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Klusener, Boje bowl South Africa to victory

Roshan Paul

Fine bowling from Lance Klusener and Nicky Boje saw Pakistan lose 8 wickets for 48 runs and, with it, their second match in the Singer Triangular Series. Pakistan, who started as favourites to win the tournament, will now have to win both their remaining two matches to enter the finals.

South Africa stuck with the same team that went down to Sri Lanka but Pakistan made two changes. Younis Khan was brought in to bolster the batting in place of Shahid Afridi and, not surprisingly after South Africa's collapse to Upul Chandana, Mushtaq Ahmed came into the team in place of Mohammad Akram. Pakistan took a gamble by dropping Afridi because that left them with no options in bowling. Every bowler would have to bowl his full quota, regardless of how they bowled.

Shaun Pollock won the toss and chose to bat this time. Azhar Mahmood opened the bowling with Waqar Younis and in fact, it was he who troubled the South African openers more. Gary Kirsten and Andrew Hall scored off Waqar easily but were more circumspect against Mahmood. Kirsten, in particular was very aggressive, often walking down the wicket and lofting the bowlers over the leg side in-field. It was another good start for South Africa and ended in the thirteenth over with the score at 64; Hall (27, 59b 4x4) trying to heave Razzaq across the line and missing.

Jacques Kallis began sluggishly and it was this period that considerably slowed the South Africans down. Abdur Razzaq and Arshad Khan bowled very tightly and even Kirsten became tied down. Moin delayed Mushtaq's entry into proceedings but once he came on, the little leggie continuously troubled the batsmen. Though expensive, he always looked like taking wickets and eventually, forced Kirsten (52, 77b, 5x4) to hole out in frustration.

Cullinan and Kallis, who began to look more confident, began to increase the tempo but it looked like they most likely be separated through a run out. Pakistan and in particular Moin Khan muffed several chances. Moin twice dropped the ball before knocking off the bails with the batsman hopelessly stranded. Eventually, Cullinan's luck ran out and Moin managed to get one right. Cullinan contributed 38 in a partnership of 61.

The advent of Jonty Rhodes with his reverse-sweeping and hare-like running infused life into the South African innings. Kallis too came out of his shell and their 41-ball partnership of 45 brought their team back on track for a competitive total.

However, the last six overs were bowled brilliantly by Razzaq and Mahmood. Every ball was dead straight and the South Africans were hardly able to get anything away. Razzaq yorked Rhodes for 13 and Kallis (83, 111b, 4x4 1x6) fell trying to hit the ball out of the ground. Klusener was constricted through some fine bowling and South Africa ended with 241/7.

Abdur Razzaq has taken the most one-day wickets this year and this match showed why. Bowling very straight and very full, he picked up 3 wickets for 36 and proved how sound the "if he misses, I hit" policy is.

Pakistan started brilliantly. Though initially troubled by the bounce generated by Pollock and Kallis, Imran Nazir began with a stupendous cut shot of Kallis that crossed the boundary before even Jonty Rhodes could bat an eyelid. Thereupon, he savaged the bowling, especially that of Hayward. Quick to pounce on anything remotely off line or length, in company with a fluent Saeed Anwar (36, 67b, 3x4), he took Pakistan to 100/0 in 20 overs. After Anwar fell to Ntini, Imran continued the assault in partnership with a promoted Azhar Mahmood.

The game turned on its head in the 30th over when Klusener got Imran (80, 86b, 10x4) to under edge a delivery onto his stumps. With great support from Nicky Boje who bowled Yousuf Youhanna around his legs and mopped up the tail, Klusener also produced edges through to Boucher from Mahmood and the dangerous Inzamam-Ul-Haq.

With the dismissal of Inzamam, Mark Boucher became the quickest wicketkeeper to achieve 100 dismissals in one-day cricket.

Shaun Pollock trapped Moin Khan in front and despite a battling, unbeaten last wicket partnership of 31 between Younis Khan (38 n.o., 41b, 2x4) and Arshad Khan, Pakistan fell short by 18 runs.

It was a solid fielding performance from South Africa and that was the difference between the sides. While Pakistan missed several simple run out opportunities, South Africa took a couple of half chances. Boucher's catch of Inzamam and Rhodes' catch of Mushtaq Ahmed were both extraordinary.

For the second match in a row, a team frittered away an excellent start to lose the game. Pakistan lost 8 wickets for 48 runs in the middle of the innings, an even bigger collapse than the one South Africa had made against Sri Lanka in the previous match.

Though Jacques Kallis was declared man-of-the-match, the key performers were undoubtedly Klusener and Nicky Boje. It was their bowling that first restricted Pakistan and then caused the collapse that brought victory to South Africa by 18 runs.