Related Links : Twenty20 World Championship 2007 : Scorecard
Zimbabwe stunned the cricketing world in silence at Cape Town. When Brendan Taylor appeared to have leg glanced a Bracken delivery to fine leg, lot of people had their mouths open in complete disbelief that Zimbabwe had indeed defeated the mighty Aussies! Wednesday was the day of the matches played between Giants against Minnows. The first two games went as expected with New Zealand and Pakistan walking off with comfortable wins. No one would have ever imagined that Australia will be the side that will be upset by Zimbabwe and that’s because of all the negative news that has been heard about Zimbabwean cricket in the last five years or so. Their cricket has hit rock bottom but today they toppled the Australian Empire. The Australian Pride was demolished through an all round show from Zimbabweans.
When Prosper Utseya walked along side with Ricky Ponting for the toss, Utseya looked like a school kid standing next to the Australian Cricketer. But after four overs of the Australian innings, Ponting found his side in an uncomfortable state of 19 for 3 with his top order failing to come in terms to the slowness in the pitch and the Zimbabwean new ball bowlers. The big names – Hayden, Gilchrist and Ponting, all of them dismissed for single digit scores. Elton Chigumbura and Gary Brent virtually killed the Australian top order with their lack of pace. Australia had to change its game plan and Symonds in the company of Hussey did just that. Boundaries were hard to come as the rains in the last few days have got the outfield heavy. Australia received another jolt when Hussey was brilliantly run out by Sibanda in a Jonty Rhodes style. Australia were now 48 for 4 in the 10th.
The Aussies needed something for their bowlers to blast through the Zimbabwean batting. Symonds was just warming up to the task with a few lusty blows but in the 14th over, he had a fatal slip which cost his wicket. Symonds beaten by an outswinger overbalanced on his toes giving the wicket keeper a quick opportunity to stump him. Brendan Taylor, the keeper instead of Taibu whipped the bails in time and Australia were now down to 86 for 5 in the 14th over. With Michael Clarke and Shane Watson not playing because of fitness problems, second wicket keeper Brad Haddin got into the side, but he contributed very little to be the sixth wicket down for 102. Australia just squeezed in to get to 138 but at the cost of nine wickets. Brad Hodge played a good unbeaten knock of 35 from 22 which had two big sixes. Elton Chigumbura was outstanding for Zims with 3 for 20 in 3 overs while his opening partner Gary Brent got 2 for 19 in 4.
Zimbabwe held their nerve against Brett Lee at the start. A couple of wides from Lee didn’t mean an auspicious start for the champs. Soon Australia were kept under immense pressure by the counter attack from Sibanda and Taylor, the two openers. It was only in the 4th over that Bracken could end Sibanda’s cameo of 23 from 15. Justice Chibhabha, the no.3 came in, played a few shots and got dismissed to Stuart Clark leaving Zimbabwe at 54 for 2 after 7. The Australians at this stage realized that it was better to bowl the short pitch deliveries which worked very well as they got another two wickets which fell in quick time. Taibu’s was the big wicket, dismissed for a six-ball duck by the pacy Mitchell Johnson. In the 12th over, it was heavy rain that suspended play with Zimbabwe at 74 for 4 which was just a few runs short of what they needed to be at that stage according to Duckworth Lewis Method. It looked that the Australians would have an escape but the rain gods allowed the game to be resumed after 25 minutes. The outfield was considerably wet making it a big challenge for the Australian bowlers to grip the ball.
Ricky Ponting was forced to bring in part time off spinner Brad Hodge into the attack. Hodge did well in his first over but in his second over, he was taken for two sixes that changed the complex of the match. Brendan Taylor was the man hitting those sixes and every now and then he was able to find a boundary to get the match back in Zimbabwe’s favour. Taylor also got to a fifty in the process. It was not just Taylor, but the runs had also come from the bat of Hamilton Masakadza, who made 27 good runs in 28 balls before he tried to be too smart in paddling Brett Lee across for a four. Masakadza was given out lbw but by then he had got Zimbabwe to 16 runs short of a victory. It was a 53-run stand between Taylor and Masakadza that had bailed Zimbabwe out of trouble. Now with 16 to win from 9, Taylor had to bat right till the end. Lee was in no mood to give anything away and that got the equation to 12 from 6.
Nathan Bracken was the bowler with the final over, the first delivery was a delicate flick played in front of middle stump which managed to beat short fine leg for a boundary from Taylor! How he managed to get a bit of bat in that shot only Taylor knows! The next ball was a single and the third ball got two runs to Chigumbura followed up with a single. Four runs to win from two balls and Bracken bowled a bad delivery under pressure. He tried a yorker which pitched outside the legstump and Taylor was cool enough to get a deflection which beat a desperate slide from Stuart Clark at deep fine leg. Taylor finished it in style with a precious 60 from 45 with 4 fours and 2 sixes. Zimbabwe stunned Australia by five wickets with one ball to spare! Taylor was the obvious choice for the Man of the Match award.