In a rain-truncated match (40 overs max), the Netherlands started incredibly well picking up AB de Villiers in the first over and restricting SA to just 4 in the first five overs. At 4/1 after five, things looked far from the point where SA would rattle up a mammoth 353/3! Effectively, they scored 349 runs in 35 overs. Imagine if South Africa would have the chance to play all their 50 overs! The 500-barrier would definitely have been breached.
Despite de Villiers’ failure, Smith, Kallis, Gibbs and Boucher all ensured a big score. The Netherlands were looking desperately clueless and a hiding of this sort has rarely been suffered with a smile by anyone. Kallis scored 128* in 109 balls that included 11 fours, Smith scored 67 in 59 balls which had two sixes and Boucher hit four in his innings of 75* (31b). But the star of the day was Herschelle Gibbs.
At the 2007 World Cup, there is a contest that will give US$1 million to a charity of the player’s choice if he hits six sixes in an over. Gibbs must be keen on helping out a charity for he ensured the challenge stood fulfilled on just the fourth day of the tournament! In the 30th over of the SA innings, he attacked van Bunge with such brutal power that it was perhaps warranted to take him off after three deliveries!
The Dutch reply was but a formality. They came, they played 40 overs, scored at a little over 3 runs per over, managed to reach 132 and lose by 221 runs.
Speaking after the match, Gibbs was not too much in awe of his own doing! “I’ll buy him (Netherlands bowler Daan van Bunge) a drink – it just happened to be my day today,” he said! It sure was and the way the South Africans have roared back into form after a loss to Pakistan, this could well be their month!
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