Lance Klusener was one of the best all-rounders in the mid-90s and was a master in finishing games in ODIs but his career would be remembered for the tragedies in the 1999 and 2003 World Cups.
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3576 runs at an average of 41 and a strike rate of 90 in 171 matches. He also took 192 wickets. For such a record in the mid-90s, Lance Klusener of South Africa should be considered as one of the legends of the game, right? But, sadly, he is considered one of the tragic figures of cricket. The sheer volume of runs, be it in Tests and ODIs, should normally make Klusener one of the best. But, he is forever judged by – two runs! The one run that he failed to get for South Africa in the semi-final against Australia and the one run that he scored off eight balls in the 2003 match against Sri Lanka.
Those two runs by Lance Klusener are what most of the world would want to know him by. In between those 3574 runs, Klusener was the ultimate batsman and bowler in that era. Getting the team over the line with a blitz at the end stunned opponents regularly. Klusener made death overs batting child’s play. But, those two runs have cast a big shadow on the brilliance of Klusener.
The rise of Lance Klusener began in the mid-90s. He had spent his time with Zulu children on sugarcane farms. Armed with a military background, Klusener knew the value of discipline and focus. Having spent his time with the Zulu tribe, he earned the nickname ‘Zulu’. The sight of Klusener, armed with a big bat that weighed almost close to three pounds, was a fierce sight.
With the ball, Klusener had an action that suggested he was always aiming for the stumps or at the body. He ended up with 8/64 in the Kolkata Test, the best figures by a debutant. But, with the bat, at No.8 in Tests, he added far more depth than any team could offer. The aggression that he showed in ODIs at the death would help South Africa dominate ODIs in a big way.
If there was one tournament that was dominated by the sheer volume of big-hitting, it was Klusener. During the game against Pakistan in Trent Bridge, South Africa were up against the wall. Shoaib Akhtar was bowling 90mph thunderbolts. Klusener was the only factor in South Africa getting to a win. The one sight of that match was Klusener mauling a 90mph short ball from Shoaib over the stands in Trent Bridge for a big six. His knock got South Africa over the line in a thriller.
The Proteas had a great run, beating India, England, New Zealand and suffering one loss to Zimbabwe. In the final Super Six stage match, South Africa lost to Australia in Leeds. The match was remembered for Herschelle Gibbs dropping Steve Waugh. The Aussie skipper would go on to hit a century. In the semi-final, Australia and South Africa clashed again in Edgbaston.
Australia was bowled out for 213, with Allan Donald and Shaun Pollock taking four and five wickets respectively. South Africa was blown away by the brilliance of Shane Warne, who took four wickets. But, Klusener was still there. He kept the Proteas in the hunt. In the 49th over, Klusener thumped a ball from Glenn McGrath to long-on but Paul Reiffel dropped the catch. It sailed over for a six and in the final over, with just one wicket remaining, South Africa needed nine runs. Crucially, they had Klusener at the crease.
Nine runs needed off six balls with one wicket in hand. The match was poised on a knife-edge. But, Klusener looked totally at ease. In the first two balls of the over bowled by Damien Fleming, Klusener blasted two aggressive fours that leveled the score. The sheer power and force with which he hit those fours showed him to be in the zone to dominate. But then, the tragedy took place. On the third ball, Klusener mistimed a short ball to mid-on. Darren Lehmann had an underarm throw at the bowler’s end as Donald was out of the crease. He missed and Donald was safely in.
That should have given Klusener the hint. He needed to play calmly. But, on the fourth ball, spooked by the missed run-out of the previous delivery, Klusener drove to mid-off. But, Donald, wanting to be safe was ball-watching. Klusener and Donald were at the same end. Mark Waugh dived to his left, flung the ball to Fleming. The bowler then under-armed the ball to Adam Gilchrist who ran out Donald. The match was tied but South Africa was knocked out in cruel circumstances.
Australia had a Net Run-rate of 0.01 better than South Africa and that is why they qualified for the final. Klusener, who had gotten South Africa so close, had failed to get them over the line.
The pain of 1999 was still raw for many South Africans. But, Klusener was still batting well. However, injuries piled up and in the next two years, Klusener’s form with the bat and ball dipped. But, he still made it to the team in the 2003 World Cup that was held in South Africa. In the first game against the West Indies, he smashed an aggressive fifty but yet again, the Proteas fell short by a couple of runs.
South Africa was staring at elimination after the loss to New Zealand. In their game against Sri Lanka, they had to win in Durban. Marvan Atapattu hit a century and Aravinda de Silva smashed 71 as Sri Lanka finished on 268. Herschelle Gibbs batted beautifully and put South Africa on course. But, Sri Lanka pegged them back with a few wickets. With the rain coming, South Africa needed to be ahead of the DLS score. Klusener came out to bat and he struggled. He managed just one run from eight balls which further increased the pressure. Mark Boucher was given a message that South Africa needed to be 229 after the end of the 46th over. Boucher hit a six off Muttiah Muralitharan and then defended the last ball.
But, Boucher had been given the wrong message. South Africa needed to be 230 after the 46th over. 229 was the par score. The match could not resume due to rain and thus, South Africa could not get to the next round due to another tie. Klusener copped a fair bit of criticism for his knock.
The all-rounder was never the same after two World Cup heartbreaks. After retiring, Klusener participated in the Indian Cricket League for Kolkata Tigers. But, he later quit the ICL and then took up various coaching assignments.
For all the efforts of Klusener, it is a sad way as to how his career with South Africa ended. With no major ICC tournament trophies in their cabinet, the pressure to deliver was huge. Klusener had gotten South Africa to one run of the 1999 World Cup final but he imploded in spectacular fashion. In the 2003 World Cup, he struggled to get going at a crucial time. High pressure was the undoing in both cases for Klusener
As Zulu turns 50, it is worth noting that his achievements should be celebrated. But, at the same time, one cannot ignore the fact that when the chance came to get South Africa over the line in a major tournament, he did not get the job done.
