven and supported

13
00:00:49.719 --> 00:00:53.799
<v Speaker 1>by Gary Kurston's fifty one, giving South Africa a defendable score.

14
00:00:54.439 --> 00:00:59.039
<v Speaker 1>When Australia began their chase, disaster struck almost immediately. The

15
00:00:59.119 --> 00:01:04.200
<v Speaker 1>home side collapse spectacularly, slumping to forty eight for six wickets.

16
00:01:04.719 --> 00:01:08.439
<v Speaker 1>Yes you read that rite forty eight for six. The

17
00:01:08.560 --> 00:01:12.560
<v Speaker 1>mighty Australian batting lineup, which included legends like Mark Taylor,

18
00:01:12.840 --> 00:01:16.760
<v Speaker 1>Mark Waugh and Ricky Ponting, had been completely dismantled by

19
00:01:16.760 --> 00:01:20.319
<v Speaker 1>South Africa's pace attack, led by the fiery Alan Donald

20
00:01:20.519 --> 00:01:24.159
<v Speaker 1>and the crafty Sean Pollock. The SCG crowd, which had

21
00:01:24.239 --> 00:01:28.040
<v Speaker 1>arrived expecting to celebrate Australia Day with a comfortable victory,

22
00:01:28.719 --> 00:01:33.079
<v Speaker 1>sat in stunned silence. The match appeared over before it

23
00:01:33.120 --> 00:01:38.200
<v Speaker 1>had barely begun. Enter Michael Bevin and Steve Waugh, two

24
00:01:38.319 --> 00:01:43.079
<v Speaker 1>of Australia's greatest crisis men. What followed was nothing short

25
00:01:43.200 --> 00:01:47.280
<v Speaker 1>of miraculous. These two master batsmen constructed one of the

26
00:01:47.280 --> 00:01:51.920
<v Speaker 1>greatest partnerships in od I cricket history, adding an unbelievable

27
00:01:51.920 --> 00:01:54.840
<v Speaker 1>one hundred and thirty eight runs for the seventh wicket.

28
00:01:55.040 --> 00:01:59.480
<v Speaker 1>They didn't just survive, they thrived, punishing any loose deliveries

29
00:01:59.640 --> 00:02:03.840
<v Speaker 1>while expertly rotating the strike and running brilliantly between the wickets.

30
00:02:04.359 --> 00:02:08.560
<v Speaker 1>Steve Wall played with characteristic grit in determination, while Bevin,

31
00:02:08.840 --> 00:02:12.719
<v Speaker 1>known as the finishe displayed his genius and pacing a chase.

32
00:02:13.280 --> 00:02:17.199
<v Speaker 1>The partnership transformed the atmosphere from funeral to Festival. When

33
00:02:17.240 --> 00:02:21.240
<v Speaker 1>Wall finally departed for sixty seven, Australia still needed eighty

34
00:02:21.280 --> 00:02:24.479
<v Speaker 1>four runs from one hundred two balls with just three

35
00:02:24.479 --> 00:02:28.360
<v Speaker 1>wickets remaining. Bob Evan found another ally in Paul Rifle

36
00:02:28.639 --> 00:02:32.240
<v Speaker 1>and together they continued the incredible fight back. The tension

37
00:02:32.360 --> 00:02:36.080
<v Speaker 1>was palpable as Australia inched closer to their target, Gevin

38
00:02:36.159 --> 00:02:39.599
<v Speaker 1>remained unbeaten on one hundred one. A master class innings

39
00:02:39.599 --> 00:02:43.800
<v Speaker 1>of composure under pressure, Australia eventually won with just two

40
00:02:43.840 --> 00:02:47.439
<v Speaker 1>balls to spare and two wickets in hand, scoring two

41
00:02:47.520 --> 00:02:51.360
<v Speaker 1>hundred seventy one for eight. This match became folklore for

42
00:02:51.400 --> 00:02:55.599
<v Speaker 1>several reasons. It occurred on Australia's National Day, featured one

43
00:02:55.639 --> 00:02:59.159
<v Speaker 1>of the greatest collapses and recoveries in cricket history, and

44
00:02:59.240 --> 00:03:02.759
<v Speaker 1>showcased the never say die Australian spirit that to find

45
00:03:02.800 --> 00:03:05.520
<v Speaker 1>their cricket through the nineteen nineties and two thousand hundreds.

46
00:03:06.120 --> 00:03:09.680
<v Speaker 1>Michael Bavin's innings is still studied by cricket coaches teaching

47
00:03:09.719 --> 00:03:14.039
<v Speaker 1>young players about match awareness and finishing skills. The victory

48
00:03:14.120 --> 00:03:16.719
<v Speaker 1>was more than just two competition points. It was a

49
00:03:16.759 --> 00:03:20.759
<v Speaker 1>statement that Australia, even from the most hopeless positions could

50
00:03:20.759 --> 00:03:23.960
<v Speaker 1>find a way to win. For South Africa, it was

51
00:03:24.000 --> 00:03:27.400
<v Speaker 1>a crushing defeat that added to their growing reputation for

52
00:03:27.520 --> 00:03:31.360
<v Speaker 1>faltering in crucial moments, a psychological burden that would haunt

53
00:03:31.439 --> 00:03:36.120
<v Speaker 1>them in future tournaments. This January twenty sixth Classic remains

54
00:03:36.120 --> 00:03:40.039
<v Speaker 1>one of cricket's greatest advertisements for never giving up no

55
00:03:40.120 --> 00:03:44.360
<v Speaker 1>matter how dire the circumstances appear, and that wraps it up.

56
00:03:44.680 --> 00:03:47.759
<v Speaker 1>Join us tomorrow and be sure to hit that subscribe

57
00:03:47.759 --> 00:03:51.000
<v Speaker 1>button so you never miss a daily slice of sports history.

58
00:03:51.560 --> 00:03:55.080
<v Speaker 1>This has been a Quiet Police Studio's production. For more,

59
00:03:55.199 --> 00:03:58.560
<v Speaker 1>check out Quiet Please God a thank you for listening.