World Cup 2011 Photos

1999: When it all came together

February 06, 2011 21:51

Steve Waugh's Australians held their nerve in testing conditions to lift the 1999 World Cup in England, while South Africa continued to wrestle with their fate.

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Steve Waugh's Australians held their nerve in testing conditions to lift the 1999 World Cup in England, while South Africa continued to wrestle with their fate.

Steve Waugh said the "inner strength" was the key to his team's success after a struggling start. Australia had lost two of their first three matches before winning six out of their next seven matches along with the famous tie in the Semi-Finals.

The 1996 format of playing quarter-finals straight after the group games was abandoned. Twelve teams were now divided into two groups, with the top three advancing to the Super Six. Each Super Six side carried forward the points gained from matches played against fellow-group qualifiers. (Photo: Getty Images)
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Australia advanced to the Super Six without a point as they had lost to fellow-qualifiers Pakistan and New Zealand in group games. (Photo: Getty Images)
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India broke the monotony of low-scoring games, with Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid adding a record 318 against Sri Lanka. Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar also put on 237 for the third wicket against Kenya. (Photo: Getty Images)
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But that was all they could take back home as they were knocked out at the Super Six stage along with Zimbabwe. (Photo: Getty Images)
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Lance Klusener, with his amazing big-hitting, emerged as one of the stars along with Pakistani paceman Shoaib Akhtar, who was involved in fascinating duels with batsmen. (Photo: Getty Images)
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Australia knew after the group stages that just one slip could sent them back home. It nearly came against South Africa at Headingley chasing a stiff 272-run target. (Photo: Getty Images)
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Steve Waugh was on 56 when he offered a simple catch to South African century-maker Herschelle Gibbs, who held the ball before dropping it in premature celebrations.

The Australian captain needed just that slice of fortune to steer his team to a crucial win with an unbeaten century. South Africa had lost an opportunity to knock Australia out of the competition.

The defeat proved to be a crucial turning point in their World Cup campaign. (Photo: Getty Images)
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In a high-drama Semi-Final, Australia posted a rather modest total of 213. South Africa made a good start with Herschelle Gibbs looking in sublime form, hitting the ball to all parts of the park. (Photo: Getty Images)
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But a magical spell from Shane Warne and a nervous spell of play that saw a mix-up between Allan Donald and Lance Klusener ended the match with both teams tied on score. Despite not losing the match- they bowed out on inferior net run-rate to Australia in the Super Six. The spilled catch by Gibbs at the Super Six stage proved to be the difference between the two sides in the end. (Photo: Getty Images)
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After three of the last four World Cups going to Asian countries, Pakistan seemed to be the nation carrying the Asian challenge forward. With four wins out of five in the group stage and topping the Super Six table, Pakistan's challenge for the title seemed formidable. (Photo: Getty Images)
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After South Africa's exit, Pakistan were highly fancied as they had beaten New Zealand in the Semi-Final by nine wickets to once again break their dream of reaching the Final. (Photo: Getty Images)
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The final was an anti-climax, with Australia thrashing Pakistan by eight wickets. Leg-spin magician Shane Warne grabbed four wickets in what turned out to be his last World Cup match. (Photo: Getty Images)
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Many experts believed that good fortune and key performances had led to the surprising victory. Little did they know, the World Cup had started an era of sheer domination in all forms of cricket for Australia. (Photo: Getty Images)

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