Australia, SA tie in second ODI

Australia and South Africa tied their second one-day cricket international in a sensational finish at the Colonial stadium in Melbourne on Friday.

South Africa scored 226 for eight off their 50 overs and Australia, who easily won the opening match of the series on Wednesday, appeared to be cruising to victory in the second match at 124 for two after 30 overs.

But the South Africans fought back and had Australia needing 28 runs to win in the last three overs with four wickets to spare.

Skipper Steve Waugh, who hit a century in the opening game, charged into his counterpart Shaun Pollock, taking 14 runs off his penultimate over, to have the home team needing 14 runs to win off the last two overs.

Andrew Hall snared the wickets of injured Michael Bevan for three and Waugh for 30 off 31 balls to take 2-8 off three overs and turn the game South Africa's way.

Heading into the final over bowled by Pollock, Australia needed 13 runs to win. Shane Warne hit a four and a single off the first two deliveries and new batsman Jason Gillespie deflected four leg byes to have Australia just four runs from victory with three balls left.

But Gillespie was run out by Pollock trying to give the strike to Warne.

Two balls left and Warne deflected Pollock's last but one ball behind the stumps for two and needed two runs to win off the last ball.

Pollock brought all but one of his fielders inside the circle and Warne straight drove past Pollock but it hit the stumps at the bowlers' end stopping any chance of more than one run for the match to be tied at 226 for nine.

It recalled the sensational tied semi-final at last year's World Cup in England when Australia denied the South Africans and went on to play Pakistan in the final.

The third and final match of the one-day series takes place in Melbourne on Sunday.

Earlier, Jonty Rhodes and Mark Boucher hit half-centuries to get South Africa to 226 for eight.

Rhodes, who injured his groin late in his innings, cracked a livewire 54 off 53 balls and Boucher chipped in with 51 off 61 deliveries to get the Proteas to a reasonable score.

Rhodes needed opener Andrew Hall as a runner after he pulled up awkwardly at the end of a run in the 39th over and the dynamic fieldsman might not be able to take part in the rest of the match.

The South Africans found scoring difficult against the well-organised Australian fielding and tight bowling.

Jason Gillespie, playing his first match for Australia since breaking his leg in a collision with captain Steve Waugh in a Test match against Sri Lanka in Kandy last September, claimed 3-40 off his 10 overs.

Allrounders, Ian Harvey and Andrew Symonds, snared two wickets each.

Boucher profited from a dropped chance by Michael Bevan near the boundary rope when he was on nine.

Boucher's skied shot off Gillespie was spilt by Bevan, who left the field to have treatment for a dislocated joint on his right index finger.

Skipper Shaun Pollock decided to set Australia a total to chase after winning the toss and sending them into bat in Wednesday's opening match, lost by 94 runs.

But the South Africans were 95 for four in 26th over before Rhodes and Boucher put on a sprightly 87 runs off 86 balls for the fifth wicket.

Yet when Boucher was out to a sharp head-high catch by Shane Warne at mid-on in the 46th over, South Africa were 201 for six, and they only added 25 runs in the last four overs.

Leg-spinner Warne was again accurate with 0-33 from his 10 overs.

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