da pinnacle： Sharjah, March 28: One blistering over and it all made thedifference
da bet vitoria： Viren Varma29-Mar-2000Sharjah, March 28: One blistering over and it all made thedifference. It doesn’t happen so often. But on Tuesday it did. SouthAfrica were cruising when Shoaib Akhtar produced a telling burst toswing the match in his team’s favour from nowhere, leaving thestartled South Africans biting their nails in disbelief.Three wickets in one over simply destroyed an under-strength SouthAfrica, who thereafter caved in under the intense pressure applied byPakistan. With India out of the way, the match was reduced to a dressrehearsal for Friday’s final. The only interest left was to seewhether Pakistan would be able to snap their 14-match losing streakagainst South Africa.They did and that too in style, unfolding their amazing fightingqualities when things were loaded heavily against them. South Africa,chasing 169 for victory, were 74 for one when Shoaib, bowling withawesome speed and accuracy, began his sensational over – his fourthand the team’s 17th.On his second ball he forced an edge from Mark Boucher, then cleanbowled Dale Benkenstein and Lance Klusener with his fourth and sixthdeliveries to bring the match alive.The quick blows reduced South Africa to 74 for four, but Shoaib, whobowled the fastest delivery of the day – 156km per hour – aggravatedhis groin injury in the very next over. Still, there was no respitefor the South Africans, who just failed to figure out what washappening out there in the middle. Abdur Razzaq completed his over andhe was too rewarded with the wicket of Peiter Strydom.With Pakistan on fire, the proceedings were reduced to a one-sidedaffair.Pakistan fully exploited the utter confusion in the South African campto return home with a grin of pride lighting up their faces. Theycouldn’t have asked for a better dose of success before the final.South Africa, who rested five of their regulars including skipperHansie Cronje, were further handicapped by injury to Gary Kirsten(back spasm) who had to retire hurt after scoring eight runs. OnlyHerschelle Gibbs stood firm amid the ruins, but his unbeaten inningsof 59 off 79 balls with nine fours only helped South Africa cross the100-run mark.Amid Shoaib’s exploits, Waqar Younis’ feat was almost eclipsed. Theveteran pacer, playing his 186th one-day international match, joinedthe exclusive 300-wicket club when he removed Neil McKenzie forone. The sensational stuff produced by the fiery Pakistan bowlers, whoshot out South Africa for a 101 in mere 26.5 overs, amply made up theinept showing of their batsmen earlier in the day.Shaun Pollock, leading the side for the first, marshalled hisresources effectively to fire Pakistan out for 168, only YousufYouhana rose to the challenge with a cultured 65 off 88 balls. Even ifSouth Africa had scored all the runs in zero over, Pakistan would havestill qualified for the final, such was the one-sided equation intheir favour.Pollock himself set the tone for pedestrian top order batting,claiming young Imran Nazir in the very first over.Pakistan just failed to recover from the early shock and kept losingwickets in quick successions Flamboyant Shahid Afridi, though heexhibited to such instinct in this tournament, hung on for a while,scoring 26 off 45 balls, life wasn’t easy for the Pakistan batsmen.When Pakistan were reduced to 60 for four in 22 overs, a score invicinity of 100 or 125 looked a distant dream. But Youhana and AbdurRazzaq steadied the faltering Pakistan innings while, building up astand of 35 for the sixth wicket – the highest of the Pakistan innings- before Razzaq failed to beat a direct throw from Klusener from thedeep.As usual, South Africans were pretty alter on the field, the way slideand dive is a treat to watch. The one left-handed catch which Haywardtook off his bowling to dismiss Moin Khan was simply out of the world.The bowler dived to his left on his follow through to snuffle thecatch just inches above the ground.Wasim Akram, one of the five batsmen to reach the double-digit mark,made a useful 19, but it was Youhana who held Pakistan together,opening up in the last few overs to lend respectability to the score.His 65 contained seven hits the fence.But, in the end, it was Pakistan’s compelling fightback that made allthe difference and it also ended South Africa’s eight-match victoryrun at Sharjah.
