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Dravid v Williams

All that stood between Australia and victory was Rahul Dravid

Rahul Bhatia
16-Dec-2003
All that stood between Australia and victory was Rahul Dravid. And for a while, all that stood between Dravid and the target was Brad Williams. Bowling straight and fast outside off stump, Williams made Dravid look out of touch only a day after he scored 233. In one scorching over, he nicked a delivery to Adam Gilchrist - who dropped the difficult chance - and played at and missed two more that moved off the seam. Williams posed searing questions, and somehow, Dravid survived to score the winning runs.
A breakdown of Williams's bowling analysis reveals a persistent length and the near absence of loose deliveries, the reasons why India's batsmen had such a hard time.

Length

Balls

Runs

Full

0

0

Yorker

0

0

Half-volley

4

4

Good length

30

11

Short-of-good-length

46

7

Short

4

12

If Williams did all the hard work, Stuart MacGill took on the onus of bowling like a millionaire, and gifted full tosses and short deliveries. Reputed to present one boundary opportunity each over, MacGill proved more generous towards the end of India's innings. Though the turning pitch helped him dismiss Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar, bowling down the wrong line proved expensive for MacGill.

Line

Balls

Runs

Outside off

54

37

Off stump

11

12

Middle stump

7

5

Leg stump

9

4

Outside leg

68

43

All India needed was 193 on a worn-out fifth-day pitch with the ball shooting through alarmingly low at times, and Brad Williams reverse-swinging deliveries at 135 kmph. Historically atrocious chasers, India's batsmen braved it out under difficult conditions, and got home in relative comfort.

Indian Innings

1st

2nd

In control

85.54%

77.52%

Not in control

14.46%

22.48%