Dropped catches, umpiring controversy, a fourth-innings marathon — the 1998 Adelaide Test between Australia and South Africa was an instant classic.
Fourteen years before South African debutant Faf du Plessis put together a match-saving performance at the iconic venue, Mark Waugh achieved the feat to ensure Australia clinched a series victory over the Proteas.
It was arguably Waugh’s finest knock in the Test arena, but it’s remembered mostly for an umpiring decision that potentially altered the match’s outcome, sparking decades of debate.
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Moments after the final delivery, disgruntled South African captain Hansie Cronje plunged one of the stumps through the umpires’ changeroom door, a not-so-subtle message for the match officials.
South African legend Shaun Pollock, denied the crucial wicket and robbed of a maiden ten-wicket haul, recounted the 1998 Adelaide Test to foxsports.com.au last week.
Australia was leading the series 1-0 ahead of the third and final Test in Adelaide. South Africa had secured a gritty draw in the Boxing Day Test, surviving 122 overs in the fourth innings for the loss of seven wickets, with Pollock scoring an unbeaten 15 (70) late on day five.
A week later, the hosts comfortably won the New Year’s Test, with the late Shane Warne taking 11 wickets in a vintage spin-bowling masterclass.
South Africa’s hopes of levelling the series took a heavy blow when Proteas paceman Allan Donald was ruled out of the Adelaide Test due to injury.
Without their premier quick, a 24-year-old Pollock was tasked with leading the South African bowling attack for the first time in his career.
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“For me, it was huge,” Pollock said.
“I’d always been his partner, the second seamer bowling into the wind, so that was my first opportunity to really lead the attack.”
Cronje won the toss and elected to bat first in Adelaide, with the visitors compiling 517 in the first innings.
The tailenders were primarily to thank for putting South Africa in such a commanding position, with the last three wickets contributing 212 runs, including a handy 40 from Pollock.
Australia’s first innings got off to a rocky start, with opener Matthew Elliott edging a Pollock delivery towards all-rounder Jacques Kallis at third slip.
The following morning, Pollock sent Greg Blewett back to the sheds for 31 after a pull shot was slapped directly towards square leg fielder Adam Bacher.
Australian captain Mark Taylor, who scored an unbeaten 169, and Mark Waugh combined for a 126-run partnership for the third wicket to frustrate the South Africans before Pollock snared a crucial double blow. Waugh chipped a catch to Herschelle Gibbs in the covers before his twin brother edged behind for 6.
Later in the afternoon of day three, Pollock was potentially robbed of a fifth wicket after trapping Ricky Ponting on the pads, only to be denied by umpire Steve Randell.
Pollock returned in the evening session to roll through Australia’s lower order, snaring three further breakthroughs before stumps.
Ian Healy prodded a return catch back to Pollock, Andy Bichel slapped a short ball directly towards gully, and Warne edged behind for a golden duck — Michael Kasprowicz survived the hat-trick delivery.
Australia was ultimately bowled out for 350, giving South Africa a healthy first-innings lead of 167. Pollock finished with figures of 7-87 from 41 overs, the best bowling performance of his international career.
“I bowled a rather large amount of overs … I took on that responsibility,” Pollock said.
“It was huge for me personally, and I think it showed more about the South African character. We are a proud sporting nation, and never give up, and that was another case and point when we were down on the back-end of the first two Test matches.
“I suppose the only issue was that we didn’t end up winning that Test match.”
South Africa declared at 6-193 in their second innings, with opener Gary Kirsten plundering a quick-fire 108 not out, setting Australia a 361-run target for victory.
The Proteas struck twice before stumps on day four, with Pollock once again dismissing Elliot cheaply to put themselves eight wickets away from victory.
Early on day five, Pollock knocked over Blewett to leave Australia reeling at 3-54 with more than 80 overs still to play.
South Africa was seemingly cruising towards victory — the only thing standing in their way was a stubborn Mark Waugh.
The New South Welshman was impenetrable in the fourth innings, surviving 305 deliveries and 404 minutes at the crease, and bringing up a 13th Test century in the evening session.
However, just as the Test was approaching its climax, the match became shrouded in controversy when Waugh was on 107, with South Africa needing four more wickets for victory.
Pollock delivered a searing bouncer that struck Waugh flush on the arm, with the ball flying towards the gully region.
But as Waugh began walking towards square leg to shake off the pain, the South Africans started appealing — not for a catch, but for hit wicket.
Waugh had carelessly knocked over the bails with his bat, swinging by his side as he began walking away from the pitch.
The Proteas pointed towards the stumps in desperation, forcing the umpires, who had been watching the ball’s trajectory, to send the decision upstairs.
Richie Benaud and Bill Lawry analysed the replays in the commentary box, disagreeing on whether the dismissal was legitimate.
“That’s ok, that’s not out,” Benaud muttered.
Lawry quickly intervened: “I think you’ll find that that is out, Richie.
“I think if the player breaks the bails in any matter whatsoever after playing a shot, he’ll be adjudged out.”
Benaud continued: “There’s no way in the world he’s still in the stroke here.”
While third umpire Steve Davis reviewed the footage, Waugh was captured on the stump mics chatting to Randell.
“It hit my arm, and my arm went numb,” Waugh explained.
“I lost my bat, it hit the stumps. That’s after the shot. So what?”
Davis’ decision came through a couple of minutes later — not out.
Rapturous cheers echoed around Adelaide Oval when the green light bulb illuminated, but some boos were also audible.
Cronje immediately stormed towards the on-field umpires, protesting the decision before turning his attention to Waugh.
The Proteas skipper whipped out the dreaded double teapot as Kallis yelled from mid-on: “It’s out! It’s out!”
Debate raged on the field for several minutes, to no avail, before the umpires finally returned to their position and the match resumed. The restless crowd applauded in response, with a handful of drunk hooligans yelling abuse from the stands.
Nearly 25 years later, Pollock is still peeved about the verdict.
“They slowed it down so much that it looked like it took him forever to knock the bails off,” Pollock laughed.
“We were obviously looking at it from the perspective of it’s got to be out, and then how can we convince the umpires?
“(Waugh) always said, ‘Oh, it hit me and my arm went numb, and I kind of lost control of the bat’.
“So I said, ‘Well there you go, if you lost control of the bat and it hit the stumps, then surely you’re on your way’, but not to be.
“That was a huge talking point afterwards … from our side it was obviously disappointing, because he was the key. He held that second innings together. If we’d dismissed him, we would have definitely won the game.”
Benaud and Lawry continued their debate once play resumed, consulting different sections of the Laws of Cricket to back up their argument.
Lawry pointed to Law 35.1, which states: “The striker is out hit wicket if … his wicket is put down either by the striker’s bat or by his person in the course of any action taken by him in preparing to receive or in receiving a delivery.”
Meanwhile, Benaud argued the ball was not yet dead, noting that Law 20.1 states: “The ball shall be considered to be dead when it is clear to the bowler’s end umpire that the fielding side and both batters at the wicket have ceased to regard it as in play.”
The dismissal had unearthed a grey area in the Laws of Cricket; there was no clear answer to this unique scenario.
But the South Africans couldn’t blame one decision on the final outcome. Later that same over, Adam Bacher put down a tough chance at short leg, gifting Waugh an additional life at the crease and denying Pollock his ten-wicket haul.
Another catch was put down at gully shortly after, bringing the tally of dropped chances for the match up to 10.
The Proteas had shot themselves in the foot — Waugh finished unbeaten on 115 as Australia clinched a draw from the jaws of defeat.
South Africa fell three wickets short of levelling the series, but all the discussion after the match was about Waugh’s hit wicket.
“It was a game of bad blood,” all-rounder Pat Symcox said a few years later.
“There was no doubt he was out, we all knew.”
Healy offered the following rebuttal: “It was well after the shot and it wasn’t part of the shot when the wicket was broken. I was of the opinion it was the right decision.”
The South Africans were understandably distraught. After dominating the Test match for four days, they had come within touching distance of a much-needed victory but instead returned home with a 1-0 series defeat.
Pollock retrieved a stump to commemorate his nine wickets, as did Cronje, with the Proteas returning to the sheds still fuming at the umpires.
“The door to the umpires’ changeroom was right next to the door to ours, so you had to walk past it every time to go out,” Pollock explained.
“I can remember just tapping the door as we walked past, as if to point at the umpires and say, ‘Oh, that was a bit of a decision’.
“Then I hear this louder tap behind me.”
Cronje had speared his stump into the changeroom door, creating a hole. His teammates subsequently dubbed him “Spark”, the informal moniker given to electricians.
A month later, Cronje wrote a letter of apology to the Australian Cricket Board over the incident.
“You could understand, with the emotion and the disappointment,” Pollock explained.
“He wanted to make a noise and make his emotions felt by the umpires, let them know that he felt like it was unfair and that we should have maybe got the decision our way.
“As I say with the emotion, I think he hit the door a bit hard.”
Pollock played nine Tests on Australian soil throughout his illustrious career, never tasting victory Down Under. The right-armer remains South Africa’s leading wicket-taker in Australia with 32 Test scalps at 34.31.
