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If the world cup match between South Africa and Australia were any movie and I were a Hollywood movie director, I would suggest “Return of Gladiators” as a name for it. The champions did it again. They way Australia sparkled in their fielding and ground maneuvering was nothing less than spectacular. The pool showdown between the world’s top teams was something which really uplifted the momentum of this event, which was grave and dull so far.

Warner of St Kitts was about to become the Wanderers of Johannesburg, but Aussies didn’t let the history repeat itself. After clubbing Proteans steadfastly with batting sticks, they resolutely managed to restrict them little less than 300. Australia started with perhaps the best ever opening pair Adam Gilchrist and Mathew Hayden and boy was it a start. It was a start of multitude of scintillating fours and gigantic sixes. There wasn’t a single shot which resembled to slog, all the onslaught mounted by those two was pure class and technique.

Hayden put on an exquisite century on just 68 balls which included 4 mammoth sixers and 14 awesome boundaries. Gilchrist shamelessly pinched the South Africans for 42 runs on 42 balls. The all-too familiar, the one and only Ricky Ponting proved his mettle again with a magnificent run a ball 91 runs. Why Michael Clarke wouldn’t join the party? He hammered down some 92 diamond runs which had 8 fours and 4 colorful sixes.

The line/length of Shaun Pollock and the stingy pace of Makhaya Ntini was ridiculed comprehensively by Australian batters. Pollock didnt get any wicket and his economy was 8.30 while Ntini got 1 wicket of Ponting with an economy of 7.55. Whe the 50 overs ended, Australia had managed to craft some 377 runs. If it weren’t for South Africa’s past record in run chasing, nobody would have thought that Australia could lose in any manner.

Braveheart Greame Smith and hard-coated AB Devilliars took the attack to Aussie in a brilliant fashion. They kicked, punched and made virtually every Australian bowler scream for their life. Due to this Protean vibrant opening pair, SA managed to score her first 50 run in just 5.3 overs, then 100 runs in just 13.1 overs and then 150 runs in just 20.2 overs. At this time, there were raining flowers and colors for South Africa. AB was dropping his mercury everywhere and Smith was hitting anything dropped near to him. The first blow came when AB got run out by an un-believing throw by Shane Watson. Then Smith suffered a hamstring and Kallis came in.

The good old Jacques Kallis wasn’t able to maintain the current developed by Smith and AB. SA wasn’t able to keep the tempo and then it was all a decline. Gibbs, Prince, Boucher, Kemp, Pollock and Hall just got disappeared in front of tidy Australian bowling and fielding. South Africa lost her all wickets just after making 294 runs.

This match wasn’t for the faint-hearted.

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