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| February 12, 2007 | Monday | Muharram 23, 1428 |
South Africa race home after Pakistan collapse
CAPE TOWN, Feb 11: South Africa raced to a crushing 10-wicket win over Pakistan in the fourth One-day International at Newlands on Sunday after what captain Graeme Smith described as one of the team's best bowling performances.
South Africa's pace bowlers took advantage of overcast weather and a helpful pitch as they bundled out Pakistan for 107.
Then Smith and A.B. de Villiers hammered a demoralised Pakistan bowling attack to take their side to victory in only 14 overs, with Smith finishing the match by smashing Abdul Razzaq over midwicket for six.
The win gave South Africa a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.
Smith said the bowlers had shown their worth following a disappointing performance in the second match in Durban when Pakistan scored 351 for four.
“It was one of the best bowling performances I've seen from the team,” said Smith.
“The bowling unit took a bit of flak after Durban. They have been a superb bowling unit for a few years now and today they were fantastic. I don't think the ball did that much after eight overs but the pressure we built on them and the way we fielded was fantastic.”
Smith said there was no deliberate attempt to score the necessary runs at a breakneck pace. “Once AB and I got the momentum going it was just a matter of trying to score an emphatic win.”
He said, though, that South Africa would be wary of Pakistan's ability to bounce back when they played the fifth and final match in Johannesburg on Wednesday.
Captain Inzamam-ul-Haq was the only batsman able to play a substantial innings for Pakistan, making 45 not out.
Inzamam said it had been a disappointing batting performance.
“On this track 230 or 240 would have been a good total,” he said.
South Africa's bowlers shared the wickets, although Shaun Pollock was outstanding, taking two for 13 in ten overs.
Wicket-keeper Mark Boucher equalled the world record for dismissals in a One-day International, taking six catches.
Smith's decision to send Pakistan in on an overcast day paid off as the visiting batsmen struggled on a pitch which offered movement through the air and off the pitch. Rain had fallen during the two days before the match.
Pollock set the tone with a superb opening spell in which he took two for eight in eight overs.
Pollock had Imran Nazir caught behind for nought off the fourth ball of the innings when Imran got an inside edge to a ball which cut back sharply.
Pollock did not concede a run until he bowled a wide in his fourth over.
The total was only six in 7.3 overs when Kamran Akmal was second man out after slipping in mid-pitch when he was sent back by Younis Khan, who played the ball towards Herschelle Gibbs in the covers.
Inzamam and Shoaib Malik put on 46 for the fifth wicket in the best stand of the innings before Malik was caught down the legside by Boucher off Justin Kemp.
Boucher joined Australia's Adam Gilchrist, England's Alec Stewart and Ridley Jacobs of the West Indies in making six dismissals. Gilchrist has performed the feat four times.
South Africa's reply was in complete contrast to the Pakistan innings.
Mohammad Asif, Pakistan's most reliable bowler, started uncharacteristically by spraying his first delivery far down the legside for five byes. De Villiers hit a two and a four as the first over cost 11 runs.
De Villiers and Smith both went on the attack, raising 50 off 51 balls and then accelerating as they took their side to the target off only 84 deliveries.
De Villiers made 50 not out off 44 balls with seven fours and a six, while Smith made an unbeaten 56 off 40 balls with six fours and two sixes.
Pakistan's misery was underlined when De Villiers gave the only chance of the innings. He tried to slog left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman out of the ground but sent the ball spiralling towards deep midwicket. Mohammad Asif was too casual in reaching the ball and dropped it. The batsmen ran two — and then stole an overthrow after a poor throw.
Pakistan were without Shahid Afridi, the all-rounder who was banned for four matches by match referee Chris Broad for jabbing a bat at a spectator during the first match in Centurion last Sunday. Afridi was due to return home later on Sunday.
Afridi was replaced by Rehman.
| Scoreboard | |
| PAKISTAN: | |
| Imran Nazir c Boucher b Pollock | 0 |
| Kamran Akmal run out | 3 |
| Younis Khan c Kallis b Pollock | 8 |
| Mohammad Yousuf c Boucher b Hall | 21 |
| Inzamam-ul-Haq not out | 45 |
| Shoaib Malik c Boucher b Kemp | 19 |
| Abdul Razzaq b Kallis | 1 |
| Azhar Mahmood c Boucher b Kemp | 1 |
| Rana Naved-ul-Hasan c Boucher b Ntini |
3 |
| Abdur Rehman c Boucher b Langeveldt | 0 |
| Mohammad Asif b Hall | 0 |
| EXTRAS (LB-1, W-4, NB-1) | 6 |
| TOTAL (all out, 45.4 overs) | 107 |
| FALL OF WKTS: 1-0, 2-6, 3-23, 4-41, 5-87, 6-93, 7-94, 8-100, 9-106. | |
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BOWLING: Pollock 10-4-13-2 (1w); Ntini 10-2-20-1; Hall 6.4-0-29-2;
Langeveldt 8-1-18-1 (1nb, 1w); Kallis 8-1-17-1; Kemp 3-0-9-2 (2w). |
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| SOUTH AFRICA: | |
| A.B. de Villiers not out | 50 |
| G.C. Smith not out | 56 |
| EXTRAS (W-7) | 7 |
| TOTAL (for no wkt, 14 overs) | 113 |
| DID NOT BAT: J.H. Kallis, H.H. Gibbs, A.G. Prince, J.M. Kemp, M.V. Boucher, S.M. Pollock, A.J. Hall, C.K. Langeveldt, M. Ntini. | |
| BOWLING: Mohammad Asif 4-0-26-0 (6w); Rana Naved-ul-Hasan 3-0-17-0 (1w); Azhar Mahmood 3-0-24-0; Abdul Razzaq 2-0-19-0; Abdur Rehman 2-0-27-0. | |
| RESULT: South Africa won by 10 wickets. | |
| UMPIRES: B.G. Jerling (South Africa) and R.B. Tiffin (Zimbabwe). | |
| TV UMPIRE: M. Erasmus (South Africa). | |
| MATCH REFEREE: B.C Broad (England). | |
| MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Shaun Pollock. | |
| FIRST MATCH: Centurion, South Africa won by 164 runs. | |
| SECOND MATCH: Durban, Pakistan won by 141 runs. | |
| THIRD MATCH: Port Elizabeth, no-result. | |
| FIFTH MATCH: At Johannesburg (D/N) on Wednesday.—AFP | |
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