February 4, 2002	Monday	Ziqa’ad 20, 1422

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PERTH, Feb 3: Australia beat South Africa by 33 runs in the last league match of the one-day tri-series at WACA Sunday but missed out on a place in the finals for only the third time in 23 years.

Australia easily won the last pool match of the tri-series but failed to claim the bonus point they needed to get into next week’s finals but were denied by an unbeaten century from Jacques Kallis.

Instead, New Zealand and South Africa qualified for the best-of-three finals.

All three teams finished the round-robin phase with four wins and four losses. South Africa ended up on top with 18 points after collecting two bonus points, with Australia and New Zealand tied for second on 17.

Although Australia had the best run-rate of any team in the competition, New Zealand advanced to the finals because of their superior head-to-head record against Australia.

The Australians did at least give themselves every opportunity to claim the bonus point when they amassed an impressive 283 for seven from their 50 overs — the highest score by any team during the tournament.

They needed to restrict the South Africans to 226 or less in reply to earn the extra point but were unable to do so as Kallis made an unbeaten 104 to steer the Proteas to 250-5.

WAUGH KEEPS FAITH: Australia captain Steve Waugh said Sunday there was no need for panic.

Waugh said Australian fans should not be too critical of his team for missing out on the finals.

“South Africa are probably entitled to be joint favourites (with Australia) for the next World Cup and we beat them three times out of four pretty convincingly,” Waugh said.

“You have to keep on looking at the big picture and we played pretty well today.”

Waugh said he hoped the selectors would not make any rash decisions because of Australia’s failure to reach the finals of what was an extraordinarily tight series between possibly the three best one-day teams in the world.

“You lose a couple of games and everybody wants to be an expert, everyone wants to change the team. You have got to have faith in your players,” Waugh said.

“I have got a lot of faith in those guys (Australia), I think they have done well over a long period in time.”

New Zealand were heavily criticised for deliberately allowing South Africa to get a bonus point in their clash on Friday night to hinder Australia’s chances of making the finals.

Waugh joined New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming in calling for a review of the tournament’s bonus point system.

“At the start of the series, it seemed like a very good idea,” Waugh said.

“But, at the end of the series, you have got to see how it affected the games and whether that is good for cricket.

“I think they need to have a good look at it.”

Waugh angrily bustled out of a media conference. Some journalists said he muttered obscenities outside the conference room as he walked back to the players’ changerooms.

He was understood to be angry about persistent questioning in relation to the team and whether changes were needed to improve it before next year’s World Cup, currently held by Australia.

Reporters near Waugh after he left the conference said he claimed journalists had not shown him enough respect and that they were walking on “thin ice”.