The passage describes the 1992 Cricket World Cup semi-final match between South Africa and England. The match was a thrilling encounter, but it was ultimately decided by a flawed rain rule that was in place at the time. The rule, which was designed to deal with rain interruptions, resulted in South Africa being given an impossible task of scoring 22 runs in one ball, following a series of errors and miscommunications. The match ended in a farcical manner, with South Africa unable to score the required runs, and the team was eliminated from the tournament.
The passage also sets the context for the match, describing the struggles that South Africa faced in being allowed to participate in the World Cup due to the country's apartheid laws. The team's participation was conditional on a referendum being held to decide whether to end apartheid, and the team was told that they would be ejected from the tournament if the referendum was unsuccessful.
The passage is critical of the rain rule and the role of broadcasters in dictating the schedule of the match. It suggests that the rule was unfair and that the broadcasters' desire to stick to a schedule took precedence over the integrity of the game. The passage ends with the conclusion that "cricket was killed at the hands of greed", highlighting the conflicts between the interests of broadcasters and the sport itself.
1. The South African cricket team was banned from international cricket for 22 years due to apartheid laws.
2. In 1991, South Africa was allowed to participate in the ICC World Cup, but with the condition that they would be sent back mid-tournament if the referendum to end apartheid did not succeed.
3. The referendum was held during the World Cup tournament, and 68.72% of white South Africans voted to end apartheid.
4. The South African team made it to the semi-finals, where they played against England at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
5. The South African captain, Kepler Wessels, decided to bat first, despite the risk of rain interruptions.
6. The "rain rule" was applied, which removed the least productive overs from the side batting first in case of rain.
7. England bowled South Africa out for 131, leaving them with 22 runs to score in 13 balls to win.
8. The match was delayed due to rain, and the broadcasting channel had a deadline to follow, which meant the match had to end by 10:10 pm.
9. The competition rules allowed for a reserve day, but the host broadcasters were adamant that the match had to be finished on the same day.
10. The rain rule was applied again, and South Africa was left with only one ball to score 22 runs to win.
11. The South African batsman, Macmillan, played the last ball, and the team lost the match.