PORT ELIZABETH (South Africa), April 6: Australia captain Ricky Ponting and Darren Lehmann led their side to an extraordinary victory in the sixth one-day international against South Africa on Saturday.
After the hosts won the toss and posted a total of 326 for three, Australia completed the highest winning total by a side batting second in one-day history with five balls to spare.
The previous record run chase was 316, achieved by the Australians against Pakistan in Lahore in 1998-99 and by India against Pakistan in Dhaka in 1997-98.
Ponting (92) and Lehmann (91) shared a fourth-wicket stand worth 183 runs, picking off singles at will and smashing boundaries whenever the run rate began to climb.
Lehmann eventually fell for 91, scored off 119 deliveries with nine fours and a six, when he was stumped off the bowling of Graeme Smith but by that stage the run chase was well under control.
Ponting’s dismissal for 92 shortly after Damien Martyn (15) was brilliantly caught by Jonty Rhodes gave South Africa hope, but ultimately no more than that as Shane Warne hit the first ball of the final over for four.
Ponting faced 107 balls and struck two sixes and seven fours.
The push for victory was given an explosive start by Adam Gilchrist, the Australian wicketkeeper smashing 52 off just 34 balls with eight fours and two sixes before he was quite brilliantly caught by Makhaya Ntini diving forwards as he ran in from the square-leg boundary.
His opening partner Matthew Hayden got off the mark with successive sixes and had reached 35 off 29 balls when he too fell to a stunning catch, Shaun Pollock diving full length at mid-on to cling on to a stinging drive.
Earlier, a maiden 50 from Smith and bludgeoning contributions from Jacques Kallis and Rhodes helped South Africa to their highest ever total against Australia.
Playing in only his third one-day international, Smith struck 84 as South Africa made the most of winning the toss, their total surpassing the 310 for six they made in Bloemfontein in 1996-97.
Smith and Herschelle Gibbs added 74 for the first wicket before Gibbs was superbly caught and bowled by Ian Harvey on 37.
Nicky Boje again enjoyed a promotion to number three and reached 47.
Warne returned to claim the wicket of Smith as the left-hander swept loosely and top-edged a routine catch to Lehmann.
Smith’s wicket was the cue for some brutal hitting from Kallis and Rhodes. The pair combined for an unbroken fourth- wicket stand worth 131 off 93 balls, with 102 runs coming from the final 10 overs.
Kallis was particularly strong on the drive as his unbeaten 80 came off just 59 balls with three fours and two sixes.
Rhodes, meanwhile, was his usual bustling self, matching Kallis boundary for boundary towards the close as he reached his 71 from 50 balls including a six and six fours.
SOUTH AFRICA:
G.Smith c Lehmann b Warne 84
H.Gibbs c and b Harvey 37
N.Boje b Lehmann 47
J.Kallis not out 80
J.Rhodes not out 71
EXTRAS (w-2, lb-5) 7
TOTAL (for three wickets, 50 overs) 326
FALL OF WKTS: 1-74 2-157 3-195
DID NOT BAT: Neil McKenzie, Mark Boucher, Shaun Pollock, Jon Kent, Roger Telemachus, Makhaya Ntini.
BOWLING: McGrath 10-2-52-0, Gillespie 9-0-60-0, Harvey 9-0-64-1, Warne 7-0-58-1, Watson 9-0-47-0 (w-2) Lehmann 6-0-40-1.
AUSTRALIA:
A.Gilchrist c Ntini b Telemachus 52
M.Hayden c Pollock b Kallis 35
I.Harvey c Boucher b Telemachus 4
R.Ponting c Pollock b Kallis 92
D.Lehmann st Boucher b Smith 91
D.Martyn c Rhodes b Ntini 15
M.Bevan not out 3
S.Watson run out 11
S Warne not out 4
EXTRAS (b-2 lb-7 nb-8 w-6) 23
TOTAL (for seven wickets, 49.1 overs) 330
FALL OF WKTS: 1-81 2-93 3-104 4-287 5-312 6-312 7-330
DID NOT BAT: J.Gillespie, G.McGrath.
BOWLING: Pollock 8-0-57-0 (nb-3), Ntini 9.1-0-83-1 (nb-3), Telemachus 10-0-48-2 (nb-2 w-1), Kallis 10-0-59-2 (w-1), Boje 6-0-34-0 (w-3), Kent 2-0-16-0, Smith 4-0-24-1 (w-1)
RESULT: Australia won by three wickets to lead the seven-match series 5-0—Reuters