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| March 13, 2006 | Monday | Safar 12, 1427 |
South Africa clinch series after incredible chase
JOHANNESBURG, March 12: Ricky Ponting and his Australian team went on a world record rampage but Herschelle Gibbs inspired South Africa to an astonishing series victory in the fifth and final One-day International at the Wanderers Stadium on Sunday.
Ponting slammed a career-best 164 off 105 balls as Australia thrashed 434 for four, the highest total in One-day International history.
But with Gibbs hammering 175 off 111 balls, South Africa replied with 438 for nine, winning by one wicket with one ball to spare when Mark Boucher drove Brett Lee to the mid-on boundary.
It was by far the highest-scoring one-day match of all time, with the aggregate of 872 runs comfortably beating the 693 amassed between Pakistan and India in Karachi in 2003-04.
Both totals easily eclipsed the previous world innings best of 398 for five by Sri Lanka against Kenya in Kandy during the 1996 World Cup.
A capacity crowd of 32,000 roared South Africa to a 3-2 series victory after being stunned into silence by Australia’s assault after Ponting won the toss and made first use of what proved a perfect batting pitch, with the batsmen aided by a fast outfield.
It was a batting display reminiscent of Australia’s performance in the World Cup final at the same ground three years ago when Ponting made 140 not out in an Australian total of 359 for two. Australia went on to win by 125 runs.
Adam Gilchrist (55), Simon Katich (79) and Michael Hussey (81) made hard-hitting half-centuries as Australia dominated an attack missing star opening bowler Shaun Pollock, who suffered a back strain during the fourth match in Durban on Friday.
South Africa’s depleted attack started reasonably well and the total was only 13 in the fifth over when Gilchrist, on eight, was dropped by a diving Gibbs at backward point off Makhaya Ntini.
Gilchrist went on to a sparkling half-century off 35 balls as he and Katich put on 97 for the first wicket to set the platform for Ponting’s sensational innings.
Ponting reached 50 off 43 balls, his 20th One-day International century off 71 balls and 150 off 99 deliveries. His innings included nine sixes — one more than he hit in the World Cup final — and 13 fours.
Every partnership was scored at better than a run a ball. Gilchrist and Katich made their 97 off 93 balls, the same number that were needed for the second wicket stand of 119 between Katich and Ponting.
The innings went into overdrive when Ponting and Hussey hit 158 for the third wicket off 96 balls.
South Africa lost opening batsman Boeta Dippenaar in the second over but South African captain Graeme Smith and Gibbs launched a full-scale assault in a second wicket stand of 187 off 127 balls.
Smith was out for 90, made off 55 balls, but Gibbs went on to make the highest score by any batsman in a One-day International against Australia. He reached 50 off 46 balls, 100 off 79 balls and 150 off 100 before he chipped off-spinner Andrew Symonds to mid-off. His innings included 21 fours and seven sixes.
Gibbs was fourth out with the total on 299 in the 32nd over and for a while it seemed South Africa might stumble. But Mark Boucher stayed at the crease and Johan van der Wath cracked 35 off 18 balls.
Number ten batsman Andrew Hall hit Lee for four off the second ball of the final over but was out next ball. Last man Makhaya Ntini nudged a single to third man before Boucher hit the winning runs, bringing up his half-century off 43 balls.
Adding to a day of records, Australian medium-pacer Mick Lewis was hammered for 113 runs off ten overs, becoming the first man to concede 100 runs in a 50-over One-day International.
Scoreboard
AUSTRALIA:
A.C. Gilchrist c Hall b Telemachus 55
S.M. Katich c Telemachus b Ntini 79
R.T. Ponting c Dippenaar b Telemachus 164
M.E.K. Hussey c Ntini b Hall 81
A. Symonds not out 27
B. Lee not out 9
EXTRAS (LB-4, W-5, NB-10) 19
TOTAL (for four wkts, 50 overs) 434
FALL OF WKTS: 1-97, 2-216, 3-374, 4-407.
DID NOT BAT: D.R. Martyn, M.J. Clarke, N.W. Bracken, S.R. Clark, M.L. Lewis.
BOWLING: Ntini 9-0-80-1 (1w); Hall 10-0-80-1 (2nb); van der Wath 10-0-76-0 (1nb, 1w); Telemachus 10-1-87-2 (7nb, 3w); Smith 4-0-29-0; Kallis 6-0-70-0; Kemp 1-0-8–0.
SOUTH AFRICA:
G.C. Smith c Hussey b Clarke 90
H.H. Dippenaar b Bracken 1
H.H. Gibbs c Lee b Symonds 175
A.B. de Villiers c Clarke b Bracken 14
J.H. Kallis c and b Symonds 20
M.V. Boucher not out 50
J.M. Kemp c Martyn b Bracken 13
J.J. van der Wath c Ponting b Bracken 35
R. Telemachus c Hussey b Bracken 12
A.J. Hall c Clarke b Lee 7
M. Ntini not out 1
EXTRAS (B-4, LB-8, W-4, NB-4) 20
TOTAL (for nine wkts, 49.5 overs) 438
FALL OF WKTS: 1-3, 2-190, 3-284, 4-299, 5-327, 6-355, 7-399, 8-423, 9-433.
BOWLING: Lee 7.5-0-68-1 (3nb, 1w); Bracken 10-0-67-5; Clark 6-0-54-0; Lewis 10-0-113-0 (1nb, 1w); Symonds 9-0-75-2; Clarke 7-0-49–1.
RESULT: South Africa won by one wicket.
UMPIRES: B.G. Jerling (South Africa) and Aleem Dar (Pakistan).
TV UMPIRE: K.H. Hurter (South Africa).
MATCH REFEREE: B.C. Broad (England).
MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Herschelle Gibbs.
MAN-OF-THE-SERIES: Shaun Pollock.
FIRST MATCH: Centurion, South Africa won by six wickets (D/L Method).
SECOND MATCH: Cape Town, South Africa won by 196 runs.
THIRD MATCH: Port Elizabeth, Australia won by 24 runs.
FOURTH MATCH: Durban, Australia won by one wicket.—Agencies
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