South Africa began its home World Cup surrounded by expectation. One night at Newlands was supposed to launch a campaign toward the trophy. Instead, Brian Lara turned a score of 7 for two into a warning, West Indies added 63 runs in the final 28 balls, and Lance Klusener’s last intervention ended five deliveries too soon.
The hosts still reached 271 for seven with Klusener swinging the chase back toward them. Vasbert Drakes then removed him and Makhaya Ntini in the space of three balls. South Africa finished on 275 for nine, three runs short of its revised target.
A great innings, a costly over-rate penalty and another South African finish defined by unbearable pressure give this World Cup opener its place as Match 18 in A Celebration of 5000 ODIs.
TL;DR
- West Indies defeated South Africa by three runs in the opening match of the 2003 World Cup.
- Brian Lara rescued West Indies from 7/2 with 116 from 134 balls.
- Ricardo Powell and Ramnaresh Sarwan added an unbeaten 63 from the final 28 deliveries.
- South Africa’s slow over rate reduced its chase to 49 overs, with a revised target of 279.
- Gary Kirsten made 69 before Lance Klusener threatened to steal the game with 57.
- Lara earned Player of the Match as the hosts began their campaign under immediate pressure.
Match Information
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Match | South Africa vs West Indies, 2003 World Cup opener |
| Tournament stage | Pool B |
| Date | February 9, 2003 |
| Venue | Newlands, Cape Town |
| West Indies | 278/5 in 50 overs |
| South Africa | 275/9 in 49 overs |
| Revised target | 279 from 49 overs |
| Result | West Indies won by three runs |
| Player of the Match | Brian Lara, 116 from 134 balls |
| Top South African batter | Gary Kirsten, 69 from 92 balls |
| Top bowlers | Shaun Pollock 2/52; Vasbert Drakes 2/33 |
| Turning point | Drakes dismissed Klusener at 271/8 |
| Tournament impact | West Indies earned four points; host South Africa started with a defeat |
Complete Match Scorecard
West Indies Batting
| Batter | Dismissal | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Gayle | b Pollock | 2 | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| Wavell Hinds | c Boucher b Pollock | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| Brian Lara | c Pollock b Ntini | 116 | 134 | 12 | 2 |
| Shivnarine Chanderpaul | c Boucher b Klusener | 34 | 60 | 3 | 0 |
| Carl Hooper | c Kallis b Ntini | 40 | 40 | 3 | 0 |
| Ricardo Powell | Not out | 40 | 18 | 5 | 1 |
| Ramnaresh Sarwan | Not out | 32 | 15 | 2 | 2 |
| Ridley Jacobs | Did not bat | ||||
| Vasbert Drakes | Did not bat | ||||
| Mervyn Dillon | Did not bat | ||||
| Pedro Collins | Did not bat | ||||
| Extras | 6 leg byes, 4 wides, 4 no-balls | 14 | |||
| Total | Five wickets, 50 overs | 278 |
Fall of wickets: 4/1, 7/2, 109/3, 198/4, 215/5.
South Africa Bowling
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shaun Pollock | 10 | 2 | 52 | 2 |
| Makhaya Ntini | 10 | 1 | 37 | 2 |
| Allan Donald | 9 | 0 | 54 | 0 |
| Jacques Kallis | 10 | 2 | 52 | 0 |
| Lance Klusener | 8 | 0 | 53 | 1 |
| Nicky Boje | 3 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
South Africa Batting
Target: 279 from 49 overs
| Batter | Dismissal | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herschelle Gibbs | c Jacobs b Dillon | 24 | 28 | 4 | 0 |
| Gary Kirsten | c & b Dillon | 69 | 92 | 6 | 1 |
| Boeta Dippenaar | st Jacobs b Hooper | 20 | 25 | 2 | 1 |
| Jacques Kallis | c Jacobs b Collins | 13 | 18 | 2 | 0 |
| Jonty Rhodes | b Hooper | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Mark Boucher | b Gayle | 49 | 49 | 4 | 1 |
| Shaun Pollock | c Hooper b Gayle | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Lance Klusener | c Hooper b Drakes | 57 | 48 | 1 | 5 |
| Nicky Boje | Not out | 25 | 25 | 2 | 0 |
| Makhaya Ntini | c Sarwan b Drakes | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Allan Donald | Not out | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Extras | 4 leg byes, 5 wides, 3 no-balls | 12 | |||
| Total | Nine wickets, 49 overs | 275 |
Fall of wickets: 46/1, 79/2, 104/3, 117/4, 155/5, 160/6, 204/7, 271/8, 271/9.
West Indies Bowling
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mervyn Dillon | 10 | 0 | 47 | 2 |
| Pedro Collins | 9 | 0 | 54 | 1 |
| Vasbert Drakes | 8 | 1 | 33 | 2 |
| Carl Hooper | 10 | 0 | 63 | 2 |
| Chris Gayle | 10 | 1 | 60 | 2 |
| Ricardo Powell | 2 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
Scorecard details verified against the archived ESPNcricinfo record.
Brian Lara Rescues West Indies From 7/2
Shaun Pollock gave South Africa the start Newlands expected. Wavell Hinds departed for a 16-ball duck, and Chris Gayle followed with only seven on the board.
Lara responded by controlling risk rather than chasing an immediate counterattack. He rebuilt alongside Shivnarine Chanderpaul, adding 102 for the third wicket. Chanderpaul’s 34 occupied 60 balls, giving Lara the stable partnership West Indies required.
Carl Hooper increased the tempo with 40 from 40 deliveries. Lara then reached his century and finished with 116, striking 12 fours and two sixes. His innings restored West Indies after the early damage and created a platform for a punishing finish.
The ICC’s history of memorable World Cup opening days identifies Lara as the player who led West Indies to victory in Cape Town.
Ricardo Powell and Ramnaresh Sarwan Transform the Total
Ntini dismissed Lara at 215 for five with 28 balls remaining. South Africa had an opportunity to restrict West Indies to something near 250.
Powell and Sarwan destroyed that possibility.
Powell hammered an unbeaten 40 from 18 balls, while Sarwan made 32 from 15. Their unbroken partnership produced 63 from 28 deliveries and carried West Indies to 278 for five.
That acceleration changed the chase. South Africa’s over-rate penalty reduced its innings to 49 overs, meaning the hosts needed 279 without receiving the full allocation of deliveries. Every late boundary from Powell and Sarwan became more expensive once the penalty took effect.
Gary Kirsten Gives South Africa a Foundation
South Africa lost wickets regularly after reaching 79 for one. Boeta Dippenaar, Jacques Kallis and Jonty Rhodes departed as the innings slipped to 117 for four.
Kirsten resisted. His 69 from 92 balls gave the chase structure, while Mark Boucher’s 49 from 49 revived the required scoring rate. Their work kept South Africa alive, but neither completed the chase.
Mervyn Dillon removed Kirsten at 155, and Gayle bowled Boucher at 204. Gayle also dismissed Pollock, leaving the hosts seven wickets down and asking Klusener to produce another World Cup rescue.
Lance Klusener Brings Newlands Back to Life
Klusener attacked with the power that had defined his 1999 World Cup. He struck five sixes in a 48-ball 57 and combined with Nicky Boje to add 67 for the eighth wicket.
The partnership carried South Africa from 204 for seven to 271 for seven. A chase that appeared lost had tightened into another last-over contest.
Drakes held his nerve. Klusener found Hooper at 271, and Ntini fell two deliveries later. Boje remained unbeaten on 25, but South Africa closed at 275 for nine.
Why Match 18 Belongs in the Celebration
This opener combined elite individual performance, tactical consequences and tournament pressure. Lara produced one of his defining World Cup centuries. Powell and Sarwan demonstrated how a short late assault could reshape an ODI. South Africa then discovered that its slow over rate had removed the breathing room needed in a three-run finish.
The loss also extended the hosts’ uneasy World Cup history. South Africa had already suffered the rain-rule heartbreak of 1992, Lara’s Karachi intervention in 1996 and the 1999 semifinal tie against Australia.
West Indies, meanwhile, showed the resilience seen in other classics from The Sports Encounter’s 5000 ODIs series hub. Readers can also revisit Shane Warne’s 1996 semifinal comeback or explore more history through the site’s cricket coverage.
Final Takeaway
South Africa’s home World Cup began with a target close enough to touch and a finish it could not complete. Lara had repaired West Indies’ innings, Powell and Sarwan had expanded it, and Drakes protected it when Klusener threatened to take the night away.
Three runs separated the teams. The consequences followed South Africa for the rest of the tournament.