Deja Zulu, but the
show is Ponting's

Rarely can a specialist batsman who made a first-ball duck have achieved such a spectacular performance as Ricky Ponting in the second one-day international against South Africa.

Despite falling first ball in his second match as Australian ODI captain, Ponting exerted a profound influence on the match with two sharp catches, two brilliant run outs and an inspired captaincy display. Without scoring a run or bowling a ball, it was a man of the match performance from the best all-round fielder in contemporary cricket.

The game followed a similar script to the first, with Australia recording a moderate 226/8, wrecking the South African top order and then surviving a Klusener onslaught to bowl South Africa out for 181 and go 2-0 up in the series.

The tourists fielded a relatively inexperienced team, with Maher and Watson replacing the injured Bevan and Harvey. Shaun Pollock won the toss and sent them in on a slow wicket, with the batsmen taking to the field wearing black armbands in memory of Ben Hollioake.

Ntini opened the bowling with Pollock in place of Telemachus, who was wayward early in the first game, but was hit for 14 in his first over overpitching to both openers. Pollock, as accurate as ever, struck in the third over by dismissing Gilchrist for 7. Attempting to hit over mid wicket against a ball outside off, Gilchrist dragged the ball to short mid on, thereby setting a trend for the innings that was similar to game one. Having seen Gilchrist fall to an attacking shot, Australia's batsmen appeared conscious not to take any undue risks in search of quick runs, preferring instead to get in and attempt to build a big score. On a slow pitch against a disciplined attack, it appeared the most effective method.

Maher, who played his only two previous ODIs four years ago, came in at No. 3 to join his regular Queensland opening partner Hayden. He appeared nervous early, tending to step forward and across his stumps, as the pair were restricted to running sharp singles due to the accuracy of Ntini and especially Pollock. They were given little to hit and it was not the sort of bowling to attempt risks against, thus kept to 32/1 after 10 overs and 54/1 after 15.

Pollock seems to have it written into his contract that his opening spell will consist of no more and no less than six overs, and it was not until Telemachus was introduced that the left-handed Maher hit his first shot over the top. Maher settled but found it difficult to beat the field, while Hayden also had problems rotating the strike. The result was that after 20 overs, the tourists were kept to a safe but slow 71/1.

Gradually, the pair gained greater control, with Hayden appearing to have accepted the role of anchoring the innings while Maher was the more active. Pollock rotated through his bowling partnerships, with Klusener and Boje replacing Kallis and Telemachus, and it was with the introduction of Boje that the Australian innings received a setback.

Having done much work to reach the midway point only one down for 98, Hayden was furious to get out for 38 off 60 balls, chipping to mid wicket after being beaten in flight advancing at Boje. The loss of Hayden was compounded next ball when Boje superbly caught and bowled Ponting for a duck, throwing himself to his right to take a one-hander. Boje's double strike combined with the low run rate left Australia a tenuous 99/3, with the responsibility falling to the inexperienced Maher to bat through.

Maher helped Australia maintain a consistent run rate of four per over throughout most of the innings, but was never able to provide the innings with any momentum as the South African bowlers did a professional containing job. If there could be a criticism of Maher's knock, it was that he was unable to accelerate as the innings progressed.

Martyn was tentative early against Boje, but once he swept a four off the middle appeared to gain confidence and played the most fluent hand of the innings. Klusener let his team down slightly in an otherwise fine restrictive effort, conceding 26 off his four overs of slow off-cutters. Reaching 120/3 after 30, Maher and Martyn could only manage 18 runs between overs 30-35 due to Boje's accuracy.

It was around this point of the innings that Maher appeared to assume the responsibility of being more aggressive and taking risks, but not with any great success. He and Martyn showed greater intent as the 40-over mark approached, with Maher finally able to hit out against Boje in the 40th over, advancing to strike him for a six into the sightscreen. Other than that, he was unable to regularly beat the deep field.

At 172/3 after 40, the pair had Australia reasonably position for an assault on 250, but Pollock and Telemachus did an excellent containing job in the last 10 overs. Martyn was caught behind off Telemachus for 42 giving himself room to hit over cover, the partnership broken at 93 with Australia 192/4 in the 44th. There was a minor altercation between Martyn and Telemachus upon Martyn's dismissal, with Martyn turning to say something in response and Telemachus holding up two fingers to indicate the number of times he'd dismissed Martyn this series.

The innings gained no impetus at the death, as the batsmen struggled to find the boundary. On 95, Maher stepped away to leg and skied Telemachus over point off a thick outside edge, caught by Kallis running in to end an innings that consumed 149 balls.

On debut, Watson (2) mishit Pollock to mid wicket in the 47th over, as the batsmen continued to struggle. Bichel was bowled by a full ball on off from Pollock trying to hit square in the 49th, and Gillespie was adjudged lbw to one sliding down leg in the same over; Australia scraping together 226/8 from their fifty.

To win, Australia needed to replicate their bowling display in game one by striking early and often. Knowing this and wary of losing early wickets after Friday's collapse, South Africa appeared likely to make a cautious start, but that was disregarded in the fifth over when Gibbs pulled a McGrath delivery too full for the shot to Hauritz at mid wicket for five.

Gillespie was initially expensive, pulled and lofted by Kirsten, who was prepared to improvise. Gillespie had his revenge in the eighth over when Kirsten attempted to turn a straight ball to leg, got a leading edge, and was adroitly held by Ponting moving to his left at second slip. Kirsten 21; South Africa 30/2.

South Africa maintained a higher run rate than Australia in the early overs, with Kallis striking McGrath for two magnificent cover drives, before Kallis was caught at cover off McGrath for 14. Playing defensively, Kallis appeared surprised by the bounce, withdrawing his bottom hand from the bat as he checked his shot and was sharply held low at short cover by Ponting, who had just moved himself to the position.

Gillespie, bowling venomously, then dismissed Rhodes leg-before for a duck to have South Africa again reeling at 45/4. Rhodes was struck on the back foot by one that angled in, with height the only factor for the umpire to ponder for a moment before giving the decision. With two of Australia's five expected bowlers having a total of one match worth of experience between them and the other in Bichel having been hit for 70 runs off nine overs in the previous game, South Africa had to recover to take advantage.

Shane Watson, introduced first change for the 15th over, immediately hit a good length outside off and conceded just one run in his debut over; South Africa 53/4 after 15. Watson was impressively consistent in his first spell of 5 overs for 8 runs, hitting a line and length outside off at low 130s pace that made it difficult for Dippenaar and Boucher to drive him.

Bowling well to his off-side field, the batsmen were unable to rotate the strike, and after 20 overs South Africa were 65/4. For both Watson and Bichel, Ponting kept his fielders in to restrict singles, and the pressure built on Dippenaar and Boucher, scoring only 14 between overs 20-25.

Dippenaar was run out for 21 in the 26th over by his own tardiness and brilliantly opportunistic fielding by Ponting. Dippenaar turned Bichel to leg and set off for a run, not expecting Ponting to chase down the ball as hard as he did and certainly not to throw to his end. With Dippenaar coasting through at three quarter pace, Ponting picked up and hit direct to leave South Africa 80/5.

Boucher departed in the next over for 16, stepping across his crease to sweep Hauritz and bowled as the ball turned past his pads into the stumps. Having maintained the pressure by keeping the field in, both set batsmen were gone in consecutive overs.

Pollock joined Klusener and the pair added 29 for the seventh wicket before Ponting, leading from the front with a wonderful fielding cameo, struck with his second run out. Klusener cut hard to cover and Pollock thought there was a run available, but Ponting sprinted after the ball, dived to stop it and then threw, virtually on his back as his weight carried him in the opposite direction, alongside the bails on the bounce for Bichel to complete the work.

Ponting could have completed the display by catching a lofted Klusener drive at cover, but he proved fallible when he could not hold on to the diving attempt. Klusener then took the attack to the bowling in scenes reminiscent of the first game, with this time Hauritz becoming the victim. Klusener belted two sixes and a four off Hauritz, one when McGrath knocked a skied hit over the boundary at long on, before he was replaced by Watson. The young all-rounder soon learnt what not to bowl to Klusener, his first three deliveries on the spot before the next two were full tosses from around the wicket and despatched for six.

Meanwhile, Darren Lehmann had been introduced to bowl his left-arm spin and did a serviceable job, proving difficult for Klusener to hit. With fifty required from the last five overs, Gillespie had Boje caught behind for 18 trying to guide the ball to third man, the eighth wicket partnership broken at 67 from better than a run a ball.

Ponting decided to cut into McGrath's scheduled overs by persisting with Lehmann for the 46th, a decision handsomely vindicated when Lehmann angled one in to leg, Klusener advanced and lofted to Hayden at wide long on for 59. Were Klusener able to produce such form at number four instead of seven or eight, South Africa would not need him to attempt to rescue seemingly impossible situations.

Gillespie finished the match in the 47th over by trapping Telemachus in front for two, claiming his second four-wicket haul in as many games.

Jimmy Maher was named man of the match and deserved it for guiding his team to a defendable total, but the show really belonged to Ponting.