Pakistan v. Sth. Africa - ODI series

[Donny]

Kallis and Smith lead South African run-chase
Dileep Premachandran

October 7, 2003

South Africa kept the one-day series alive by beating Pakistan on the Duckworth-Lewis method at Faisalabad, when bad light forced play to be called off five hours early, with 23 runs still needed, and only four wickets in hand.

Shoaib Akhtar had set up an enthralling finale with some stunning fast bowling, but the deteriorating light forced the umpires to call the players off with South Africa well ahead of the D/L target of 208. South Africa's run chase was inspired by Jacques Kallis and Graeme Smith, who added an even 100, while Jacques Rudolph held it together when things threatened to fall apart. Pakistan owed their total to Yasir Hameed's 72, and to a late flurry from Abdul Razzaq.

Akhtar had bowled a fiery four-over spell first up, during the course of which he sent back Herschelle Gibbs. A ball after he had eased one through the covers for four, Gibbs couldn't resist poking at one that pitched on off stump. The thin edge was easily held by Rashid Latif (10 for 1).

Three balls later, he should have been celebrating a second wicket, as Kallis got an inner edge while attempting an off-drive. But Shoaib's subdued reaction – in sharp contrast to his excited teammates – seemed to convince Darrell Hair that there had been no nick.

Kallis made full use of the life, playing some superb drives off Umar Gul, whose profligacy was exacerbated by some fortuitous edged fours. When Saqlain Mushtaq came on, Smith greeted him with three superbly struck fours. To make matters worse for Yousuf Youhana, Saqlain had all sorts of problems with his run-up, bowling six no-balls.

Kallis, who had earlier spanked Gul for a six and a four throught the leg side, rotated the strike cleverly once the fielding restrictions were removed, and South Africa were well on top when Smith departed in tame fashion.

Having just got to his 50, Smith attempted to dab a Razzaq delivery past point, only getting a thick edge through to Latif (110 for 2). The two Jacques then cobbled together a useful partnership before Shoaib turned the match on its head. After Kallis had struck a superb off-drive, he hit him on the hip with a full toss – which ran away for four. The next ball was the perfect yorker, and Kallis' off stump went for a hike (146 for 3).

Boeta Dippenaar played a ridiculous shot to be bowled off his pads by Mohammad Hafeez (157 for 4), before Rudolph and Mark Boucher got the run-chase back on track. Boucher played a couple of stunning sweep shots off Shoaib Malik on his way to 24, before Shoaib castled him with another screeching yorker (206 for 5). When Rudolph, assured and elegant en route to 46, skied one from Malik to Abdul Razzaq in the deep two balls later, Pakistan had a sniff of victory. But a meaty six from Andrew Hall off Saqlain titled the equation in South Africa's favour before gloom descended on the Pakistani camp.

Earlier, Hameed provided the stability and mid-innings impetus, while Razzaq added some late urgency as Pakistan set up a challenging total. South Africa's bowlers kept their discipline, and their nerve, knowing that defeat would end any real interest in the series.

Pollock was at his Scrooge-like best in the opening stages, troubling both batsmen with his probing line and length. At the other end, Andre Nel was hostile without being quite as controlled. On another belter of a pitch, both Hameed and Hafeez struggled to get any sort of batting rhythm going, taking 15 overs to bring up the 50.

Hafeez departed soon after, when an ugly hoick off Hall looped off the outside edge to Dippenaar at extra cover (52 for 1). Youhana came in, and promptly struck two magnificent cover-drives off Makhaya Ntini. When Ntini strayed onto leg stump, he was deftly flicked down to the fine-leg fence. With Kallis brought into the attack to join Hall, Hameed also joined in the fun, with two meaty drives over midwicket, and a fine stroke through cover.

South Africa's frustration was increased by a run-out that wasn't given. With Youhana on 9 at the bowler's end, Hall deflected a Hameed drive onto the stumps. The South Africans appealed, with Youhana out of his ground, but Hair didn't even see fit to consult the third umpire.

Ntini ensured that it wouldn't be too costly, when he came back for his second spell. Youhana lunged at one that pitched on off stump, and the faint tickle was well taken by Boucher (95 for 2).

Hameed played some more clunky strokes through midwicket as he motored past his half-century, before he was undone by Robin Peterson. He made room to slam a flighted delivery over cover, but Gibbs jumped up smartly to pluck the ball out of the air (128 for 3). Moments later, Peterson had more cause to celebrate as Younis Khan slammed one straight to Ntini at deep midwicket (139 for 4).

Malik and Faisal Iqbal then took the score to 169 in decent time, before Nel came back to nail Iqbal, who had made 22. A clever yorker took the edge of the bat, and Boucher dived smartly to his right to snaffle the chance. Malik, so influential with the bat in the first two games, played two lovely shots down to third man in his 18, but then sliced one from Ntini to Gibbs at point (181 for 6).

Latif flayed the bat around for 14, before miscuing one from Pollock to Kallis at deep point (200 for 7). But Razzaq then played some cracking shots down the ground and over midwicket to ensure that the South African batsmen would have to be at the top of their game to prevent Pakistan from running away with the series. When they threatened to falter, the forces of darkness stepped in to help.

[Donny]

Pakistan are 3/90 after 26 overs with Youhana on 46. Nel took 2 early wickets ans Hall dismissed Hameed for 30.

[Donny]

Youhana (60) and Khan (13) were both dismissed by Nel (4/27 from 7 overs) to have Pakistan struggling at 5/115 after 32 overs.

[Donny]

Youhana (60) and Khan (13) were both dismissed by Nel (4/27 from 7 overs) to have Pakistan struggling at 5/115 after 32 overs.

[Donny]

They have crashed to 8/125 with Ntini just grabbing 2 wickets in 3 balls.

[Donny]

S.A. require 158 to win after Ntini's 3/25 ceaned up[ the Pakistan innings. Pollock bowled 10 overs and took 1/9 !!

After 16 overs, S.A. are 2/88. Gibbs made 41.

[Donny]

South Africa win sets up series finale

The Wisden Bulletin by Siddhartha Vaidyanathan

October 10, 2003

Herschelle Gibbs' flourish at the top of the innings and Jacques Kallis' lesson in middle-order stability helped South Africa win the fourth one-day international at Rawalpindi by six wickets, and so level the five-match series and set up a decider on the same ground on Sunday.

Set a moderate target, South Africa were never in trouble. Shoaib Akhtar beat the bat a few times, but Graeme Smith was solid and compact and Gibbs silenced the crescendo that accompanied Akhtar's run-up when he pulled out a few sizzling back-foot cover drives.

Mohammad Sami, not as threatening as his partner, got the breakthrough, when Smith attempted a full-blooded pull shot and played onto the stumps for 13. Kallis joined Gibbs and both survived lucky escapes off Shabbir Ahmed's bowling, Gibbs' miscued pull landing just over mid-off and Younis Khan at first slip making a mess of Kallis' edge. However, both stepped up the rate and when Kallis pulled Akhtar for a six over midwicket, an early finish was looming large. Gibbs played on to Akhtar, after a blazing 41 of just 46 balls, but Kallis' controlled aggression – blasting the loose balls and milking the good ones – supported by Jacques Rudolph's pendulum-smooth cover drives was the ideal recipe for reaching the target without any jitters.

On a benign pitch, Pakistan's batsmen showed complete lack of application and perished mainly due to their cavalier approach in the face of a disciplined bowling attack. Shaun Pollock (1 for 9) took only the one wicket but was responsible for many more as he instantly settled into a inch-perfect line and left the openers trying to break the shackles against Andre Nel at the other end.

Nel, though not as thrifty, bustled in and dangled the juicy carrot by pitching it full, and wide of the stumps, maintaining a consistent arc that took the ball away from the batsmen. He removed both Mohammad Hafeez (1) and Faisal Iqbal (0), and as much as the line that he bowled, they can attribute their downfall to Pollock's parsimony that had them bogged them down at the other end.

Yousuf Youhana (60) and Yasir Hameed (30) were the only batsmen who got starts and their 43-run partnership, mostly scored through singles and twos, revived hopes of a defendable total. But bad habits die hard, and Hameed fell to the flash-and-perish syndrome to Hall. Younis Khan settled down well, and just when he was finding the gaps, he played a fine leg-glance off Nel but Mark Boucher dived full length, clutching the ball with his fingertips.

Youhana, who delighted with a huge six and a few crisply hit fours, went soon after and then the rest decided to follow. Naved Latif and Shoaib Malik displayed amateur footwork and when Makhaya Ntini softened up Akhtar and had him edging next ball, the innings was in absolute tatters. Rashid Latif scratched around a bit, but when he was bowled trying to hit Pollock out of the ground, Pakistan were all but done.

South Africa showed that astute planning and persistently frustrating the batsmen can get them all the results, and more, against a side blessed with individual brilliance. Pakistan will look to avoid another crass batting display and will do well to remember that Akhtar's solo efforts cannot always orchestrate a symphony.

[Donny]

Pakistan won the toss and batted.

Pollock and Nel took early wickets and Pakistan have been playing catch up ever since - and paying the price.

In the 32nd. over, they were 6/116. After 42 overs, they are 7/158 after a good 38 from Razzaq.

Peterson again did damage in the middle overs with 2/32 from his 10.

[Donny]

Dippenaar takes South Africa to 3-2 series victory

The Wisden Bulletin by Siddhartha Vaidyanathan

South Africa completed a remarkable turnaround in this one-day series, winning the fifth and final match at Rawalpindi by seven wickets to come back from 0-2 down to take the series 3-2. Their heroes were Boeta Dippenaar, who anchored the innings with an accomplished 74, and Mark Boucher, the stand-in captain, who had an inspired time in his first ODI in charge. He had to step up to lead in the absence of Graeme Smith, who like Andrew Hall was banned from this match for misdemeanours back in the second game at Lahore.

South Africa looked likely winners from early on, when Andre Nel made two important early breakthroughs. Shaun Pollock finished with the best figures, but Nel and Robin Peterson, the inexperienced slow left-armer, both took two important wickets as well.

The return of Inzamam-ul-Haq after a leg injury did little to help Pakistan, who have underperformed after those two early victories. Batsman after batsman prodded and jabbed ... and perished. None of the top-order batsmen was capable of playing the sheet-anchor role that was badly needed.

To add to Pakistan's woes, Boucher had a plan for every batsman, plus some inspired bowling changes and field-placings. And when South Africa batted, Dippenaar showed the Pakistanis how to go about building an innings, and with help from Herschelle Gibbs and Jacques Kallis he ensured that the victory was completed without much ado.

South Africa took control as early as the second over of the day, when Mohammad Hafeez's miserable run continued. His middle stump was uprooted by Nel, and when Yousuf Youhana was lbw to Pollock, it was 16 for 2. Pollock, who was economical throughout these five matches, and Nel – whose intensity was contagious – never let up on the discipline and were pivotal in the context of the series triumph.

Younis Khan joined Yasir Hameed, and though both tried in vain to unsettle the bowlers by standing outside their crease with a middle-stump guard, the scoreboard ticked over only slowly. Then Boucher pulled the first rabbit out of his cap. In the 10th over, bowled by Nel, Boucher moved Kallis from second slip to short midwicket. The next ball was well pitched up and homing in on leg stump, and Hameed obligingly chipped it straight to Kallis (35 for 3).

Inzamam was struggling with his leg injury, and his notoriously suspect running was further hindered. Boucher encouraged his team to shy at Inzamam's end whenever they could, and it paid off when Jacques Rudolph threw down the stumps with a direct hit from mid-on. And finally, when Younis and Shoaib Malik were playing the seamers comfortably, Boucher quickly brought on Peterson. He duly obliged with two quick wickets, with generous assistance from the batsmen. Malik holed out to Nel, while Younis played back to one that kept very low.

With Rashid Latif nudging intelligently in partnership with Abdul Razzaq, who played some lavish drives on both sides of the wicket in his 38, a spot of late-order carnage seemed on the cards. But Boucher didn't let things drift and brought back Makhaya Ntini, who responded by persuading Razzaq to edge a catch behind (152 for 7). Latif, who nurdled 25, received some useful support from the tail and managed to lift the total from meagre to remotely defendable.

If Pakistan were to win they needed early wickets, and Shoaib Akhtar nearly obliged during a fiery opening spell. But Dippenaar and Herschelle Gibbs managed to keep him out, and also kept the score ticking over at four an over. Akhtar's first over nearly did the trick: first a huge appeal for leg-before against Dippenaar was turned down, then he completely missed a yorker-length ball that fizzed past the off stump. Dippenaar played and missed a couple of times in Akhtar's next over, but with Mohammad Sami getting his length all wrong, he grew in confidence and slowly unveiled some neat cuts and pulls.

Dippenaar was ably supported, first by Gibbs and then by Kallis. They eased the pressure by collecting the odd boundary to raise the rate. Danish Kaneria, the legspinner, bowled an impressive spell in which he turned the ball appreciably, and his awkward bounce unsettling the batsmen. He was rewarded with the wicket of Gibbs, who danced down the track, missed, and was stumped by a distance (75 for 1). But then Kallis and Dippenaar added 93 at a steady rate, and apart from one stray yorker that nearly castled Kallis, and a wayward chip that sailed between two fielders, both were very assured and picked off the singles easily.

Sami came back in the 39th over, with 25 needed, and caused a minor ripple. He bowled Kallis with one that kept low, and finally trapped Dippenaar leg-before. His matchwinning 74 occupied 125 balls, and contained five fours. But Rudolph and Neil McKenzie survived some edgy moments to guide South Africa to a 3-2 series win with 25 balls to spare - a final outcome that seemed almost impossible after those two defeats in Lahore at the start of the series.