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Poor batting shuts Pakistan out of Singer Cup

It was a do-or-die match for both teams. South Africa did, and Pakistan died. By seven wickets. South Africa now enters the final on Friday, where they will play Sri Lanka. On present form though, it is hard to see anybody but Sanath Jayasuriya lifting the Singer Cup.

Both sides made changes from their previous games. South Africa finally put an end to Nantie Hayward's misery and replaced him with David Terbrugge. They also brought in Paul Adams for Makhaya Ntini. Pakistan continued to omit Shahid Afridi, bringing leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed back into the team in place of quickie Shabbir Ahmed.

Moin Khan won the toss and quite disastrously chose to bat. Soon he was walking back to the pavilion with his team at 49/7. However, they were in danger of not reaching fifty had he not taken the initiative and attacked the South African bowling. Shaun Pollock dismissed the openers but the real damage came from the other end. David Terbrugge's selection turned out to be an inspired one for he got rid of Younis Khan, Inzamam and Yousuf Youhana (all caught behind) and Abdur Razzaq (lbw). Pakistan were 19/6 in ten overs.

Unfortunately for the Pakistanis, the decision to give Inzamam out was a poor one but that was the only excuse they could possibly have for it was mostly poor batting. Azhar Mahmood (36, 70b, 5x4, 1x6) played very well to get the innings back on track but when he was run out with the score at 90, it looked like Pakistan would quickly fold. 90/8 became 98/9 when Arshad Khan popped one in the air back to Paul Adams.

There was to be a twist in the tale. (No pun intended.) After Paul Adams dropped an absolute sitter from him, Mushtaq Ahmed (34, 50b, 4x4) took on the bowlers. With some solid support from Shoaib Malik, the feisty leg-spinner took his chances but prospered. The two of them frustrated Shaun Pollock no end as they took the score along to 153 before Mushtaq's luck finally ran out.

Though Pakistan had put up an almost competitive total, there was no hiding the dismal collapse in the beginning that pretty much sealed the match as a contest. The irony is that Pakistan collapsed to the pace bowlers when both sides, going into the match, chose to concentrate on spinners.

Mark Boucher had a great time behind the stumps as catch after catch came to him. He has now taken five catches in a one-day international three times in the last three months.

The Springboks came out to bat with a spring in their step and determined not to hang around for too long. They got off to a great start and were cruising along at five an over when Andrew Hall cut Azhar Mahmood straight to Inzamam at first slip. Jacques Kallis was very subdued and contributed only 12 in a partnership of 56 with Gary Kirsten (46, 62b, 8x4). Both of them fell to the spinners but those were minor blemishes that didn't really affect the outcome of the match.

In the end, it was Darryl Cullinan and Jonty Rhodes that saw South Africa home with over twelve overs to spare.

Pakistan's move to play three spinners was a good one for it was clear that the South Africans found the going tough against them. So much so that even Younis Khan and Imran Nazir rolled their leg breaks over. Mushtaq troubled all the batsmen he bowled to and young Shoaib Malik made Jonty Rhodes look like a bumbling schoolboy. If only the batsmen had given them a larger score to defend, the match may have turned out very, very differently.