Sunday, February 11, 2007

Pakistan trounced by South Africa

One-day international, Cape Town:
South Africa 108-0 (14 overs) beat Pakistan 107 (45.4 overs) by 10 wickets
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Graeme Smith
Smith and De Villiers made swift work of their low target

South Africa took a 2-1 lead with one match to play in the one-day series, routing Pakistan by 10 wickets.

Put in on an overcast morning in Cape Town, Pakistan were bowled out for 107 with 26 balls to spare, leaving skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq unbeaten on 45.

Wicket-keeper Mark Boucher took six catches, a South Africa record.

Graeme Smith (56no) and AB de Villiers (50no) romped to their target, with Smith smashing the match-winning six in just the 14th over.

Pollock set the tone with a superb opening spell in which he took 2-8 in eight overs and did not concede a run until he bowled a wide in his fourth over.

He had Imran Nazir caught behind for nought off the fourth ball of the innings when Nazir got an inside edge to a ball which cut back sharply.

The total was only six in 7.3 overs when Kamran Akmal was second man out, run out by Herschelle Gibbs in the covers.

Pollock dismisses Younis Khan
Pollock struck twice in a stifling opening spell

Mohammad Yousuf looked the most composed of the top order batsmen but after making 21 he was caught behind off Andrew Hall, trying to nudge the ball towards third man.

Inzamam and Shoaib Malik put on 46 for the fifth wicket in the best stand of the innings before Malik was caught down the leg side off Justin Kemp.

The lower order batsmen were swept aside, while even Inzamam found it difficult to score runs against accurate bowling, backed by athletic fielding.

Inzamam made his runs off 97 balls, hitting four of only nine boundaries in the innings.

Boucher joined Australia's Adam Gilchrist, England's Alec Stewart and Ridley Jacobs of the West Indies in having madesix dismissals. Gilchrist has performed the feat four times.

South Africa's reply was in complete contrast to the Pakistan innings.

Mohammad Asif, normally Pakistan's most reliable bowler, started uncharacteristically by spraying his first delivery far down the leg side for five byes.

De Villiers faced just 44 balls, with seven fours and a six, while Smith took on 40 balls, with six fours and two sixes.

Pakistan's misery was underlined when De Villiers gave the only chance of the innings. Asif was too casual in reaching a slog towards deep midwicket and dropped it.

The batsmen ran two - and then stole another run on an overthrow.

Pakistan were missing Shahid Afridi, who received a four-match ban on Saturday for an argument with a spectator.

Smith wasted little time in his quest for victory, slamming a four and a six in successive deliveries from Afridi's replacement, left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman, in the 13th over.

The final match of the series will take place in Johannesburg on Wednesday.

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