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Statistical Highlights 41st match: South Africa v Australia at Birmingham on 17-6-1999 (2nd Semi-final)

Mohandas Menon

• This match was the 1483rd in Limited over international (LOI) history.

• This match was the 199th in World Cup history.

• This match was South Africa's 173rd and Australia's 434th in LOIs. Australia now equals Pakistan's record of having appeared in maximum LOIs.

• This match was South Africa's 24th and Australia's 46th in the WC. Australia now equals Pakistan's record of having appeared in maximum WC matches.

• It was their 39th meeting in LOIs and their third in the WC. The teams met each other on 13-6-1999 at Leeds when Australia won by five wickets.

• This match was the 26th LOI and the 11th in the WC to be played at this venue.

• This venue was hosting its third WC match of this tournament.

• Englishman David Shepherd was umpiring his 85th LOI match of his career, which takes him past Australian umpire Tony Crafter (84 matches). Now only Steve Randell (also of Australia) has officiated in more matches - 88.

• Mark Waugh' s duck was his second in the WC. He joins Allan Border and Craig McDemott as batsmen with maximum ducks in the WC for Australia. Curiously, his earlier duck also came in the semi-final of the 1996 WC. Later in the innings, Damien Fleming joined this group with his second WC duck.

• The catch of Lehmann was Mark Boucher's 50th of his career. It was 39th LOI match. He becomes the second South African after Dave Richardson and the 17th keeper in LOI history to do so.

• Allan Donald's four wickets takes him past the tally of 33 by Pakistani Imran Khan to move into the second position among top wicket-takers in the WC. The first position is held by Wasim Akram with 42 wickets, while Donald now has 37 wickets.

• The partnership of 90 runs between S Waugh and Michael Bevan was Australia's best against South Africa in the WC surpassing the previous best of 73 between the same pair in the last match between the two sides at Leeds on 13-6-1999.

• The partnership was also the highest for the fifth wicket at this venue in the WC. The previous best being the 71 between New Zealanders Geoff Howarth and Jeremy Coney against England in the 1983 WC.

• Steve Waugh (56) became the highest run-getter for Australia in the WC, when his score reached 46. He overtook the aggregate of 967 runs of twin-brother Mark. At the end of his innings, Steve has taken his tally to 978 runs which places him in the number four position among the top run-getters in the WC. The others above him are Pakistani Javed Miandad (1083 runs), Indian Sachin Tendulkar (1059) and West Indian Viv Rihards (1013).

• Shaun Pollock's 5-36 was the second best figures by a South African in the WC. Lance Klusener's 5-21 against Kenya at Amsterdam on 26-5-1999 remains the best.

• Its also the second best figures by a South African against Australia in LOIs. Only Klusener's 5-24 at Melbourne on 9-12-1997 exceeds Pollock's effort.

• Its also the second best figures by any bowler in the WC against Australia after West Indian Winston Davis' 7-51 at Leeds in the 1983 WC.

• However, Pollock's figures are the best by any bowler at this venue in the WC. The previous best was the 4-11 by Englishman John Snow against East Africa in the 1975 WC.

• Pollock's figures are also the best by a South African against Australia in the WC. It betters the previous best of 3-34 by Donald at Sydney in the 1992 WC.

• Mark Boucher became the first South African keeper to take four dismissals (all catches) in a WC match. He obliterates the previous best of three dismissals (all catches) which were achieved twice by Dave Richardson and Steve Palframan both against England at Sydney and Rawlapindi in the 1992 and 1996 WCs respectively.

• Boucher also becomes the first South African to do so against Australia. Richardson on three occasions had taken three catches in a match against the Aussies in LOIs.

• Hansie Cronje was dismissed for a duck in successive innings. He was dismissed of the third ball he faced against Australia at Leeds on 13-6-1999. He lasted just two balls on this occasion.

• The partnership of 84 between Jacques Kallis and Jonty Rhodes was South Africa's best for the fifth wicket in the WC bettering the previous best of 78 between Daryll Cullinan and Cronje against Pakistan at Karachi in the 1996 WC.

• It was also South Africa's best for the fifth wicket against Australia in the WC. The previous best was 31 runs between Rhodes and Lance Klusener at Leeds on 13-6-1999.

• Shane Warne's four wickets takes his tally in the WC to 28 which surpasses the previous Australian WC record of 27 wickets jointly held by Craig McDermott and Steve Waugh.

• Warne's 4-29 was the best figures by any bowler against South Africa in the WC. The previous best was the 4-47 by West Indian Roger Harper at Karachi in the 1996 WC.

• It was also the best figures for Australia against South Africa in the WC. The previous best was the 3-57 by Damien Fleming at Leeds on 13-6-1999.

• It was the fifteenth "tie" in LOI history and the first in WC history.

• This was the fifth "tie" involving Australia and the first involving South Africa.

• This was Australia's sixth consecutive WC victory - their best ever winning sequence in the WC.

• Australia has now never lost in a WC semi-final. It was their fourth entry to the final. They also made it to the final in 1975, 1987 (won by Australia) and 1996.

• Warne won his 12th Man of the match award of his career and his third such award in the WC.