The All Time Great Test Championship: A Farewell to Cricket Captain 2021

[Wilted]

Welcome to the All Time Great Test Championship!

As a farewell to Cricket Captain 2021, I'll be hosting an ATG World Cup-style tournament to find the greatest test nation off all time (according to this tournament). Each match will be reviewed in this thread, including highlights, stats and updated tables.

The Format
There will be a group stage consisting of two groups of four teams. The groups were determined by their win percentage throughout their test history (source). Each team will play a total of six games in the group stage, playing each opponent once at home and once away. I'll be controlling the home team so neither team should end up with a player-controlled advantage. Similar to the current ICC World Test Championship, a win will reward a team with twelve points, a draw with four points and an unlikely tie with six points. A bonus point will also be awarded to any team who achieves victory by an innings. If points are equal at the end of the group stage, places in the finals stage will be determined by the runs per wicket ratio (source).

Top two teams will play in a finals series. Each final will again consist of one home and one away match to maintain fairness. To break a tie, the runs per wicket ratio of the two matches will determine the winner.

The Squads.
I've come up with a list of what I believe the strongest squads from each of the eight participating nations in this thread. If you would like to suggest changes to the squads, feel free to comment in the thread. Once again to avoid as much player bias as possible the selected XI from each squad will be determined by the default XI by the game itself. From what I understand the game selects its default XI from hidden stats and attributes so this should mean the best possible XI is selected.

The Groups

Group A

	Wins	Draws	Bonus	Total
AUS				0
ENG				0
SL				0
NZ				0

Group B

	Wins	Draws	Bonus	Total
SA				0
PAK				0
WI				0
IND				0

[Wilted]

This post was in purgatory for a while but got approved just in time for finals. There'll just be a quick recap of the results of each round. Everyone has migrated to the 2022 forum so guessing no one is around to see it anyway. Full results and stats, including every run and wicket from every single player in the tournament, can be viewed here.

Round 1

Fixture

NZ vs AUS

SL vs ENG

IND vs RSA

WI vs PAK

NZ vs AUS
NZ won the toss and elected to bat

NZ XI: B Sutcliffe, G Turner, K Williamson (c), M Crowe, B McCullum (wk), S Fleming, J Wright, C Cairns, R Hadlee, D Vettori, S Bond
AUS XI: M Hayden, J Langer, D Bradman, R Ponting (c), G Chappell, K Miller, A Gilchrist (wk), R Lindwall, S Warne, D Lillee, G McGrath

NZ 261
Turner 118, Fleming 32
Lillee 4-67, Warne 2-61

AUS 394
Bradman 148*, Hayden 117
Hadlee 3-88, Bond 3-89

NZ 6-383 (dec)

Fleming 125*, Williamson 109
Lillee 3-96, Lindwall 1-31

AUS 1-251
Hayden 104, Langer 93*
Cairns 1-76

NZ lost to AUS by 9 wicket
Matthew Hayden was awarded MotM.


SL vs ENG
Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat

SL XI: Atapattu, Jayasuriya, Sangakarra (wk), Jayawardene (c), A de Silva, Ranatunga, H Tillakaratne, Vaas, Herath, Malinga, Muralitharan
ENG XI: Hutton, Sutcliffe, Pieterson, Barrington, Root, Stewart, Botham, Swann, Trueman, Willis, Underwood

SL 486
Jayasuriya 126, Tillikaratne 105
Willis 4-126, Underwood 3-150

ENG 336
Stewart 84, Root 80
Muralitharan 7-93, Herath 2-96

SL 6-251 (dec)
Jayawardene 89, de Silva 49
Underwood 3-63, Swann 1-27

ENG 2-169
Hutton 65, Pieterson 58*
Muralitharan 2-47

SL drew with ENG
Sanath Jayasuriya was awarded MotM.

IND vs RSA
RSA won the toss and elected to bat

IND XI: Gavaskar (c), Gambhir, Dravid, Tendulkar, Laxman, Azharuddin, Dhoni (wk), Ashwin, Srinath, Bedi, Bumrah
RSA XI: Smith, Kirsten, Kallis, Nourse, GPollock, Faulkner, SPollock, Boucher (wk), Procter, Tayfield, Donald

RSA 220
Nourse 97, S Pollock 31
Ashwin 4-61, Srinath 2-44

IND 248
Gambhir 54, Gavaskar 50
Tayfield 4-92, Donald 3-43

RSA 424
Smith 101, S Pollock 83
Srinath 4-99, Ashwin 4-137

IND 375
Tendulkar 114, Gavaskar 86
Faulkner 3-36, Tayfield 3-101

IND lost to RSA by 21 runs
Shaun Pollock was awarded MotM

WI vs PAK
WI won the toss and elected to bat

WI XI: D Haynes, G Greenidge, C Walcott (wk), E Weekes, G Headley, B Lara, G Sobers (c), M Marshall, J Garner, M Holding, C Ambrose
PAK XI: H Mohammad, S Anwar, Z Abbas (c), J Miandad, I ul-Haq, I Khan, M ul-Haq, S Ahmed (wk), W Akram, S Mushtaq, W Younis

WI 482
Headley 165, Weekes 147
Mushtaq 4-153, Khan 3-68

PAK 461
I ul Haq 118, Abbas 91
Sobers 4-70, Ambrose 3-110

WI 7-284(dec)
Haynes 118, Walcott 46
Mushtaq 4-128, Khan 1-25


PAK 2-125
H Mohammad 40*, Abbas 35
Ambrose 1-24, Marshall 1-31

WI drew with PAK
George Headley was awarded MotM

Round 1 Results

NZ lost to AUS

SL drew with ENG

IND lost to SA

WI drew with PAK

Group A

	Played	Wins	Draws	Total
AUS	1	1		12
ENG	1		1	4
SL	1		1	4
NZ	1			0

Group B

	Played	Wins	Draws	Total
SA	1	1		12
PAK	1		1	4
WI	1		1	4
IND	1			0

[Wilted]

Round 2

Round 2 Fixture

ENG vs NZ

SL vs AUS

PAK vs IND

WI vs SA

ENG vs NZ
ENG won the toss and elected to bat

ENG XI: Hutton, Sutcliffe, May, Pieterson, Root (c), Stewart (wk), Botham, Trueman, Anderson, Willis, Underwood
NZ XI: Sutcliffe, Turner, Williamson (c), Crowe, Fleming, McCullum, Wright, Hadlee, Southee, Bond, Martin

ENG 426
Root 144, Sutcliffe 67
Bond 4-115, Hadlee 3-109

NZ 240
Fleming 69, Crowe 59
Underwood 5-77, Willis 3-64

ENG 8-324(dec)
Root 87, Hutton 75
Hadlee 4-106, Martin 3-49

NZ 275
Sutcliffe 68, McCullum 62
Underwood 5-62, Anderson 4-78

ENG won by 235 runs
Joe Root was awarded MotM


SL vs AUS
AUS won the toss and elected to bat

SL XI: Atapattu, Jayasuriya, Sangakkara (wk), Jayawardene (c), A de Silva, A Mathews, H Tilliakaratne, Vaas, Herath, Malinga, Muralitharan
AUS XI: Hayden, Langer, Bradman, Ponting (c), Chappell, Gilchrist (wk), Benaud, Lindwall, Warne, Lillee, McGrath


AUS 464
Bradman 143, Hayden 136
Vaas 5-112, Herath 4-117

SL 323
Sangakkara 110, Mathews 68
Lillee 5-75, McGrath 3-67

AUS 7-256(dec)
Langer 82, Gilchrist 53*
Vaas 2-47, Muralitharan 2-66

SL 234
De Silva 85, Mathews33
Lillee 4-69, Warne 3-88

Sri Lanka lost by 163 runs
Bradman was awarded MotM.


PAK vs IND
IND won the toss and elected to bowl

PAK XI: Mohammad, Nazar, Abbas, Miandad, I ul-Haq, M ul-Haq, Khan (c), Ahmed, Akram, Mushtaq, Younis
IND XI: Gavaskar (c), Gambhir, Dravid, Tendulkar, Kohli, Laxman, Dhoni (wk), Dev, Ashwin, Srinath, Bedi

IND 328
Gambhir 108, Dravid 59
Khan 4-77, Younis 3-74

PAK 285
I ul-Haq 83, Miandad 38
Bedi 3-108, Ashwin 2-34

IND 86
Dravid 32*, Kohli 13
Khan 5-26, Younis 4-29

PAK 3-130
Abbas 51, Miandad 27*
Ashwin 2-19, Srinath 1-28

Pakistan won by 7 wickets
Imran Khan was awarded MotM.


WI vs RSA
RSA won the toss and elected to bat.

WI XI: Haynes, Greenidge, Lara, Weekes, Headley, Sobers(c), Walcott(wk), Marshall, Walsh, Holding, Ambrose
RSA XI: Smith(c), Kirsten, Kallis, Pollock, Nourse, de Villiers, Boucher(wk), S Pollock, Steyn, Tayfield, Donald

RSA 331
Smith 104, S Pollock 56
Marshall 3-68, Walsh 3-71

WI 235
Weekes 94, Lara 37
Tayfield 4-52, S Pollock 2-38

RSA 327
De Villiers 104, Smith 88
Holding 3-48, Walsh 3-84

WI 225
Sobers 68*, Marshall 42
S Pollock 3-66, Steyn 72

West Indies lost by 198 runs
Graeme Smith was awarded MotM

Round 2 Results

ENG defeated NZ

SL lost to AUS

PAK defeated IND

WI lost to SA

Group A

	Played	Wins	Draws	Total
AUS	2	2		24
ENG	2	1	1	16
SL	2		1	4
NZ	2			0

Group B

	Played	Wins	Draws	Total
SA	2	2		24
PAK	2	1	1	16
WI	2		1	4
IND	2			0

[Wilted]

Round 3

Round 3

NZ vs SL

ENG vs AUS

IND vs WI

PAK vs SA

NZ vs SL
NZ won the toss and elected to bat.

NZ XI: Sutcliffe, Turner, Williamson(c), Fleming, McCullum(wk), Taylor, Cairns, Vettori, Hadlee, Boult, Bond
SL XI: Dilshan, Jayasuriya, Sangakkara(wk), Jayawadene(c), de Silva, Mathews, Tilliakaratne, Vaas, Herath, Ratnayake, Muralitharan


NZ 287
Fleming 121, Turner 33
Muralitharan 8-87, Ratnayake 2-54

SL 228
Sangakkara 70, Vaas 50*
Hadlee 3-44, Boult 3-71

NZ 260
McCullum 101, Fleming 36
Muralitharan 6-96, Vaas 2-59

SL 228
Jayawardene 59, de Silva 54
Boult 4-72, Haldes 3-66

NZ won by 91 runs
Muttiah Muralitharan was awarded MotM


ENG vs AUS
AUS won the toss and elected to bat

ENG XI: Hutton, Sutcliffe, May, Pieterson, Root(c), Stewart(wk), Botham, Broad, Willis, Underwood, Anderson
AUS XI: Hayden, Langer, Bradman, Ponting(c), Waugh, Gilchrist(wk), Miller, Warne, Lillee, Thomson, McGrath


AUS 331
Bradman 124, Hayden 54
Underwood 3-48, Broad 3-106

ENG 247
Root 67, Willis 59
Warne 5-86, McGrath 3-38

AUS 302
Bradman 96, Hayden 95
Underwood 6-65, Botham 2-87

ENG 161
Sutcliffe 71, Botham 25
Warne 4-72, McGrath 3-38

England lost by 225 runs
Don Bradman was awarded MotM


IND vs WI
IND won the toss and elected to bat

IND XI: Gavaskar(c), Gambhir, Dravid, Tendulkar, Sehwag, Dev, Dhoni(wk), Ashwin, Srinath, Bedi, Shami
WI: XI: Chanderpaul, Weekes, Headley, Lara, Richards, Sobers(c), Dujon, Marshall, Holding, Walsh, Gibbs


India 263
Sehwag 103, Gamnhir 62
Marshall 4-62, Walsh 2-48

West Indies 404
Sobers 145, Chanderpaul 81
Bedi 4-48, Ashwin 3-89

India 122
Dravid 59*, Gavaskar 23
Marshall 5-41, Holding 3-16

India lost by an innings and 19 runs
Malcolm Marshall was awarded MotM


PAK vs RSA
Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat.

PAK XI: Mohammad, Nazar, Abbas, Miandad, ul-Haq, Y Khan, I Khan(c), Ahmed(wk), Akram, Mushtaq, Younis
RSA XI: Smith, Nourse, Kallis, G Pollock, de Villiers, S Pollock, Boucher, Faulkner, Steny, Tayfield, Donald


PAK 377
Mohammad 143, Y Khan 80
Donald 4-90, Steyn 3-103

RSA 301
De Villiers 87, Smith 78
Mushtaq 3-68, Akram 3-75

PAK 292
Y Khan 106, Ahmed 51
Faulkner 2-24, Tayfield 2-59

RSA 4-237
Smith 102, Kallis 75
I Khan 2-72, Mushtaq 2-88

PAK drew with RSA
Younis Khan was awarded MotM

Round 3 Results

NZ defeated SL

ENG lost to AUS

IND lost to WI

PAK drew with SA

Group A

	Played	Wins	Draws	Total
AUS	3	3		36
ENG	3	1	1	16
NZ	3	1		12
SL	3		1	4

Group B

	Played	Wins	Draws	Total
SA	3	2	1	28
PAK	3	1	2	20
WI	3	1	1	16
IND	3			0

[Wilted]

Round 4

Round 4 Fixture

AUS vs NZ

ENG vs SL

SA vs IND

PAK vs WI

AUS vs NZ
Australia won the toss and elected to bat

AUS XI: Hayden, Langer, Bradman, Ponting(c), Waugh, Border, Gilchrist(wk), Warne, Lillee, Thomson, McGrath
NZ XI: Sutcliffe, Turner, Williamson(c), Fleming, McCullum(wk), Crowe, Cairns, Vettori, Hadlee, Boult, Bond

AUS 290
Hayden 89, Langer 67
Bond 4-61, Cairns 3-60

NZ 317
Sutcliffe 118, Turner 44
Warne 5-76, Thomson 4-41

AUS 435
Langer 112, Bradman 101
Hadlee 7-110, Boult 1-82

NZ 126
Fleming 46, Williamson 15
Warne 6-30, McGrath 2-23

Australia won by 282 runs
Justin Langer was awarded MotM


ENG vs SL
SL won the toss and elected to bowl

ENG XI: Hutton, Sutcliffe, Root(c), May, Pieterson, Stokes, Stewart(wk), Broad, Willis, Underwood, Anderson
SL XI: Atapattu, Jayasuriya, Sangakkarra(wk), Jayawardene(c), de Silva, Tillikaratne, Ratnayeke, Vaas, Herath, Malinga, Muralitharan

SL 219
Atapattu 96, Jayawardene 20
Underwood 4-57, Broad 3-59

ENG 7-637 dec

Hutton 269, Stokes 119
Vaas 3-177, Muralitharan 2-219

SL 130
Jayasuriya 38, Vaas 28
Underwood 4-40, Anderson 4-42

England won by an innings and 288 runs
Len Hutton was awarded MotM


RSA vs IND
IND won the toss and elected to bowl first

RSA XI: Smith(c), Richards, Kallis, Pollock, Amla, de Villiers, Pollock, Boucher(wk), Steyn, Tayfield, Donald
IND XI: Gavaskar, Gambhir, Dravid, Tendulkar, Kohli, Sehwag, Dhoni(c, wk), Dev, Ashwin, Srinath, Bedi

IND 300
Tendulkar 109, Ashwin 39
S Pollock 5-62, Steyn 3-103

RSA 399
G Pollock 100, Kallis 67
Bedi 6-140, Srinath 2-98

IND 274
Gavaskar 96, Tendulkar 71
S Pollock 4-54, Steyn 4-61

RSA 6-176
Kallis 52, de Villiers 38
Bedi 3-42, Dev 1-24

South Africa won by 4 wickets
Shaun Pollock was awarded Man of the Match


PAK vs WI
PAK won the toss and elected to bat

PAK XI: Nazar, Mohammad(wk), Abbas, Y Khan, Miandad, ul-Haq, I Khan(c), Akram, Qadir, Mushtaq, Younis
WI XI: Haynes, Greenidge, Weekes, Headley, Sobers(c), Chanderpaul, Dujon(wk), Marshall, Holding, Walsh, Gibbs

PAK 409
Ul-Haq 115, Abbas 99
Holding 3-75, Gibbs 2-70

WI 506
Haynes 103, Sovers 93
Mushtaq 4-90, Younis 3-138

PAK 4-363
Miandad 93*, Mohammad 80

Pakistan drew with West Indies
Inzamam ul-Haq was awarded MotM

Round 4 Results

AUS defeated NZ

ENG defeated SL

SA defeated IND

PAK drew with WI

Group A

	Played	Wins	Draws	Total
AUS	4	4		48
ENG	4	2	1	28
NZ	4	1		12
SL	4		1	4

Group B

	Played	Wins	Draws	Total
SA	4	3	1	40
PAK	4	1	3	24
WI	4	1	2	20
IND	4			0

[Wilted]

Round 5

Round 5 Fixture

NZ vs ENG

AUS vs SL

IND vs PAK

SA vs WI

NZ vs ENG
NZ won the toss and elected to bat

NZ XI: Sutcliffe, Turner, Williamson(c), Fleming, McCullum(wk), Taylor, Cairns, Vettori, Hadlee, Boult, Bond
ENG XI: Hutton, Sutcliffe, Gower, Root, Pieterson, Stokes, Stewart(wk), Trueman, Willis, Underwood, Anderson

NZ 208
Turner 106, Fleming 31
Willis 4-62, Underwood 3-57

ENG 328
Hutton 99, Stewart 48
Vettori 4-80, Bond 3-61

NZ 325
Taylor 75, Hadlee 66*
Willis 4-82, Anderson 3-95

ENG 5-206
Pieterson 56*, Hutton 51
Bond 2-76, Hadlee 2-85

New Zealand lost by 5 wickets
Willis was awarded MotM


AUS vs SL
Australia won the toss and elected to bat.

AUS XI: Hayden, Langer, Bradman, Ponting, Waugh, Border, Gilchrist, Warne, Lillee, Thomson, McGrath
SL XI: Atapattu, Jayasuriya, Jayawardene, Sangakkara, de Silva, Mathews, Tillikaratne, Vaas, Ratnayake, Malinga, Muralitharan


AUS 552
Ponting 149, Bradman 78
Muralitharan 5-182, Malinga 3-126

SL 240
Mathews 68, Tillikaratne 57
Warne 4-79, McGrath 3-48

SL 233
Atapattu 84, Jayawardene 53
Warne 8-59, Thomson 1-53

Australia won by an innings and 79 runs.
Shane Warne was awarded MotM


IND vs PAK
PAK won the toss and elected to bat

IND XI: Gavaskar, Gambhir, Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly, Sehwag, Dhoni, Ashwin, Srinath, Bedi, Bumrah
PAK XI: Mohammad, Nazar, ul-Haq, Abbas, Y Khan, Miandad, Ahmed, I Khan, Akram, Mushtaq, Younis


IND 363
Dravid 74, Gambhir 47
Mushtaq 4-118, Akram 3-67

PAK 192
Ul-Haq 53, Mohammad 37
Bedi 7-49, Ashwin 2-54

IND 2-168
Gavaskar 77*, Tendulkar 41*
Akram 2-46

IND won by 8 wickets
Bedi was awarded Man of the Match


RSA vs WI
RSA won the toss and elected to bat

RSA XI: Smith, Mitchell, Kallis, de Villiers, G Pollock, Amla, Pollock, Boucher, Steyn, Tayfield, Donald
WI XI: Haynes, Headley, Weekes, Lara, Sobers, Chanderpaul, Dujon, Marshall, Bishop, Holding, Walsh


RSA 8-504 (dec)

Kallis 205, G Pollock 85

Holding 3-112, Sobers 2-47


WI 374
Headley 98, Lara 66
S Pollock 4-63, Kallis 3-51

RSA 183
G Pollock 40, Kallis 39
Holding 4-46, Marshall 3-46

WI 4-316
Lara 121*, Sobers 61
Donald 3-104, S Pollock 1-90

South Africa lost by 6 wickets
Jacques Kallis was awarded MotM

Round 5 Results

NZ lost to ENG

AUS defeated SL

IND defeated PAK

SA lost to WI

Group A

	Played	Wins	Draws	Total
AUS	5	5		60
ENG	5	3	1	40
NZ	5	1		12
SL	5		1	4

Group B

	Played	Wins	Draws	Total
SA	5	3	1	40
WI	5	2	2	32
PAK	5	1	3	24
IND	5	1		12

[Wilted]

Round 6

Round 6

SL vs NZ

AUS vs ENG

WI vs IND

SA vs PAK

SL vs NZ
NZ won the toss and elected to bat first

SL XI: Atapattu, Jayasuriya, Jayawardene, Sangakkara, de Silva, Mathews, Samaraweera, Vaas, Herath, Malinga, Muralitharan
NZ XI: Sutcliffe, Turner, Williamson, Fleming, McCullum, Taylor, Vettori, Hadlee, Southee, Boult, Bond

NZ 180
Sutcliffe 55, Williamson 35
Herath 5-49, Muralitharan 3-69

SL 250
Mathews 52, Sangakkara 46
Vettori 5-79, Boult 2-20

NZ 270
Fleming 52, Taylor 51
Muralitharan 5-108, Malinga 3-62

SL 2-201
Jayasuriya 89, Jayawardene 69*
Hadlee 2-33

Sri Lanka win by 8 wickets
Muttiah Muralitharan was awarded MotM


AUS vs ENG
ENG won the toss and elected to bat

AUS XI: Hayden, Langer, Bradman, Ponting, Border, Waugh, Gilchrist, Warne, Lillee, Thomson, McGrath
ENG XI: Hutton, Sutcliffe, Barrington, Pieterson, Root, Stokes, Stewart, Broad, Willis, Underwood, Anderson

ENG 210
Pieterson 66, Hutton 45
Thomson 4-39, Warne 4-52

AUS 186
Border 49, Bradman 42
Broad 3-18, Willis 3-52

ENG 181
Sutcliffe 78, Root 40
Warne 5-56, Lillee 3-52

AUS 7-206
Bradman 102*, Waugh 50
Willis 3-38, Underwood 3-72

Australia won by 3 wickets
Shane Warne was awarded Man of the Match


WI vs IND
WI won the toss and elected to bat

WI XI: Haynes, Weekes, Lara, Headley, Sobers, Richards, Dujon, Marshall, Walsh, Holding, Ambrose
IND XI: Gavaskar, Gambhir, Dravid, Tendulkar, Sehwag, Dhoni, Dev, Ashwin, Srinath, Bedi, Bumrah

WI 317
Headley 136, Richards 59
Bedi 6-97, Srinath 3-84

IND 395
Tendulkar 101, Ashwin 65
Marshall 3-93, Walsh 3-94

WI 219
Richards 34, Weekes 31
Srinath 4-34, Bedi 3-105

IND 6-142
Gambhir 64, Dravid 28
Holding 2-31, Walsh 2-50

West Indies lost by 4 wickets
Javagal Srinath was awarded Man of the Match


RSA vs PAK
Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat

RSA XI: Smith, Mitchell, G Pollock, de Villiers, Kallis, Nourse, S Pollock, Boucher, Steyn, Tayfield, Donald
PAK XI: Mohammad, Nazar, Abbas, Miandad, ul-Haq, Y Khan, Ahmen, I Khan, Akram, Mushtaq, Younis

PAK 398
Mohammad 129, Y Khan 64
Tayfield 5-81, Donald 4-124

RSA 356
Nourse 85, Kallis 71
Mushtaq 4-117, Younis 2-69

PAK 112
Ul-Haq 32, Abbas 29
Tayfield 5-15, Donald 5-44

RSA 3-155
G Pollock 63, Mitchell 54
Mushtaq 2-43, Younis 1-36

South Africa won by 7 wickets
Hugh Tayfield was awarded Man of the Match

Round 6 Results

SL defeated NZ

AUS defeated ENG

WI lost to IND

SA defeated PAK

Top two teams from each pool will play eacher other in the semi finals.

Group A

	Played	Wins	Draws	Total
AUS	6	6		72
ENG	6	3	1	40
NZ	6	1		12
SL	6	1	1	16

Group B

	Played	Wins	Draws	Total
SA	6	4	1	52
WI	6	2	2	32
PAK	6	1	3	24
IND	6	2		24

[Wilted]

Semi Finals: Each semi final consists of one home and one away Test.


Semi Final 1: AUS vs WI (in AUS)
Australia won the toss and elected to bat

AUS XI: Hayden, Langer, Bradman, Ponting, Waugh, Border, Gilchrist, Warne, Lillee, Thomson, McGrath
WI XI: Greenidge, Headley, Weekes, Lara, Sobers, Richards, Dujon, Marshall, Walsh, Holding, Ambrose

Day 1 Session 1

Typical fast and precise bowling from Ambrose and Holding kept the Aussie openers in check, only allowing them to score at one run per over. The first bowling change saw Marshall find the edge of Hayden immediately. Australia looked to play too aggressively for the rest of the session and with losing a wicket but being restricted to runs, both teams could say they have had some success.

AUS 1-57

Day 1, session 2

Langer and Bradman continued their partnership, finding the boundary more times in the first hour of the session than they did for the entire morning. Langer was the first to bring up his 50, followed by Bradman a few overs later. Viv Richards was brought on for something a bit different and found the edge of Langer but the opportunity slipped straight through first slip’s fingers. The drop was costly as the pair walked off to tea with a growing partnership of 133 runs.

AUS 1-146

Day 1, session 3

Bradman brought up his 1000th run of the tournament, cementing him as the greatest batsman of all time. The West Indian bowlers were at a loss when Bradman reached yet another century and Langer was able to celebrate his century the following over. Both batsmen were unbeaten at stumps with a partnership of 233 runs.

AUS 1-246

Day 2, session 1

With a flourish of boundaries, Bradman looked to up the tempo of Australia’s innings but to the West Indies’ relief, a short ball from Marshall finally saw the end of Langer. Ponting started where Langer left off, putting away some glorious shots to the boundary. Bradman cruised past 150 before lunch where Australia had put themselves into a commanding lead.

AUS 1-345

Day 2, session 2

Ponting looked comfortable at the crease in knock, reaching 50 faster than the two previous batsmen but was undone by an inswinger into his pads from Holding. Bradman on the other hand, showed no weakness. His innings soared past 200 just before the tea break.

AUS 2-446

Day 2, session 3

Holding must have found a bit of rhythm as he dismissed Waugh, then Marshall followed up removing Border in similar fashion. Australia reached a total of 500 before both Bradman and Gilchrist looked to make some extremely quick runs before a declaration, which resulted in Bradman finally playing an errant shot off Marshall, ending his innings on 249. A few boundaries and a few wickets later, stumps were called and Australia declared overnight. Of the eight wickets taken across two days, Marshall took six of them

AUS 8-545 (dec), WI 0-0

Day 3, session 1

After a sublime two days with the bat, Australia’s bowlers could not have gotten off to a better start with McGrath getting one past the defences of Headley in the very first over. McGrath soon removed Weekes for single digits a couple of overs later, putting immense pressure on the West Indian batsmen. Just as Lara and Greenidge were looking settled, Warne came in to weave his magic, removing Greenidge just before lunch.

AUS 8-545 (dec), WI 3-84. AUS lead by 461

Day 3, session 2

McGrath started the session off with yet another wicket, removing the West Indies’ most prolific batsman of the tournament, Sobers. Lara, who had an underwhelming tournament so far, was the only batsman who seemed to be able to handle McGrath, raised his bat for 50 and Viv Richards was not far behind him and scoring runs twice as quickly.

AUS 8-545 (dec), WI 4-181. AUS lead by 364

Day 3, session 3

Shane Warne removed Lara but no one was able to contain the Master Baster, who celebrated a century off just 134 balls. Viv Richards had almost single handedly turned the West Indies’ innings around from certain defeat to looking at taking the fight to the Aussies.

AUS 8-545 (dec), WI 5-295. AUS lead by 250

Day 4, session 1

Richards reached 150 while Dujon was happy to soak up some deliveries and rotate strike at the other end. Together they dashed any chances of Australia forcing a follow on. The pair continued to amass runs and steadily chewed away at the first innings lead.

AUS 8-545 (dec), WI 5-386. AUS lead by 159

Day 4, session 2

Warne finally broke the partnership, removing Dujon. Viv up the other end was still annihilating the Aussie bowlers, reaching the fastest double ton of the tournament. It was Glenn McGrath who finally was able to remove Richards, who mis-timed a drive straight to mid-on. The tail soon collapsed without any remaining batsmen to navigate Warne’s variations. Warne ended up with six wickets for the innings, while his partner in crime, McGrath, picked up the other four.

With only a few overs to navigate until tea, Australia didn’t look to preserve their wickets but score fast runs. Ruing a missed opportunity to have a massive lead and plenty of time in the match, they scored at almost a run a ball for five overs to push their lead out further. Unfortunately this approach didn’t work out for Hayden, who once again failed to get his innings started.

AUS 8-545 (dec) and 1-28, WI 440. AUS lead by 133

Day 4, session 3

Holding and the other quicks came out steaming and didn’t allow any of the Aussie batsmen to settle. He took three wickets in the session, including Bradman, Ponting and Langer. The day finished with the match flipped on its head and the West Indies in a solid position going into the final day.

AUS 8-545 (dec) and 5-121, WI 440. AUS lead by 226

Day 5, session 1

Waugh fell early in the day to Holding and Gilchrist took on the role of run scorer but the tail was quickly falling around him. He scored a quickfire 50 before succumbing to Walsh, ending Australia’s innings with a lead of 294, with two and a bit sessions left in the day. Holding finished with five wickets in the innings.

Both teams came out aggressively to look for an unlikely win. McGrath took the only wicket in the short amount of time in the session but both teams had the door still open for victory.

AUS 8-545 (dec) and 189, WI 440 and 1-19. WI need 276 runs to win.

Day 5, session 2

Warne picked up a couple of early wickets, sending the West Indies into their shells. Lillee picked up the dangerous wicket of Lara before tea, bringing Viv Richards to the crease for the final session. Australia knows all too well that the game is not over. In the very first round of the tournament, they chased down 200 runs in the final session against New Zealand and with Viv Richards at the crease, anything could happen

AUS 8-545 (dec) and 189, WI 440 and 4-79. WI need 216 runs to win.

Day 5, session 3

Richards clearly had the intent to rip the rug out from under Australia but over extended himself against Thomson, slashing one straight to the slips. This left Sobers and Dujon as the last remaining batsmen before the tail to hold out for a draw. The pitch was just too unpredictable though, leaving Sobers and Dujon at the mercy of the cracks and bounce. Both batsmen were unable to last very long, leaving one hour for the Aussies to clean up the last three wickets. Walsh and Holding held on for half an hour but in the end Warne wrapped the match up, taking six wickets for the innings, bringing his total to 12 for the match. In doing so he became the first bowler to take 50 wickets in the tournament.

AUS 8-545 (dec)
Bradman 249, Langer 120
Marshall 6-108, Holding 2-93

WI 440
Richards 205, Lara 84
Warne 6-118, McGrath 4-121

AUS 189
Gilchrist 50, Waugh 31
Holding 5-44, Walsh 2-10

WI 154
Weekes 25, Sobers 24
Warne 6-50, Thomson 2-35

Australia win by 150 runs
Don Braman was awarded MotM

[Wilted]

Semi Final 1: WI vs AUS (in WI)
WI won the toss and elected to bat

WI XI: Haynes, Weekes, Headley, Lara, Richards, Sobers, Dujon, Marshall, Garner, Holding, Walsh
AUS XI: Hayden, Langer, Bradman, Ponting, Waugh, Border, Gilchrist, Warne, Lillee, Thomson, McGrath

Day 1, session 1

Things were looking balanced after the first session with just the West Indian openers being dismissed and 70 runs being scored. Some questionable tactics were being used from the visiting Aussies, who bowled Hayden just as often as the bowled Thomson.

WI 2-70

Day 1, session 2

Lillee and McGrath removed both Lara and Richards, the two top performers from the last match, in their first spells of the session. Headley at the other end was looking comfortable, even taking Warne to the boundary multiple times an over to bring up his 50. He and Sobers put on an unbeaten 75 run partnership before tea was called.

WI 4-156

Day 1, session 3

Sobers and Headley were content to amass runs steadily without causing too much risk. They needed to pull off a big win to gain the advantage of the RPW ratio to progress to the final. Sobers reached his own 50 before edging a wider ball from Thomson to the slips. In response, the West Indian batsmen started playing a bit more defensively. Headely just reached a century before stumps.

WI 5-223

Day 2, session 1

Headley was dismissed by McGrath in the second over and soon after Dujon followed him. With 254 on the board, the West Indies were hoping their tail could wag to give them a solid total to defend.Holding put on 20 runs but Warne put a stop to any counterattack, taking three wickets in an over to finish West Indies’ innings with a total of 270 runs.

In the few overs before lunch, Marshall was able to remove Hayden.

WI 270, AUS 110. WI lead by 260

Day 2, session 2

Unfortunately for the Windies, Australia were able to consolidate themselves through Bradman and Langer. The pair put on almost 100 runs together for the session. Only one chance arose in the session, which was ultimately dropped in the slips.

WI 270, AUS 1-91. WI lead by 179

Day 2, session 3

The first hour of the session was more positive for the West Indian quicks despite not finding any wickets. They had reduced Langer’s run rate to almost nothing and even Bradman was swinging and missing some balls. Sobers in the end got the big wicket of Bradman for 68.

WI 270, AUS 2-166. WI lead by 104

Day 3, session 1

Marshall finally found an edge that went to hand, removing Langer for a drawn out 71. The older ball proved to be a weapon for the bowlers, with Marshall picking up Waugh and even Richards chimed in with the wicket of Ponting. The new ball proved to be just as threatening but every edge managed to find its way to the boundary no matter how stacked the cordon was. Only Garner was able to sneak a ball past Border to be the only new ball wicket of the session.

WI 270, AUS 6-255. WI lead by 15

Day 3, session 2

Gilchrist was able to bat with the tail for quite some time, earning himself another 50 but wasn’t able to hold out for too long and once he was gone, the tail soon followed. Australia finished their innings with a first innings lead of 47.

WI 270 and 0-10, AUS 317. AUS lead by 37

Day 3, session 3

McGrath and Lillee tore through the West Indian top order, no matter how hard they tried to preserve their wickets.Sobers and Haynes settled the boat, putting on a 50 run partnership and looked to put on the bulk of the runs they would be setting Australia to chase.

WI 270 and 4-109, AUS 317. WI lead by 62

Day 4, session 1

Sobers and Headley both brought up their 50s and were looking very confident throughout the morning. Their 141 run partnership was broken by Lillee just before lunch.

WI 270 and 5-170, AUS 317. WI lead by 123

Day 4, session 2

Headley was dismissed shortly after play had begun. With the history of tail end collapses in this tournament, West Indies pulled one final gambit to save their tournament. Even if their tail were to wag 50-odd runs, losing 10 wickets this innings would mean their RPW ratio would be unsalvageable. Their only hope was to declare with 6 wickets down and bowl Australia out for under 100 runs. Though the target that the West Indies ultimately set was 172, they would need to do a lot better to have the tie broken in their favour.

WI 270 and 6-222, AUS 317 and 0-16

Day 4, session 3

With the West Indies getting desperate, it allowed the Aussies to take their chance and pull off some impressive stroke play. With motivation to win out the window, the West Indian quicks became a bit erratic, allowing Hayden to storm the Aussies home and into the final with a ruthless century.

WI 270
Headley 107, Sobers 53
Thomson 3-37, Warne 3-60

AUS 317
Langer 71, Bradman 68
Marshall 4-103, Walsh 2-43

WI 6-222
Haynes 82, Sobers 79
Lillee 4-64, McGrath 2-31

AUS 2-176
Hayden 100*, Langer 38
Sobers 2-61

Australia win by 8 wickets
Garry Sobers was awarded MotM

[Wilted]

Semi Final 2: RSA vs ENG (in RSA)
RSA won the toss and elected to bat

RSA XI: Smith, Mitchell, Kallis, Nourse, G Pollock, de Villiers, S Pollock, Boucher, Styen, Tayfield, Donald
ENG XI: Hutton, Sutcliffe, Root, Pieterson, Stokes, Gower, Stewart, Anderson, Broad, Willis, Underwood

Day 1, session 1

After seeing off some new ball movement, it was Willis who got the first breakthrough for England, removing Mitchell. Stokes struck next, dismissing South Africa’s best batsman in the tournament, Smith. Things took a further turn for the worse when Underwood came on and took three more wickets, putting South Africa into a nightmare scenario.

RSA 5-78

Day 1, session 2

Underwood picked up another wicket early in the session before Kallis and Boucher built a small partnership, which didn’t last long before Boucher was bowled, making it five wickets for Underwood. Kallis was doing his best to both make runs and protect the tail but there’s only so much one man can do to salvage an innings.

RSA 8-141

Day 1, session 3

Try as he might, Kallis wasn’t able to face every ball. Just about every ball that was bowled to the tail order was a chance gone begging for Underwood. In the end Kallis was able to get to 50 but ultimately ran out of partners. Underwood was of course the star of the innings, taking 7-70.

The English openers were able to stave off the South African attack until stumps.

RSA 166, ENG 0-23

Day 2, session 1

With four quick wickets, including three from Donald, South Africa managed to gain a bit of momentum. Unfortunately they were unable to maintain their streak of wickets once Gower and Pieterson had gotten settled.

RSA 166, ENG 4-114

Day 2, session 2

Gower and Stewart fell in consecutive overs, exposing the English tail. Pieterson was able to manage his end of things quite well, raising his bat for 50. He even found an unlikely partner in Broad who made a quick, unbeaten 30. This partnership allowed Pieterson to play his natural game, quickly racing ahead into the 90s before tea.

RSA 166, ENG 7-223

Day 2, session 3

Pieterson found his way to a century, his first of the tournament, but more importantly, Root made it to 50, allowing England to bolster their lead despite a middle order collapse. Tayfield finally got one to beat Pieterson for a stumping, not before he amassed 147 runs, and the tenth wicket fell on the very next ball.

RSA 166 and 0-19, ENG 307. ENG lead by 122

Day 3, session 1

Both Smith and Mitchell were able to make starts but Smith once again was unable to go on. With Kallis at the crease, things seem to be calmer for the Proteas. Mitchell and Kallis put on a solid display, eating up most of the first innings deficit.

RSA 166 and 1-98, ENG 307. ENG lead by 43

Day 3, session 2

Underwood once again spoiled South Africa’s confidence by taking two wickets in two balls. Mitchell remained the constant in this innings, passing 50 and starting to build a lead alongside G Pollock.

RSA 166 and 3-179, ENG 307. RSA lead by 38

Day 3, session 3

It was WIllis who broke the partnership before things got uncomfortable for England. Pollock and de Villiers put on a bit of a solid performance but de Villiers’ aggression was his undoing, seeing him back in the sheds for 49. The biggest blow for South Africa was still to come however and it was delivered by Jimmy Anderson. Shaun Pollock took a sharp blow and was forced to retire hurt, likely not taking part at all for the rest of the match. With essentially six wickets down, South Africa looked to G Pollock and Boucher to build a lead for them.

RSA 166 and 5-277, ENG 307. RSA lead by 136

Day 4, session 1

The first hour of the day was slow and uneventful. Underwood broke the tedium, trapping Pollock in front for 84. This was his tenth wicket for the match. With the scent of blood in their noses, the English bowlers did not take long to end the South African lead. South Africa were able to post a respectable lead of 201

RSA 166 and 342, ENG 307 and 0-0. ENG need 202 to win

Day 4, session 2

The English openers started out slow. They had all the time in the world but really didn’t want to give anything away. It took half an hour just for them to reach five runs but their effort was undone by Donald, bowling Hutton. The rest of the session went much the same, slow runs interjected with the occasional wicket. This session put England on the backfoot and South Africa back into the match.

RSA 166 and 342, ENG 307 and 3-56. ENG need 146 to win

Day 4, session 3

Pieterson hit the ground running, scoring a rapid fire 50 but Donald kept things in check by removing Stokes. Pieterson soon followed thanks to another straight delivery from Donald, putting immense pressure on both Gower and Stewart. Both batsmen were wary of the rapidly declining pitch conditions and looked to score the runs before balls started to become unpredictably unplayable but Tayfield got in first, bowling Gower. The tail began to fall around the last recognised batsman, with South Africa ending the day just two wickets from victory but England were also close, just 27 runs away for a win of their own.

RSA 166 and 342, ENG 307 and 8-175. ENG need 27 to win

Day 5, session 1

Stewart didn’t even try to be subtle about his approach, attempting to launch Steyn back over his head. As you can imagine, he ended up back in the rooms and getting an earful from his captain. Steyn ended up being too unplayable for the tail, finding the edge on numerous occasions before one off Underwood’s bat went to hand, gaining South Africa a victory from the jaws of defeat.

RSA 166
Kallis 56, Smith 22
Underwood 7-70, Stokes 1-5

ENG 307
Pieterson 147, Broad 56
Donald 6-87, Steyn 2-82

RSA 342

Mitchell 89, G Pollock 84
Underwood 4-104, Broad 3-68

ENG 182
Pieterson 58, Stewart 45
Tayfield 4-57, 3-49

South Africa won by 19 runs
Kevin Pieterson was awarded MotM

[Wilted]

Semi Final 2: ENG vs RSA (in ENG)
ENG won the toss and elected to bat

ENG XI: Hutton, Sutcliffe, Root, Pieterson, Stokes, Gower, Stewart, Anderson, Broad, Willis, Underwood
RSA XI: Smith, Mitchell, Kallis, Nourse, G Pollock, de Villiers, S Pollock, Boucher, Steyn, Tayfield, Donald

Day 1, session 1

England were in cruise control this session and spent the first hour just pushing around singles and only finding the boundary twice. Those two boundaries however cleared the fence. Tayfield took the sole wicket of the match, trapping Hutton LBW.

ENG 1-74

Day 1, session 2

Donald and S Pollock picked up a couple of wickets early in the session and put a stop to most runs being scored. Root and Pieterson started making a bit of progress with the bat once the metronomic quicks were out of the attack.

ENG 3-139

Day 1, session 3

Pieterson was never able to get going after the break and was Donald’s second victim of the match. Root trudged along, hoping that Stewart would stick around for a partnership. Rott made his 50 and it was looking like both batsmen would make it to the end of the day before a lapse in concentration from Steward saw him undone by S Pollock in the last over of the day.

ENG 5-225

Day 2, session 1

Root quickly found himself running out of partners after Stokes and Broad were sent packing in the opening overs of the day. He took it upon himself to get England to a solid total and started to play more strokes that found the boundary. From reaching a measured 50 at the end of the day yesterday, Root quickly made his way to a ton and then some more until the lunch break came.

ENG 9-322

Day 2, session 2

While the tail itself barely made any runs, Root was able to put on over 100 runs while batting with them. He reached 158 runs before Anderson was dismissed at the other end, bringing England’s total to 362.

Anderson picked up two wickets in his opening spell, including the dangerous Kallis. Smith looked to be settled by the time tea was called, looking to emulate the success of his opposing captain.

ENG 362, RSA 2-56. ENG lead by 306

Day 2, session 3

Smith reached his 50 with a balanced approach, keeping good balls out and going after anything with a bit of width. De Villiers on the other hand seemed to be going after everything, bringing his 50 up off 63 balls and quickly overtaking Smith’s total.

ENG 362, RSA 2-180. ENG lead by 182

Day 3, session 1

It took just three balls from Anderson to break the destructive 135 run partnership. It looked like England might have manufactured a collapse when a second wicket fell in the next over but soon Nourse was batting as comfortably as Smith, who was able to reach his own 100. Underwood picked up a couple of much needed wickets before lunch but with Smith still at the crease, none of the bowlers could rest on the laurels.

ENG 362, RSA 6-294. ENG lead by 68

Day 3, session 2

An inswinger with the new ball from the ageless Anderson finally removed Smith for 153. From there it was only a matter of time before the tail was outed. Thanks to Smith’s 150, South Africa were able to reduce England’s lead to just 12 runs.

ENG 362 and 0-10, RSA 350. ENG lead by 22

Day 3, session 3

With a bit of rain in the air and overcast conditions, the English batsmen were at the mercy of the Proteas’ bowling attack. They lost four wickets for the session with only Hutton making any progress in building a lead, ending the day with an unbeaten 45. Tayfield picked up three wickets, including the English captain, Root.

ENG 362 and 4-89, RSA 350. ENG lead by 101

Day 4, session 1

Stokes and Stewart were dismissed early, leaving England in a similar position to their first innings. With their tail exposed, Hutton remained their biggest chance to build a strong target to defend. They would need to win by a decent margin to progress after losing the first match in the semi final.

ENG 362 and 6-150, RSA 350. ENG lead by 162

Day 4, session 2

Sutcliffe and Broad put on a small partnership to bolster the English lead but once Broad was dismissed, Hutton looked to farm as much strike as possible. It was slow and steady but he managed to score a century but was undone by the sheer pace of Steyn.

ENG 362 and 9-207, RSA 350. ENG lead by 219

Day 4, session 3

Four balls in and Steyn had Underwood’s stump cartwheeling, setting South Africa a total of 20 to win. Much like the first semi, England not only had to win to make the final, but bowl South Africa out under a certain amount. To have the better RPW ratio, England need to bowl South Africa out for under 200. Anything more and South Africa would progress to the final. Of course South Africa would much prefer to simply win.

South Africa took things slowly, scoring just 51 runs across almost two hours. They were not taking any chances by letting England upset the finals aspirations.

ENG 362 and 207, RSA 350 and 0-51. RSA need 169 to win

Day 5, session 1

England gave themselves a chance by taking a few early wickets thanks to their quick bowlers but Mitchell’s unbeaten 73 at lunch put South Africa in a very commanding position.

ENG 362 and 207, RSA 350 and 3-153. RSA need 67 to win

Day 5, session 2

Anderson and Willis combined to take four wickets in just half an hour. This meant that while victory was now in reach, the chance of making the final was even slimmer. Bowling at the tail in overcast conditions was in their favour but the Englishmen had to take the remaining three wickets for less than 13 runs. England only managed to get one more wicket and South Africa were not only able to get past the minimum total but win the match, sealing their place in the final with a 2-0 sweep.

ENG 362
Root 158*, Sutcliffe 40
Donald 4-67, Tayfield 4-119

RSA 350
Smith 153, de Villiers 84
Anderson 4-116, Underwood 3-51

ENG 207
Sutcliffe 103, Broad 24
Tayfield 5-52, Steyn 3-38

RSA 8-220
Mitchell 95, Smith 25
Anderson 3-81, Broad 2-42

South Africa win by 2 wickets
Graeme Smith was awarded MotM

South Africa will play Australia in the Finals

[Wilted]

ATG Final: AUS vs RSA (in AUS)
RSA won the toss and elected to bat


AUS XI: Hayden, Langer, Bradman, Ponting, Border, Waugh, Gilchrist, Warne, Lillee, Thomson, McGrath
RSA XI: Smith, Mitchell, Kallis, Nourse, G Pollock, de Villiers, S Pollock, Boucher, Tayfield, Steyn, Donald

Day 1, session 1

Both Lillee and MCgrath struck early, removing both openers. Things only got worse for South Africa with Thomson and Warne picking up two wickets each, dismissing South Africa’s greatest batsmen of all time in a session, leaving just the lower order and tail left.

RSA 6-81

Day 1, session 2

McGrath picked up three of the remaining four wickets in a spell before Warne came on to wrap things up, leaving South Africa with just a total of 115.

Not wanting to lose any momentum, Langer and Hayden came out firing on all cylinders. In the short eight overs they were in the middle for, they scored at a rate of five runs per over.

RSA 115, AUS 0-40. RSA lead by 75

Day 1, session 3

Australia’s opening pair were almost able to single-handedly reach South Africa’s first innings total. Both openers made 50s before Langer was bowled by Donald with Australia just three runs behind. Bradman then edged off for his first duck of the tournament, followed by Ponting. The three wickets all came in the single over, giving something for SOuth Africa to be happy about as the day ended.

RSA 115, AUS 3-130. AUS lead by 15

Day 2, session 1

Donald bowled Hayden for 68, before Waugh also failed to go on from his start and Gilchrist and Warne fell for naught. Lillee and McGrath offered little resistance too. Australia had lost 9-65 in a little over an hour of play, including five ducks. Pollock and Donald led the way with four wickets each.

RSA 115 and 0-5, AUS 177. AUS lead by 57

Day 2, session 2.

With both teams displaying how difficult batting conditions were, Smith and Mitchell went to great lengths to ensure they slowly and safely knocked off the first innings deficit without loss. Just before they hit the lead, Smith found an edge off Warne’s bowling to finish off the session.

RSA 115 and 1-69, AUS 177. RSA lead by 7

Day 2, session 3

The session started off slowly again, however Warne was able to use the frustration of the low-scoring batsmen to his advantage, drawing Mitchell into a shot that shouldn't have been played. Lillee then had both Nourse and Kallis dismissed in the same over, showing that conditions were not getting easier to bat in. Just to ensure things were looking bright for the Aussies, Warne picked up Pollock just before stumps.

RSA 115 and 5-184, AUS 177. RSA lead by 122

Day 3, session 1

De Villiers was able to step up to the task and put on a very solid innings. He had to survive some thick edges and have a couple of LBW calls go his way, but his unbeaten 89 put South Africa well and truly into the box seat for this match.

RSA 115 and 6-287, AUS 177. RSA lead by 225

Day 3, session 2

Warne stopped the flow of runs with another flurry of wickets, including dismissing de Villiers in the 90s. A late effort partnership from Tayfield and Steyn gave South Africa a lead of 283 runs.

An early wicket for South Africa gave them a lot of confidence going into the final innings of the match.

RSA 115 and 344, AUS 177 and 1-23. AUS need 260 to win

Day 3, session 3

Hayden and Ponting were unable to make any progress for their country but Bradman showed signs of promise, bringing up a 50. He and Border survived the day but had a long way to go to achieve victory.

RSA 115 and 344, AUS 177 and 3-106. AUS need 177 to win

Day 4, session 1

Bradman remained the constant in Australia’s innings, moving into the 90s before lunch. Border got an unplayable delivery from Tayfield, who otherwise struggled to bowl tight lines throughout the morning. With less than 100 runs to go, Australia were looking to shift momentum back in their favour but after their mammoth first innings collapse, they were not taking a single run for granted.

RSA 115 and 344, AUS 177 and 4-191. AUS need 92 to win

Day 4, session 2

Bradman brought up another century with a pull shot off the bowling of Donald. Tayfield then produced a marvellous doosra to remove Waugh, once again putting the match back into a balanced position. Bradman and Gilchrist put the match beyond doubt with a fantastic 66 run partnership that took Australia to within 20 runs by the tea break.

RSA 115 and 344, AUS 177 and 5-263. AUS need 20 to win

Day 4, session 3

A couple of streaky boundaries from Gilchrist later and the match was over. Turns out batting got easier throughout the match and Australia used those changes to their full advantage.


RSA 115
Smith 18, Nourse 18
McGrath 4-37, Warne 3-24

AUS 177
Hayden 68, Langer 57
S Pollock 4-36, Donald 4-63

RSA 344
De Villiers 92, Kallis 47
Warne 7-85, Lillee 3-111

AUS 5-283
Bradman 143*, Gilchrist 41*
Tayfield 2-79, S Pollock 1-49

Australia win by 5 wickets
Shane Warne was awarded MotM

[Wilted]

ATG Final: AUS vs RSA (in RSA)
RSA won the toss and elected to bat


RSA XI: Smith, Mitchell, Kallis, Nourse, G Pollock, de Villiers, S Pollock, Boucher, Tayfield, Steyn, Donald
AUS XI: Hayden, Langer, Bradman, Ponting, Border, Waugh, Gilchrist, Warne, Lillee, Thomson, McGrath

Day 1, session 1

It’s taken over a month to complete but finally, the last match and final of the ATG Tournament is here. Smith and Mitchell got South Africa off to the perfect start, scoring an unbeaten 100 run partnership in the first session. South Africa need a decent sized win to be crowned the champions while Australia can get by with just a draw, so the 100 run head start is golden for the Proteas.

RSA 0-100

Day 1, session 2

McGrath got the first breakthrough but that didn’t slow down Smith and de Villiers took it as an invitation to start hitting some boundaries. His 50 came off just 63 balls.\

RSA 1-210

Day 1, session 3

Neither Smith nor de Villiers were able to go on to make big scores but their impact on this innings was immeasurable. Even though Australia took three wickets in the session, it felt as if they had a mountain to climb to get back in this match.

RSA 4-289

Day 2, session 1

Both Pollocks were looking comfortable, Graeme making a 50 and Shaun making a nice cameo. In this innings so far, every batsmen had made at least a start by getting at least 20 runs on the board, meaning South Africa were on track to post a total well above 400 runs.

RSA 7-395

Day 2, session 2

Shaun Pollock failed just short of 50 but with a little wagging from Tayfield, South Africa were able to amass a total of 441 runs for their first innings.
Donald found Langer’s edge in the opening over, and all of a sudden South Africa had the wind in their sails, believing they could win this match.

RSA 441, AUS 1-27. RSA lead by 414

Day 2, session 3

South Africa were keen to press their advantage and made sure none of the Aussies felt settled at the crease. They took three wickets throughout the session, ensuring that no partnerships were able to be formed. Once again the only batsman that looked comfortable was Bradman who made his way to an unbeaten 72 at stumps.

RSA 441, AUS 4-121. RSA lead by 320

Day 3, session 1

Bradman and Waugh batted through the session, bringing up their 100 and 50 respectively. Their partnership brought the game back to level footing and South Africa hoped the new session and the new ball would be able to tip things back in their favour. As for the Aussies, they were just happy to stick around and bat for as long as they could.

RSA 441, AUS 4-209. RSA lead by 232

Day 3, session 2

The end of that session marked two whole sessions without a wicket for South Africa. Bradman and Waugh’s partnership neared 200 runs as the pair looked to soak up even more time and accumulate runs.

RSA 441, AUS 4-288. RSA lead by 163

Day 3, session 3

Bradman just needed one ball to bring up his 150 and Waugh also didn’t take long to raise the bat to celebrate his century. Unfortunately Waugh’s success didn’t continue as the partnership was finally broken by Styen. Gilchrist and the tail soon followed, leaving Bradman stranded up the other end on 190 not out. With a solid lead of 92 and two days left in the match, it was South Africa’s game to lose.

RSA 441 and 0-0, AUS 349. RSA lead by 92

Day 4, session 1

Mitchell was dismissed early on but Smith and de Villiers added a further 70 runs to the growing lead.

RSA 441 and 1-79, AUS 349. RSA lead by 171

Day 4, session 2

Lillee led the Aussies with two wickets in the session but Nourse and Kallis were adamant on making sure the total continued to grow. Nourse looked to take a slow and steady approach, using South Africa’s initial lead to put pressure on the Aussies and Kallis looked to play a bit more aggressively.

RSA 441 and 4-177, AUS 349. RSA lead by 269

Day 4, session 3

South Africa used their aggression to extend their lead this session. Nourse brought up the rest of his 100 at a run a ball and G Pollock did the same to reach his 50. The lead grew towards 400, which South Africa felt comfortable with. Declaring with six wickets down also meant a win would guarantee they had a higher RPW ratio too.

RSA 441 and 6-311(dec), AUS 349. AUS need 404 runs to win

Day 5, session 1

Australia’s innings soon fell to chaos, losing five wickets in the session with Bradman being the sole survivor once again. The panic of the collapse even caused a run out despite a victory being completely off the table at this point.

RSA 441 and 6-311(dec), AUS 349 and 5-64. AUS need 340 runs to win

Day 5, session 2

It was a bloodbath of an innings in the end. Each batsman failed to reach double figures before being dismissed, except Bradman who remained not out on a comparatively mammoth score of 74. The wickets were evenly spread amongst the South African bowlers who revelled in their victory.

RSA 441
Smith 82, de Villiers 74
Thomson 3-64, McGrath 3-115

AUS 349
Bradman 190*, Waugh 105
Donald 4-99, Tayfield 3-84

RSA 6-311(dec)
Nourse 105, G Pollock 56
Lillee 3-82, McGrath 2-92

AUS 122
Bradman 76*, Langer 9
Steyn 3-26, Donald 2-24

RSA won by 281 runs
Don Bradman was awarded MotM

[Wilted]

With the home and away final now complete, resulting in one win to both Australia and South Africa, the winner of the tournament came down to the narrowest of margins. With a RPW ratio of 1.21, South Africa came ahead by a significant amount and was declared the overall winner of the tournament.

South Africa are the All Time Great Test Champions!

They were led from the front with one of the most courageous captains of all time, Graeme Smith, who amassed more than 1000 runs for the tournament and backed up superbly by the rest of the team. South Africa were the only team with two bowlers taking 50+ wickets and had three out of the five top run scorers for the tournament. In the end it was clear they had what it takes to win right from the start.

For the immense amount of runs, including eight centuries, Donald Bradman was awarded Player of the Tournament.

Some Stats:
Top 10 Run Scorers
D Bradman - 1691
G Smith - 1017
M Hayden - 969
J Kallis - 859
A de Villiers - 859

L Hutton - 768
J Langer - 721
G Pollock - 716
H Sutcliffe - 704
G Sobers - 704

Top 10 Wicket Takers
S Warne - 79
A Donald - 58
D Underwood - 57
H Tayfield - 50
D Lillee - 46

G McGrath - 42
M Muralitharan - 41
M Marshall - 40
B Bedi - 39
B Willis - 35

Miscellaneous
Most 100s - D Bradman (8)
Most 50s - J Kallis, A de Villiers, G Pollock, G Sobers, K Pieterson (6)
Highest score - L Hutton (269)
Highest average - D Bradman (130.08)
Most 'not outs' - A Donald (8)
Most 'outs' - G Smith (20)

Most 10WMs - S Warne - (4)
Most 5WIs - S Warne (8)
Best figures - S Warne (8-59)
Best average - V Laxman* (6.00), S Warne (17.41)
Best strike rate - V Laxman* (24), S Warne (38.51)
Lowest economy - H Sutcliffe* (0.00), J Garner (1.85)
Most overs bowled - A Donald (542)
* denotes bowled a non-significant amount of overs

Highest team total - England (632)
Lowest team total - India (86)
Total players participated - 124

Check here for full stats for each player, sortable by team.