When Cricket is a 97/100 Proposition

Over the weekend we saw a 24-hour period that was a perfect example of how unpredictable the game of cricket in its many forms can be. Three teams looked to have gotten themselves into unbeatable situations, to have had the winning of the game firmly in their grasp. In odds-makers terms, any team in the same position as these three teams should win 99 times out of 100. Well, if nothing else was proven on the day, those odds actually appear to be just 97 out of 100.

In South Africa in the 1st Test against Sri Lanka, the home team had driven home their advantage, and was on the verge of another home Test victory. Requiring 304 in the fourth innings of the match, Sri Lanka has recovered from 5/110 to 5/206 before a late flurry of 4/20 left them at 9/226 and the match was as good as over. 78 for the final wicket in this situation was never going to be an option.
And then a funny thing happened. Kusal Perera targeted the bowling, picking his areas and waiting for the right ball to deposit to and over the boundary, while his young cohort Vishwa Fernando at the other end refused to buckle, the confidence of having taken eight wickets in the match now surging into his batting. It was exhilarating stuff that was only hindered by the constant thought that at any moment it would come to an end. But it didn’t.
The new ball was taken at 9/263, still 41 short of victory. Now you suspected it was only a matter of time. The batsmen tried to sneak a single with a squirt to slips, and Elgar’s throw to the bowlers end narrowly missed the stumps – it would have been out, but with no one backing up it ended up being a five. Then Perera smashed Steyn over mid-wicket for six. In the following over a top edged pull went for six over the keeper's head. Then a repeat shot over mid-wicket off Steyn in the next over meant suddenly Sri Lanka only needed six runs! Two leg byes kept Perera on strike, and then he played a perfect one-day glide past first slip to the vacant third man for four to win the game for his team. Joyous scenes erupted, and the vanquished South African team was once again left to wonder how on earth they had allowed themselves to be defeated from an unlosable situation, especially with a bowling attack consisting of Steyn, Rabada, Philander, Olivier and Maharaj. It raised the ire of the term “choker” back into the South African vernacular, and so close to another World Cup that is a term they are certainly not adverse to.
Scorecard: 1st Test South Africa vs Sri Lanka

In Australia in the final of the BBL T20 domestic tournament, the Melbourne Stars was about to win their first title. Having bowled and fielded superbly to restrict their opponents the Melbourne Renegades to 5/145 despite an unbeaten partnership of 80 between Tom Cooper and Dan Christian, the Stars had then cruised to 0/93 from 13 overs. There was literally no way they could lose this match. With Dunk and Stoinis at the crease, and Handscomb, Maxwell, Maddinson, Gotch and Bravo still to come, there was literally no way that they could not score the 52 runs from 43 deliveries that they required to lift the trophy. No team could lose from this position, except by beating themselves.

Which is exactly what they then proceeded to do. Stoinis was bowled trying to hit Boyce over the boundary, almost the first shot in anger he had attempted. Handscomb threw his bat wildly to hole out to cover. Dunk decided to hit the final ball of Boyce’s last over straight to deep mid-off, and Maxwell skied the next delivery to deep square leg. The Stars had lost 4/6 in 12 deliveries. The game was no longer a certainty. 

But the mayhem didn’t stop. Maddinson, Gotch and Bravo all played deplorable shots to all be caught as well, and the resulting panic had brought 7/19 from 30 deliveries, with each and every wicket brought about by poor strokes and/or poor headspace from the batsmen. At any point in this carnage, had just one of the batsmen pulled back and considered the situation and with a clear head saw that a single every ball and the odd boundary would still win this game, they would have won the game. Instead, it was left to Zampa and Bird to score 33 runs from 13 deliveries, which they were never going to do, and the Renegades won by 13 runs.

Honestly if this match had been played in a different place by different teams, it would have been labelled as match fixing and be under investigation. As it is, perhaps it should be anyway. Cricket officials are already discovering that T20 cricket is the perfect place to indulge in spot-fixing and the like. Just what would the Renegades have been paying with 52 runs required off 43 deliveries and all ten wickets still in hand?
BBL08 Final: Melbourne Renegades vs Melbourne Stars

Meanwhile in Oman Quadrangular T20I Series, the Netherlands had Ireland under the thumb and about to pull off a great victory when yet another match went pear shaped.

Netherlands had managed 9/182 off their 20 overs, a total that even on the flat dry wickets of Oman should probably have been enough for victory. With two overs remaining Ireland was close enough, requiring 18 runs from 12 balls and with just five wickets in hand. A terrific penultimate over from Klassen saw only six runs scored but vitally two wickets fall, leaving 12 runs required from six deliveries. A single and a boundary came off the first two deliveries, before a run out occurred when trying to sneak an impossible second run, followed by another wicket the following delivery. A dot ball on the penultimate delivery meant six runs were required off the final ball, with the last man at the crease. The previous eleven deliveries had been perfect death bowling, all it needed was for one more perfect delivery and the match was Netherlands. They couldn’t lose. Except that the final ball was bowled right into the wheelhouse of Stuart Poynter, who clubbed the ball over mid-wicket for six to win the game. Incredible.
Oman Quadrangular T20I: Netherlands vs Ireland

What does any of this show? In the case of T20 cricket, it is further proof that this version of the game really does allow teams of any standard to surprise and pull off an upset. It also shows that there is never a good time in T20 cricket to throw your wicket away thinking that the next guy in should win it for you. The result in South Africa is something completely different. A touring team that had already tasted heavy defeat in two other countries over the past two months found a way to overcome adversity in a third country and defeat a team ‘ranked’ much higher than they were. Like the West Indies recent defeat of England in their Test series, it proves that cricket is not a predictable game or one that you can ever rest on your laurels; that the game is never over until the final ball is delivered. And isn’t it so much more enjoyable because of it...