Having reminisced on the controversial John Snow and inspirational “Taylor Who” Tests of 1971 and 1987 in Part I, let us focus on two heart-warming dramas of 1999 and 2003 in this second and final part of SCG extravaganza.
The MacGill magic (January, 1999)
England’s shock 12 run victory in the previous Melbourne Test of December 1998 had set the Ashes ablaze and galvanized spectator interest.
Mark ‘Tubby’ Taylor became the first Australian captain to win all tosses in a
5-Test series since Lindsay Hassett in 1953.
Fast medium bowler Darren Gough became the first and only Englishman to perform a hat-trick in an Ashes Test in the 20th century. The much underrated Stuart MacGill captured 12-107, the best Test figures on the SCG since Australian Charlie Turner’s 12-87 against England in February 1888.
The adventurous opening batsman Michael Slater slammed 123 runs out of Australia’s 184, which was 66.84 per cent of the team total, only fractionally behind Charles Bannerman’s 67.34 per cent domination in the inaugural Test in Melbourne in March 1877.
Playing his farewell Test, Mark Taylor took his 157th catch to eclipse Allan Border’s record in 52 fewer Tests. Mark Waugh held his 100th catch in Test cricket and Glenn McGrath captured his 200th Test wicket.
The Test fluctuated wildly. Australia was on top at 5-319 (Mark Waugh 121, Steve Waugh 96) minutes before stumps on the opening day. But they lost their last five wickets in 15 minutes as Gough performed the hat-trick.
MacGill outshone Shane Warne as he usually does when the two master leg-spinners perform in pair. MacGill grabbed 5-57 against Warne’s 1-67 and England was bowled out for 220, a deficit of 102.
There was another twist on the third day as Australia collapsed for 184 despite Slater’s defiant century, Dean Headley and Peter Such being the destroyers. Needing 287 to win, England was cruising at 2-104. To make 183 more runs in two days with eight wickets in hand appeared an easy target.
But man of the match MacGill had different ideas. The visitors lost their last seven wickets for 84 measly runs as the MacGill magic captured 7-50. Australia won by 98 runs and retained the Ashes 3-1.
Steve’s century stops the nation (January, 2003)
Many had predicted the Sydney Ashes Test of January 2003 to be Steve Waugh’s swan song. But his epic last ball century on the second day not only prolonged his career by a year but stopped the nation. It was a moment of drama and emotion when strong men shed tears of joy.
The final Test was not a thriller as England won comfortably after losing the Ashes 0-4. But the last over of the second day was right out of soap opera when Steve needed five runs for his century. The first three from spinner Richard Dawson were dot balls but Steve took three runs off the fourth. Adam Gilchrist engineered a single from the next ball.
Ultimately it came down to this, two runs needed for Steve’s ton off the last ball of the day. England made him wait, making psychological field changes. In a blur, Steve drove the ball through extra cover for four and reached his hundred as fans screamed in ecstasy. It was his 29th Test ton to equal Don Bradman’s.
This moment has gone down in folklore. It produced a roar cricket historian David Frith had not heard in Sydney in his 52 years of cricket reporting. Patrons in pubs were chanting Steve’s name hours after his epic hundred.
The match was witnessed by the second biggest Sydney crowd in history. A further 2.1 million TV viewers – one in nine Australians — tuned in for the gripping second day.
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