We take a trip down memory lane to March 12, 2006, to relive the memories of the 438 game at the Wanderers, the best One Day game of all time.
It was a day that saw Herschelle Gibbs (175 off 111 balls) and Ricky Ponting (164 off 105 balls) put on a show with the bat at the Wanderers. A day that has been etched in South African cricket history forever.
In fact, if you walk down the corridor at the Wanderers, it will resuscitate your nostalgia instantly.
WATCH OUR VIDEO COMPILATION OF THE WANDERERS DISPLAY
Cricket Fanatics Magazine writer, Alasdair Fraser, takes us through his memories of that day:
“I think most Proteas fans who are over the age of 20 will have fond memories of the greatest ODI of all time.
It’s still the highest successful run chase in the history of the ODI game. But it’s the context of this match that makes it the most remarkable.
Australia had won the fourth ODI in Durban with a thrilling run chase to level the series 2-2 thanks to a heroic effort by Andrew Symonds and the Aussie tail.
The series ramped up a notch that Sunday at the Bullring. Little did we know that Herschelle Gibbs was sharing a bottle of wine at the team hotel till the wee hours of Sunday morning, just hours before the coin toss.
When the Aussie innings ended on 434 I dragged myself off my couch, phoned my mates to pick me up for a pint-drinking session at a pub in Kenilworth.
As we snaked through the roads, the Radio 2000 commentary team were getting animated as Gibbs and Graeme Smith spanked the Aussie attack.
Upon entering the pub, several cyclists who had finished The Argus Cycle Tour were glued to the screen. I knew we had a chance. Rule No 1 about cricket, always wait for the other team to also have a bat.
By the time Mark Boucher hit the winning runs (let’s not forget Makhaya Ntini’s single to give Bouch that strike), it was messy in that pub.
It was like we had won the World Cup. Car guards, bouncers, barmen, all the patrons – young and old – were hugging and crying.
For the rest of that night, the horror of Edgbaston 1999 was forgotten.”
These stories and sporting memories bring us closer to one another and they inspire us to embrace our diversity as a country.
To the heroes of the 438 game, thank you for being an inspiration and for bringing smiles to so many people’s faces in the country and the world.
Highlights of that magnificent moment in history:
