The equation changed from 22 off 13 balls to 22 off one ball. © kareem
In their first ever World Cup, South Africa had set the stage alight with some sumptuous performances. The likes of Allan Donald, Jonty Rhodes and Hansie Cronje, among others, showed they belonged at a mega-tournament like the World Cup. The Proteas were on course to go the whole distance in 1992 before a cruel twist of fate completely shattered their hopes.
The second semi-final of the 1992 World Cup between South Africa and England was set-up beautifully for a tight, fascinating finish, until rain intervened right before the end.
After putting England in, South Africa restricted them to 252 off 45 overs, with Graeme Hick scoring 83 off 90 balls. In response, South Africa batted well and needed 22 off 13 deliveries when there was a brief spell of rain. Brian McMillan and wicket-keeper batsman, Dave Richardson, didn't mind the rain and wanted to carry on and finish the game, but England were adamant that wet conditions heavily worked against their bowlers. The umpires deemed the conditions unfit for play and the players were taken off the field. Rain held up play for not more than 10 minutes, but it was enough to become the aetiology of chaos.
South Africa, with two middle-order batsmen still at the crease, were definitely favourites to progress, but when the game restarted, the equation changed from 22 off 13 balls to 22 off one ball, making the crowd furious and raising questions about the reliability of the rain-rule. McMillan dead-batted the last ball and stormed away towards the pavilion.
Kepler Wessels' side's dreams had spiralled down to dust in a matter of minutes, and for no fault of their own.
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