South Africa chase 434 to win the 5 match one day series. Is this the greatest one day match of all time? I have been a strong backer of the first one dayer between India and Pakistan in 2003. A lot of people will still feel the South Africa-Australia World Cup 1999 semi-final was better than this. I would not give this game the best one day game tag because it wasn’t a contest between the bat and the ball - some thing which is essential to me when I judge the greatest games.

If a team was dismissed for 65 and another team dismissed team 1 for a total below 65, would you call it the greatest one dayer? Not really. So why even consider this conclusion here.

However, no team had even made 400 before this match, let alone chase such a score. Crap bowling from both teams? Most definitely. But it takes more than crap bowling to score 400. It takes even more to chase such such a 434. Has one day cricket taken another step forward with further insignificance of bowlers? It appears so. The bowling standards and the batting adapatability has been increasing with every year. A total of 230 was par score in the early 90s and a total of more than 250 a winning one.

I can rejoice for the moment and savour the victory regardless of the future.

The 4th LOI between RSA and Australia was superb. I watched the last 30 overs or so. Cricket was the real winner in it. Thank god RSA didn’t lose because of the rain but because of persistent Aussie tail batting. As a South African fan, feelings of deja vu and horror were very much there when the rain looked like becoming stronger. Also, I thought the umpiring was superb in tight conditions, and it was excellent cricket all the way despite not being extra ordinary. A superb contest tilting from one end to the other.

Sets up the decider perfectly for Jo’burg.

Malinga Bandara ensured Sri Lanka and not South Africa will face Australia in the best of three VB series finals. South Africa needed one win in their last three matches but lost 2 matches versus Australia and now the match to Sri Lanka.

Australia will not have McGrath. Sri Lanka have Murali, Vaas and now Bandara appears as if he can become a factor. In 1995-96 Sri Lanka gained a lot as a team in their tour to Australia. After a depressive run of recent results, the VB series here is having a similar impact.

Will has brought to focus an aspect of South African cricket I was unaware of.