October 5, 2003	Sunday	Sha’aban 8, 1424

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LAHORE, Oct 4: The availability of South African attacking opener Hereschelle Herman Gibbs for the second one-day game against Pakistan will be confirmed just before the start of the match on Sunday.

Pakistan won the first game of the five-match ODI series, by eight runs at Gaddafi Stadium on Friday with Gibbs sidelined with stomach disorder.

South African team media officer Gerald de Kock told Dawn that Gibbs was to be examined late on Saturday.

He said that South African skipper Greaeme Smith was fit for the game. Smith, suffered cramps while batting in the first game and called a runner.

South African coach Eric Simmons said on Friday that his boys were facing dehydration problems as they did get enough time to become fully acclimatised before the series.

Both the teams had practice sessions at Gaddafi Stadium.

Meanwhile, Pakistan is likely to play with the same eleven which notched up the win to take a 1-0 lead.

A tough fight is expected from South Africa, from whom victory was virtually snatched away by Shoaib Malik in the opener with his electrifying 41-ball unbeaten 82.

The way South Africa tried to chase the daunting target of  278 and scored 269, without the services of regular opener Gibbs and the bout of cramps suffered by their skipper Smith, reflects the determination and spirit of the Proteas.

Pakistan coach Javed Miandad told Dawn that no decision had been taken about Sunday’s team.

Asked if opener Mohammad Hafeez would retain his place,  Miandad said that anything was possible.

Hafeez was not looking confident while playing against the Proteas. He scored five runs off 17 balls. However, the team management is likely to give more opportunities to Hafeez to restore his confidence.

Regarding Friday’s win, Miandad said that Pakistan had proved  in the first game it has the potential to deliver goods against any team.

“If the team plays with same spirit and works harder Pakistan can make it 2-0”, Miandad said.

He appreciated the attitude of spectators in the first game and appealed to them to keep it up in the remaining matches.

Pakistan has to improve its fielding, running between the wickets and control the number of extras. Pakistan conceded  21 extra runs as against only seven by South Africa.

Leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmad, who proved costly as he gave away  65 runs in 10 overs and remained wicketless, is yet to justify his  selection, made after a two-year absence.

Paceman Shoaib Akhtar has proved he is a threat but   Pakistan needs the same attitude and approach from him in  the remaining matches.

But it is most important for the Pakistani batsmen to set a high target for South Africa, so that Shoaib can pose a threat.

Teams:

SOUTH AFRICA (from): Greaeme Craig Smith (captain), Hereschelle Herman Gibbs, Neil Mackenzie, Mark Verdon Boucher (wicketkeeper), Paul Regan Adams, Allan Charles Dawson, Boeta Human Dippenaar, Jacques Henry Kallis, Shaun Maclean Pollock, Andrew Hall, Robin Peterson, Makhaya Ntini, Paul Regan Adams, Charl Kenneth Langerveldt, Andrew Nel.

PAKISTAN (from): Mohammad Hafeez, Yasir Hameed, Yousaf Youhana, Inzamamul Haq, Younis Khan, Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Malik, Rashid Latif (wicketkeeper), Shoaib Akhtar, Muhammad Sami, Mushtaq Ahmed, Salman Butt, Shabbir Ahmad, Umar Gul.

UMPIRES: Darrell Hair (Australia), Nadeem Ghauri (Pakistan).

TV UMPIRE: Asad Rauf (Pakistan).

RESERVE UMPIRE: Z.I PASHA (Pakistan).