South Africa's go to man

Andrew Hall took four wickets from nine balls and finished with 5 for 18 as England were bowled out for 154 in 48 overs © Getty Images Enlarge

Some, like Lawrence Rowe and Michael Holding, were such naturals that it appeared they were born to play cricket. Others have to strive for it, and often it takes a life-changing experience or two for a player to get the most of the talent at his disposal. Experiences don't come much more life-changing than a mugging in which you're fired at six times, and Andrew Hall would be the first to admit that there's much more to life than a century or a five-wicket haul.

What the shooting did - one bullet lodged in his left hand - was intensify Hall's focus. No Graeme Pollock with the bat, he wasn't quite express with the ball either. But what he did have was an unflinching determination to do well, and an ability to slot into a variety of roles made him a hugely important member of the South African squad.

What it didn't do was ensure him a place in the XI. Of the 228 one-day games that South Africa have played since Hall made his debut in January 1999, he has participated in only 84. Often, he'd be dumped for no good reason, the easy cast-off when selection politics - much of it based on the team's racial make-up - reared its ugly head.

Hall helped himself by performing whenever he was called upon. In his last 50 matches, he has taken 72 wickets at 24.25 - Shaun Pollock has 62 at 24.17 from his last 50 games - and only Makhaya Ntini has done better. The fact that he can strike the ball so cleanly is a bonus, and it lends enviable depth to the order to have a man with a Test century batting at No.9.

Having played only one game in the Champions Trophy, and in and out of the side for the home series against India and Pakistan, Hall was perhaps a surprise pick for the opening games of the World Cup. South Africa's most successful bowler against Australia - 2 for 60 on a day when everyone else was shredded - there were more than a few raised eyebrows when he was left out for the game against Bangladesh.

Andrè Nel came in and took five, but Hall's ability to bowl cutters and reverse swing was sorely missed as Mohammad Ashraful and friends took the game away in the final overs. With Charl Langeveldt pressing for a recall against England, Hall was again the likely sacrificial lamb, but the team management steeled themselves for a possible backlash by dropping the off-colour Ntini instead.

It was a decision that they had no cause to regret. Hall was tidy with conventional inswing in his first spell, but he didn't pick up a wicket in the five overs. With the older ball, however, he was an entirely different proposition. Smith brought him back in the 34th over, and it took him just five balls to make an impact, shaping one back to thud into Paul Collingwood's pad.

With Jacques Kallis having just dismissed Andrew Strauss, England were suddenly rocking, and Hall ensured that they capsized with immaculate control of the softer white ball. Andrew Flintoff's stumps were messed up by one that moved back through the gate, and the doughty Paul Nixon followed in the same over, flirting at one that angled across him.

When Sajid Mahmood played on off the first ball of Hall's next over, he was on a hat-trick. Monty Panesar wasn't quite good enough to get the edge, but the damage had been done, with the English innings in utter disarray. Smith took him off at that stage, with two overs remaining in his spell, but Hall wasn't to be denied the first five-for of his career.

Recalled in the 48th over, a full and straight delivery did the trick. James Anderson stood there like a statue, but there was never any doubt in the umpire's mind. Hall's final figures? A rather eye-catching 10-2-18-5, with four wickets having come in a remarkable three-over burst with the old ball.

Given his appetite for a scrap, he would probably have loved to open and knock off the runs as well, but Graeme Smith and AB de Villiers ensured that the middle and lower order could have a snooze in the afternoon sun. At 31, this will most likely be Hall's last World Cup, and having survived more than just form slumps, he appears determined to make it count.

What he said: "Everybody bowled exceptionally well to build the pressure. In a bowling setup as we have, I was just fortunate that today was my day to cash in." - Hall talks about his spectacular returns.

What they said - Michael Vaughan: "We knew exactly what Andrew Hall was going to produce." - Knowledge is one thing, doing something with it quite another.