- South Africa chase 400+ target in a thriller against Australia
- New Zealand collapsed to lose a match going towards a draw
- South Africa face match abandonment again but this time returning back early
Here is what cricket has in history from March 12.
2006: The most Exciting ODI
March 12 2006 saw one of the most nerve-wracking, nail-biting matches between Australia and South Africa in Johannesburg. A scintillating 164 from Ricky Ponting and an 81 from Michael Hussey helped the visitors pile up a massive 434/4, the first 400+ runs in this format of the game. What everybody deemed would be a very tough and impossible chase but the idea was opposed by the Proteas as a 111 ball 175 by Herschelle Gibbs and a 55 ball 90 by Graeme Smith racked up 438 for the hosts. But the match was a close one as the South African side won with just one wicket with only one ball to spare.
2001: A Great Collapse
In 2001 on this day, team New Zealand suffered a shocking defeat at the hands of the visiting Pakistan team. Pakistan began the first Test match of the series scoring 346 runs. The Kiwis in their inning could only bundle up 252 runs courtesy of a four-for by Mushtaq Ahmed. The final target for the hosts was set up at 431 and on the last day, the black caps were 105 for 1 when the match began. For the while, the match was slowly progressing towards a draw but two hours later the match was done and dusted and the touring team had defeated the home team by 299 runs.
2020: Another Wash-out
In September 2019, South Africa toured India for a series of three T20s and three Tests. But to everyone’s disappointment, the most awaited first T20 between the two sides had to be abandoned due to rain. Six months later the same fate was waiting for the Proteas. They toured India again in March 2020 for a series of three ODIs but this time not one but all the games were abandoned due to the coronavirus pandemic. The visiting team had to return back without playing a single ball and had to undergo mandatory two weeks isolation on arrival.
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