Michael Bevan's glorious innings at the MCG was the 20th occasion on which he had successfully shepherded Australia home in a run-chase. If anybody was going to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat it was Bevan, who has rescued Australia before in a home triangular series. At Sydney on January 1, 1996, Australia were scrapping for their lives. The West Indies had reduced them to 38 for 6, still 145 short of victory, and today they were in similarly dire straits at 82 for 6, 134 short of their target.

Then, as now, Bevan inched Australia towards victory, with help from Nos 8 and 9. Today it was Shane Warne (29) and Brett Lee (27); then it was Ian Healy (16) and Paul Reiffel (34).

The parallels don't end there. In both matches Bevan had a crucial let-off: today he was dropped by Brendon McCullum, and at Sydney Roger Harper claimed a catch which the umpires eventually, and correctly, decided had hit the ground. And each time it went to the last over: today Andy Bichel hit the winning runs off Shane Bond, but at Sydney six years ago it was Bevan who belted the last ball for four to seal victory.

Back then, Bobby Simpson called it the best chasing innings he had ever seen, but remarkably Bevan did not get the Man of the Match award that day - Reiffel took it for 4 for 29 and that 34. There was no danger of him not getting the award today.

And given that Bevan's 78* in 1996 came in the middle of an 11-match run in which he averaged exactly 200, South Africa and New Zealand should hope the parallels go no further. Rob Smyth is on the staff of Wisden.com

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