Something unthinkable happened at the 2013 Champions Trophy: it rained, and the outcome went in South Africa’s favour.
If someone writes a book on South Africa’s unfortunate journey through global cricket tournaments, the chapter on rain is likely to be the largest.
You know the stories. The 22-in-1-ball semi-final of 1992. The Duckworth-Lewis chart being misinterpreted in 2003. The break that halted their progress in the 2015 semi-final. The no-result against Zimbabwe at the 2022 T20 World Cup. One can go on.
Unless we are discussing the Kieron Pollard brain-fade at the 2013 Champions Trophy.
Firework amidst rain
With two wins, India had already qualified. With two defeats, Pakistan had already been eliminated. Having beaten Pakistan but lost to India, thus, South Africa and the West Indies were playing a virtual semi-final. However, South Africa’s superior net run rate gave them an edge in case points had to be shared.
The tournament had been hit by rain several times (even the final would be a 20-over-a-side affair). This match was no exception: the start was delayed, the match was reduced to a 32 overs a side, and South Africa made 230-6 in 31 after Dwayne Bravo opted to field. Colin Ingram (73 in 68 balls) top-scored for South Africa, while rapid cameos came from captain AB de Villiers (37 in 26) and David Miller (38 in 29). Then it rained.
What if the West Indies had managed to bowl that extra over? We shall never know.
The target, while steep, was hardly beyond the defending T20 World Cup champions. Chris Gayle (36 in 27 balls) led the charge at the top, and Devon Smith (30 in 29) chipped in. However, South Africa hit back, and the West Indies became 104-4. There was a six-minute rain break at this point, but no overs were deducted.
Still, 127 in 79 balls was gettable, and Marlon Samuels (48 in 38 balls) and Pollard (28 in 23) kept the asking rate within reach. Dale Steyn (2-33) cleaned up Samuels, but his subsequent bouncer cleared everyone and raced to the fence.
Pollard then stepped out to flick Steyn to the square-leg fence. After Bravo returned him the strike at the other end, Pollard bunted Lonwabo Tsotsobe’s half-volley to the straight boundary. Bravo joined in too, lofting Chris Morris over mid-off to take the West Indies to 190-5 after 26 overs.
It was drizzling, by now but the West Indies would have welcomed a rain break: they were four ahead of the par score at that point. If they needed to play another over, they had to score only three to stay ahead of the par score.
The brain fade
The logical thing would have been to slow things down, play out the 27th over. They did need those three runs, but hitters of Pollard and Bravo’s calibre did not need to take risks for that against Ryan McLaren.
But Pollard went for a slog (was he ignoring the rain and wanting to finish things off at the earliest?). He had probably expected the ball to be fuller than it actually was – McLaren had bowled just short of a good length – and the ball took the top edge. After what seemed to be an eternity, the ball finally descended... to Steyn at short third.
The West Indies needed only 41 in 29 balls. It was a chaseable target. Daren Sammy had joined Bravo. The three men after them also had credentials: Sunil Narine’s hitting ability was discovered earlier in the tournament; Tino Best’s 95 was at that point the highest score by a Test No.11, just like Ravi Rampaul’s 86 not out for an ODI No.10.
But none of that was of any consequence, for the teams were now tied as per the Duckworth-Lewis charts. And the skies, after threatening for so long, finally opened in the two minutes Sammy needed to reach the middle.
There was still hope as Rod Tucker and Steve Davis took their positions for the next ball, but as Sammy sprinted to update Bravo, Davis summoned the ground-staff, and that was that. Bravo and Sammy stayed put until they
All South Africa needed was enough rain to prevent 29 balls of cricket. That duly happened, and South Africa went through. More than a decade has passed, but it remains the West Indies’s last appearance at the Champions Trophy.
