World Cup flashback: 19 consecutive dot balls to start a World Cup

South Africa has featured in eight editions of the World Cup thus far but only twice the appeared in the opening game of the tournament. They played the opening game of the 2003 edition which they hosted and in the ongoing World Cup 2019. The Saffers might have ended up on the losing side in both matches but that didn’t stop them from beginning the tournament in never seen fashion.

Last week, the skipper Faf du Plessis used Imran Tahir to bowl the first. The Proteas were aware of England openers Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy’s struggles against the leg-spinners. Thus, Tahir became the first spinner in 12 editions of the World Cup to bowl the first over. The veteran struck on the 2nd ball itself and became the 2nd bowler after Craig McDermott in 1992 to bag a wicket in the first over of a World Cup.

Dot…dot…and more dots

The 2003 World Cup kick-started with the South Africans facing off the West Indian team in Cape Town. The visiting side won the toss and elected to bat first but had to wait for a long time to open their account. Shaun Pollock and Makhaya Ntini made things tough for the opening pair of Chris Gayle and Wavell Hinds.

Gayle, who took the first strike, played out maidens against Pollock while Hinds saw through Ntini’s first over. The Caribbean finally got their first runs on the board in the 4th over when Ntini bowled one wide to Hinds after 19 consecutive dot balls. The score read 2/0 at the end of the over, both the runs coming via wides.

The first run off the tournament was recorded on the 27th delivery when Gayle picked up a single. Hinds got out for a duck at the end of the over for a 16-ball duck as he edged one off Pollock to the keeper. The Windies score then read 4/1 out of which three runs came via extras. Among the 12 editions of the World Cup, the 2003 tournament is the only one, to begin with, three straight maidens.

So close, yet so far for the South Africans

Skipper Brian Lara took the responsibility of pushing the Windies scoring rate as they reached the 50-run mark in the 20th over. Lara scored 116 off 134 balls as their run-rate cross four by the 40th over. Some powerful finishing took them to 278/5 as they scored 110 runs in the final overs including 74 in the last six overs. South Africa’s slow over-rate cost them one over as they were made to chase 279 in 49 overs only.

The hosts kept losing wickets regularly but ensured their scoring rate didn’t drop drastically. The Saffers lost their 7th wicket at 204 in the 41st over but the 1999 World Cup star Lance Klusener was at the crease. Klusener and Nicky Boje scored 46 runs between 44th and 47th overs to bring down the equation to 14 from two overs. Pedro Collins and Vasbert Drakes gave away only five runs each in the 48th and 49th overs to seal a 3-run win for the Windies.