Mourning after, SA agonise over the run everyone forgot

South Africa donned a metaphorical black armband today as the nation, most politicians excepted, went into mourning. While Ali Bacher declin...

South Africa donned a metaphorical black armband today as the nation, most politicians excepted, went into mourning. While Ali Bacher declined to lay the blame at any door, fingers were being pointed at a variety of villains at South Africa’s abysmal failure in World Cup 2003.

And while everybody’s favourite whipping boys were Messrs Tony Lewis and Frank Duckworth, the South Africans would be off inquiring within, for it is now clear that the batsmen out in the middle were wrongly informed of the winning total required under D/L.

The team management should have informed Mark Boucher and Lance Klusener that their target was 230, not 229. Boucher, under the impression that the target was 229, blocked the last ball of the 45th over bowled by Muttiah Muralitharan and punched the air, only to discover the chilling truth in the dressing room as the rain pelted down.

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What hasn’t been adequately explained, amind all the finger-pointing, is who misconstrued the interpretation of the target set South Africa by the Duckworth/Lewis method and why this was not done before the start of the game.

Skipper Shaun Pollock, the despair still evident on his face, said today that Boucher was told the target was 229. ‘‘So he was pretty happy when he got that.’’

Pollock said with rain threatening to fall any minute and the game set to be decided through Duckworth/Lewis, a message had been sent out through 12th man Nicky Boje.

‘‘Boje wasn’t able to get out there and give them the piece of paper to keep but the message that was conveyed was 229’’, the captain revealed. ‘‘But you can’t look at that and worry about it. Boucher didn’t know the game was going to end after that ball. There was a lot that went on after that ball before we came off. If we’d faced one more ball of the next over we could have been through.’’

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Boucher had hit what turned out to be penultimate ball of the match for a six and then, under the imnpression his team was ahead, fended off the last ball without attempting a run.

That single run proved crucial as it was all that stood between a tie and victory and cost South Africa a place in the next round.

Sri Lankan captain Sanath Jayasuriya said there was no confusion in his camp regarding the target. ‘‘We knew that 229 was for the tie. I had the sheet in my hand’’, he said. (With agencies)