da marjack bet： Durban – Shrugging off the nightmare trauma of the last 72 hoursSouth Africa forgot the recriminations of Hansiegate for anevening and concentrated on beating Australia at Kingsmead in theopening match of the Challenge Series
Trevor Chesterfield12-Apr-2000Durban – Shrugging off the nightmare trauma of the last 72 hoursSouth Africa forgot the recriminations of Hansiegate for anevening and concentrated on beating Australia at Kingsmead in theopening match of the Challenge Series.It was a remarkable four-wickets victory against the World Cupchampions: just what a packed Kingsmead, and perhaps SouthAfrica, needed in a time of internal crisis.With Gary Kirsten digging deep in a hallmark display ofleft-handed batting grit, synonymous with the Kirsten name,during a well-paced innings of 97, South Africa went on to take a1-0 lead in the three-match series.In some small way it avenged the two defeats during the World Cupin England last year as the side, shaken by the Hansie Cronjescandal focused their minds on the game and pulled together in adisplay of true character. The success coming with 12 balls tospare.After Kirsten and Jacques Kallis had laid the foundation with awell executed partnership of 129 for the third wicket, JontyRhodes arrived and an audacious pull off a short delivery fromBrett Lee ended the game with a four. It was an entertainingflourish and as flamboyant as any innings we have seen.Yet Kirsten”s innings was full of purpose and merit: it was as ifhe wanted to win this match so much he was not prepared tosurrender his wicket at any price. The pity that he edged aslower delivery from Brett Lee into his stumps.Not surprisingly he won the man of the match of award andadmitted that the way to beat the Australians was to buildpartnerships. His partnership with Kallis did much to give theSouth Africans a touch more confidence lower in the order.Their partnership did much to contain the man they have named theWoollongong Whizz, Brett Lee, and the old adversary Shane Warnealong with Damien Fleming.If Kirsten, whose last visit to Kingsmead resulted hisTest-equalling score of 275, was prepared to take South Africa”sbatting cause on his shoulders, he found willing support in hispartnerships with Kallis and 67 with Rhodes.What was interesting is Kallis batting at four in the order.Perhaps South Africa have found the top five positions they wantfor the series with Neil McKenzie at three, a position filled byKallis, whose strokeplay showed he was on top of his game and thesix was as authoritative as any during the game.As for Rhodes there was no mistaking his intentions from thestart of his innings. His calm, assured approach and neatfootwork showed that South Africa have a middle-order batsman whocan take the tough pressure exerted by the visitors. They know atrick or two and so does Rhodes.Not that scoring the 241 need was going to be easy although at120 for seven at the start of the 27th over, Shaun Pollock, inhis first serious role as captain, must have thought chasing atotal of 150 was well within his side”s sights.Only Australia”s ability to dig deep into their batting reserveswith a couple of quality partnerships at least put a brave smileon the face of the visitors” first batting effort in South Africathis century. As Martyn eased his way along with an entertainingarray of eloquent strokes, he did not shield his lesser partners.There was the distinct impression that the other two Cobbers inthe middle, Fleming and Lee, had to dig in and provide a few runsthemselves as well as help build a partnerships to prop up theinnings. Not at all easy when the top and middle has surrenderedsome of the initiative.Mark Waugh might feel a touch miffed about his lbw decision whichseemed to drifting down leg and Matthew Hayden, the victim of oneof those superb run out efforts from an airborne throw from thecovers, the victim of circumstances.At 11 for two in the fourth over South Africa could feel wellsatisfied with their efforts. Gilchrist was batting with the sortof style which makes him look more of an executioner in theKlusener mould than the elegant style of Mark Waugh.They way he punched the ball around made Kingsmead look a lotsmaller than it really is. The venue may be a touch bigger thanSt George”s Park and Newlands, and about the same size as theSinhalese Sports Club in Colombo but his effusive style was anindication of wrist and foot co-ordination as well as timing.For those who enjoy such tactics it was good to watch and the wayhe smashed the ball for six gave the Aussie camp a sense ofconfidence.What undid the middle-order, Martyn apart, was the way thatNtini, bowling as well as he did in Sharjah and certainly muchbetter than his domestic performances, skidded the ball through.His four wickets were all well executed catches behind byBoucher.The inter-action between these two was entertaining as it wasskilfully executed, as if it was part of a well crafted script:three of the catches were under-edged shots along with the bigprize, Steve Waugh”s wicket for two.After the agony of that 120 at Headingley in Leeds in the SuperSix match and the 56 in the semi-final at Edgbaston, to get ridof the gritty, determined Steve Waugh for only two was a bonus.For Ntini it was the start of a particularly rewarding spell.Acknowledgement too for the way Pollock handled the young man whorewarded his captain also with the wickets of Michael Bevan,Andrew Symonds and Warne. Not at all a bad haul for the23-year-old Border bowler”s first game at home for his country intwo seasons.What was interesting as the Aussie dug deep was how first Flemingand then Lee put together career best scores. Fleming managed 29off 45 balls and Lee 24 off 29 balls. It was the partnershipswith Martyn of 65 and 56 which lifted Australia”s total to 240two runs being added when one of Gilchrist”s three sixes waschanged from a four.