Welcome to the series where we present to you a moment, a game in history that has shaped the way this sport has been played, in our weekly segment ‘Throwback Thursday’. This week, we revisit one of the great IPL finals of all time, Dwayne Smith’s blitzkrieg that blew a hole in the hearts of CSK.
It is May 6, 2012 and we are at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, where a blue sea turns ballistic. 33,000 people, all unable to control their emotions, have their hopes in one man, Dwayne Smith, who is one step away from immortalizing himself as a cult hero for the world’s largest cricket franchise. The equation is simple: Mumbai needs 4 of the last ball to pull off one of the biggest heists in cricket history. Phlegmatic, phased and focused as ever, Smith hits his bat one last time and fixes his eyes firmly on pitcher Ben Hilfenhaus, who is one non-execution away from being on the wrong side of history.
But before playing the final ball, it is important to go back and review the chain of events that led to this exciting finale.
To say that CSK were the absolute favorite heading into the 2012 IPL would be an understatement. Having won their first IPL title in 2010 after knocking on the door in 2008 and 2009, the Super Kings entered a league of their own. First, they dominated the T20 of the 2010 Champions League that followed their first IPL victory, and then the following year, they defeated all teams in the competition to clinch their second consecutive IPL title. So dominant was CSK in 2011 that in the final they made the tournament’s most feared team, RCB, look like a half-cooked school team. So, understandably, no one dared look beyond CSK for their 2012 IPL champion pick.
However, things did not go as planned for Dhoni’s men at the start of the season. On the first night of IPL 2012, they were humiliated by the Mumbai Indians in their own backyard and a week later, they were once again beaten up by a rampant Delhi Daredevils, who educated the defending champions. So to his horror, the Super Kings, from week one, were trying to catch up.
To Dhoni’s disappointment, there was no drastic change, but after rushing, hustling and struggling through matches in characteristic CSK fashion, the Men in Yellow somehow made their way to fourth place, with 11 points to his name in 11 games. So with a seemingly distant playoff spot, particularly with Delhi and Kolkata hitting over their weight, awaiting CSK in Game 12 at Wankhede were the Mumbai Indians.
Now experts considered the Mumbai Indians as “one of the favorites”, but they had every reason to claim that they were “the favorites.” After winning their first major trophy six months ago, the CLT20 title following the disappointment of the 2011 IPL, the Blues had sent a message to the rest of the group with their dismantling of CSK in Match 1.
They did not show the same dominance in the games that followed, but there were growing signs that this was a team that was not going to settle for anything but victory. Nothing epitomized this more or better than their one-race win over Pune in the Maharashtra derby, where they defended 120 for a win in an unlikely situation.
But while the atmosphere in the camp was upbeat, what Mumbai needed were points and thus, despite being in third place with six wins out of its first ten, the CSK clash that was to follow almost became in an essential meeting for the team led by Harbhajan. . What was at stake was not just a spot in the top two, which would give them a second bite of the cherry, but also a CLT20 spot, which was reserved for the top three.
So with CSK and MI separated by a lone point, although the former had played an extra game, their clash in Game 49 of the 2012 IPL was essentially seen as a four-point. 3 against 4; Mumbai vs Chennai; Sunday Afternoon: The buildup and excitement heading for the meet, understandably, was Brobdingnagian.
And, as has always been the case with MI vs CSK matches, the game did not disappoint.
Mumbai, interestingly, put CSK at bat in a juicy Wankhede wicket and what followed in the first four overs was a display of cricket. After Mumbai cleverly deployed its bowlers in the first four overs, utilizing all four of Robin Peterson, RP Singh, Malinga and Munaf Patel, Murali Vijay decided he had had enough and released in more than 5, thrown by Munaf Patel, taking the right. – arm seamer for 24 passes. Vijay died shortly after, but Raina and Bravo seized the momentum and brought CSK to a formidable position. However, the euphoria lasted only a brief time when Malinga returned to strangle the Men in Yellow upon death, restricting them to 173.
So heading into the chase with momentum on his side, Mumbai put his foot on the pedal in the chase. The Bambai duo of Sachin and Rohit, the master and the apprentice, produced a partnership for the ages and in the blink of an eye the Blues were 134/1, needing just 40 out of 25 with 9 wickets in hand.
But no CSK-MI clash can go without a riveting twist and thus, almost unsurprisingly, this bout had one too.
To the great horror of the 33,000 fans in the stadium who proudly waved the blue flag, Mumbai lost not one, not two, but SEVEN WICKETS in the span of 21 balls. Blues hitters, like a deck of cards, fell one by one in front of their home fans, and in the span of 15 minutes, what was supposed to be a celebration quickly turned into a duel.
So as the Wankhede started to get quieter, and as the CSK players began to cheer, a man stood in the middle as the last ray of hope for Mumbai: Dwayne Smith. A T20 nomad who generally made his trade on the order, Smith was in the middle of his second season with Mumbai. Before the CSK clash, he had only hit three times for the Blues and that came at a time when the Mumbai Indians had not yet become THE MUMBAI INDIANS.
So, with time running out, having run down the fold for a handful of deliveries, the equation, in quotes, presented itself in front of Smith: 14 needed 3 balls, two grounds in hand, Ben Hilfenhaus with the ball in the hand. Three hits was the need of the moment. With one you have a probability of 50-50, with two the task is still feasible, but three? Hardly anyone gave the West Indies a chance.
But luckily for Mumbai, Smith had no complications and knew exactly what he was there for: to win the game for his team. Pressure can do fun things, they say, and with Mumbai needing 14 of the last 3, Ben Hilfenhaus, who had had a flawless night before 20, delivered two full pitches. Tricky men might have gotten into trouble, but not Dwayne Smith. He was a simple man. Without jitters, the arrow-straight right-hander dispatched the two full pitches for a six and a four and reduced the equation to 4 on the final ball.
So that brings us to the moment.
33,000 people in Wankhede are on their feet, elated, revived by a man who, prior to today, hadn’t held the bat at the IPL for over 2 years. Its two limits have injected and instilled hope and faith, but every soul in the stadium knows that all the frenzy would be worth nothing if the next installment doesn’t touch the boundary ropes. Dwayne Smith, whose facial expression hasn’t changed since the first ball, also realizes that, but more importantly, he knows that with a single hit, he can not only bring Mumbai closer to the playoffs, but also boost his own career that has not taken off since its debut. versus Proteas 8 years ago. That’s it.
Welcome to a moment in history
– faceplatter49 (@ faceplatter49) October 22, 2020
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