Damien Fleming relives Australia’s two unforgettable matches against South Africa at 1999 World Cup

IT’s World Cup semi-final week and the very mention of those words takes crafty swing bowler Damien Fleming back to the most dramatic week of his cricketing life.

JUNE 17, 1999 : Australian players celebrate after Australia secured a tie in game against South Africa at Edgbaston, Birmingham allowing them to advance to final of Cricket World Cup in England, 17/06/99. Pic David White. Cricket

IT’s World Cup semi-final week and the very mention of those words takes crafty swing bowler Damien Fleming back to the most dramatic week of his cricketing life.

Fleming played for Australia in two epic matches four days apart against South Africa in the 1999 World Cup.

Australia won the first but dramatically tied the second and progressed to the final where they walloped Pakistan.

In the first match, Steve Waugh played the innings of his life (120 off 110) to enable Australia to recover from 3-48 to reach a victory target of 272.

In the second match Australia, with Shane Warne superb, bowled out South Africa for 213 to clinch the tie as Fleming famously bowled the last over.

The results shaped the fortunes of both teams for the next decade with Australia winning three World Cups in succession and South Africa left to confront the choker tag which stalks them to this day.

Australia erupts after securing a tie against South Africa at Edgbaston.

That was a great decision to underarm the ball to Adam Gilchrist to take off the bails after that famous last ball at Edgbaston. Where did it come from?

It was a weird thing. We were battling in that World Cup and we got the Julios (the cool guys) and the Nerds really ramped up and we did ten pin bowling two nights before that semi-final. I heard Richie Benaud say that underarm was one of the coolest things he had seen on a cricket field. I loved hearing him say it but I wonder whether our ten pin night had an impact. It might have been a little tick for the nerds and Julios.

Had you had thrown it overarm it could have gone anywhere couldn’t it?

There was a risk I could have thrown it over Gilly’s head. In the end it was the smartest thing but there is nothing you do at training that prepares you for that. I didn’t have time to think about all the scenarios.

Let’s go back to the first game against Australia in which your team chased down 271 after being 3-48. That was an amazing effort wasn’t it?

Those two games were like The Godfather and The Godfather II. You ask yourself which was the best. When we lost those early wickets Punter (Ricky Ponting) and Steve Waugh started to bat, the runs were not flowing and it was a nervous time.

Steve Waugh played the hero in the first game against South Africa at the 1999 World Cup.

Waugh rescued the innings with a great century that almost seemed to define his whole career, didn’t it?

Yes. That was the best one-day knock I have seen because of the impact and timing and leadership. We found out later he was under pressure to retain the captaincy if we did not win the World Cup. And his spot was under pressure as well because of his strike rate. He developed this slog sweep. I saw great players like Warne and Glen McGrath develop something extra to keep them No.1. For Steve it was the slog sweep. Geoff Marsh must have been thrown six million balls in the nets as he practised that shot. Then out it came.

Waugh was just inspired that day, wasn’t he?

I vividly recall him walking out to bat with that red rag in his pocket. I sensed there was no way he was physically walking off that ground without us winning that game.

You were padded up ready to bat weren’t you?

The three Victorians — (Paul) Reiffel, Fleming and Warne — were all padded up even though I was three wickets away from going out there. You see shots of all three of us run out on the balcony and clap for milestones and see us run back due to that old superstition of sitting where you are during a partnership. But once we won that it convinced us we could win from anywhere.

Fleming celebrates the wicket of Shaun Pollock.

Then you moved on to the semi-final where you somehow managed to defend 213 against South Africa on a small ground. How did you do it?

Warnie got us through. They were 0-48 and cruising. I always say about Warnie he was the most amazing player I had played with. He had incredible skills, a remarkable strike rate and he hardly missed out — and he was pretty good in the field as well.

That semi-final was one of the greatest matches ever, wasn’t it?

I speak about the semi about 50 times a year. When I asked Steve Waugh for a quote about it for my book he asked me whether the book would be in the fiction or nonfiction section. But what wasn’t fiction were the three balls Warnie bowled to get wickets. The one that got Herschelle Gibbs bounced outside leg and hit off.

That game just seesawed each way didn’t it?

We thought we had it in the bag and then a ball bowled by McGrath was hit by Lance Klusener to Paul Reiffel at long on. I was thinking ‘you lucky bastard Pistol ... you will take the catch that puts us in the World Cup final.’ Pistol saw it differently and dropped it over the fence for six. That game was insane.

The pressure of you bowling that last over must have been incredible?

I used to bowl the last over. I did it in the 1996 semi-final and not many people get the opportunity to knock over an in-form Courtney Walsh with the bat to get their team into a World Cup final. This was a bit tougher though.

Steve Waugh slogs one through the covers.

You had to bowl to Klusener?

The night before we had come up with a plan to come around the wicket to Lance feeling he was not as strong through the offside as he was through the onside. But we came up with the plan the night before and it was not as if we had a team training session to practice it. Generally we targeted the stumps and if he missed we hit. But when you are bowling outside the off-stump there is nothing to aim at.

Were you confident entering the last over?

They needed nine runs off the last over. If it was over eight I was generally confident I could close out the game. Nine runs I was pretty confident. I remember running in with 40,000 people screaming but more than that with 10 of your team mates calling come on Flem you feel proud.

And the first ball?

It was almost perfect. It landed well outside off-stump but Lance, the man with supposed off-side weakness, hits the ball at 1000 miles per hour to the cover fence. I don’t think there has been a ball hit harder in the history of the game. The crowd was going off — five to win off five. I remember thinking “that is a pretty strong weakness.’’ The next one was a half-volley and it went like a gun going off. Mark Waugh only had two metres to run and he couldn’t get there. The crowd was going nuts and our boys were giving me doughnuts. They needed one off four balls.

So with one to win off four there was almost a run-out?

I came over the wicket with a ring field to stop the single and bowled a shocker. It was a half tracker but it cramped Klusener for room. He hit the ball to Darren Lehmann who was two metres away but missed by three metres. As I walked back I thought “I hope that is not our last chance to win the World Cup.’’

Shane Warne sparked the Australian comeback.

What were you thinking when you were just about to bowl that last ball?

I had a very clear thought. I had to bowl him out. It was as clear as day. I went to Tugga (Steve Waugh) — and here is the difference in philosophy between the two teams — and I said I wanted to come over the wicket because the game plan was not working. He loved players backing themselves and he told me to do what I needed to do. The South Africans seemed more structured and I don’t know whether Hanse Cronje, who seemed more of dictator type, would have done that for one of his bowlers.

And the final ball?

It was a perfect yorker. I would like to think my country needed me and I belatedly put my hand up. I can still vividly remember it now. Lance Klusener was running and I just felt I could get the ball. I underarmed it to Adam Gilchrist and it was just going that slowly. It was going at about a centimetre an hour. For me that moment was one of the highlights of my career. You are through and in to the World Cup final.

The place just went mad after that didn’t it?

The boys were just going off and jumping around like schoolkids. There was no security at that World Cup. Everyone ran on the ground and we had to get off as quickly as we could. Gilly was very business minded and he grabbed the stumps. I reckon I have signed about 10,000 of those photos with poor Allan Donald dropping his bat. It told a lot of stories. The beauty of do-or-die finals. Steve Waugh with that flexible leadership.

What was it like in the dressing room after the game?

I remember we got off the field and poor Paul Reiffel. I reckon he had his hands in head for about an hour. I put my hand on his shoulder and said “are you right mate’’ and he said “I am just so happy we got through ... I would not have been able to go home.’’ I said “mate you are talking about two of us. I would not have been able to go home either.’’ Just the relief of getting through was massive. To see what impact that has had on South African cricket to this day. It has been massive. Would things have changed if they had got over the line? I am just glad we won.

Originally published as Damien Fleming relives Australia’s two unforgettable matches against South Africa at 1999 World Cup