Rain had already made an appearance on the semi-final day and the match began 10 minutes late. But no overs were reduced and in fact, the lunch break was reduced. Later, however, when the overs were not completed within the allotted time, the match was declared as a 45-over match.
South Africa performed admirably considering this was their first major tournament and they were in the semis. Only an 83 from Graeme Hick could save England as they managed to reach 252/6 in their 50 overs. Allan Donald and Meyrick Pringle were making their presence felt on the world stage.
When the South African reply began, they were circumspect. The target was within reach, but they seemed to be unsure. Kepler Wessels fell with the score on 26 but SA continued their progress. Consistent partnerships all along got them up to 6 for 206 when Jonty Rhodes fell for 43.
Once the rain stopped, the players came back on to the field and he rain rules at the time were applied to the target. An initial display showed no reduction in runs to get (still at 21) but the balls remaining were now 7. This, however, proved to be a false alarm and the target was soon revised and South Africa now needed to score 21 runs in 1 ball.
What had been a great game of cricket and one that promised so much for South Africa had suddenly become a farce. The rain rules were criticised harshly but to be fair, they had been put in place before the tournament and just enforced on the day. New rain rules that have since been in use are just as baffling to most but over a period of time have proved to be fairer. South Africa perhaps never recovered from this as their next three attempts at winning the Cup show.
