South Africa snatch sensational last-ball victory

South Africa snatched a sensational two-wicket victory off the very last ball of their Champions Trophy Pool Three fixture against the West Indies, played at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo on Friday. The celebrations in the South African dressing rooms started the minute Alan Dawson's last-ball thick-edge ran away to the third-man fence, and the similarities to their semi-final loss against Australia in the 1999 World Cup were only too apparent.

With 13 runs needed off the final over - bowled by Merv Dillon - Shaun Pollock smashed the first ball, a shin-high full-toss, over long-on for six, but departed next ball. Lance Klusener, often the finisher for South Africa, fell with three runs to be made off two balls. The sixth ball was called wide, and the bye that Nicky Boje ran anyway brought Dawson on strike. More importantly, it levelled the scores, perhaps giving Dawson the freedom to swing at that final delivery.

South Africa's run-chase was in fact hampered even before it began, the team being docked one over for a slow over-rate. Then explosive Herschelle Gibbs gifted Dillon his first of four wickets, chopping one onto his stumps. Jacques Kallis did not last long either, caught behind off Vasbert Drakes, who was making a comeback into the side after seven years.

When Graeme Smith fell with the score on 61, South Africa were in trouble. But the 117-run fourth-wicket partnership between Boeta Dippenaar and Man of the Match Jonty Rhodes brought the chase back on track. The two batsmen went about their task steadily, haring up and down the track for quick runs. Shortly after the batsmen got to their fifties, though, things started to go wrong.

In the 40th over, Carl Hooper dealt a double blow by removing Dippenaar (53) off a miscued pull and then Rhodes (61), who dragged an off-break back onto his stumps. Dillon exhibited considerable misery in the end overs, which made it a pity that his final over was singled out for punishment.

Earlier in the day, the West Indies struggled to get off to a good start, but both Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Chris Gayle stuck around, refusing to throw their wickets away despite being at sea against tight seam bowling from Pollock and Dawson. Gayle was the first to open up, taking a six off Dawson and then three hefty fours off Allan Donald's first over.

But Donald got his own back, removing Gayle, who was to prove the top-scorer of the innings. In fact, while Gayle made 49 off 55 balls, Chanderpaul could only hit eight runs in the first 15 overs. It was no wonder, then, that Brian Lara was welcomed with loud cheers by the sparse entertainment-starved crowd.

Lara could not convert his start into a bigger score, however - a malady that afflicted Chanderpaul (45), Carl Hooper and Ramnaresh Sarwan as well. South Africa could easily pick up wickets whenever a partnership started to flourish, and Donald picked up his 250th wicket en route to figures of two for 44 off eight overs.

The West Indies ultimately eked out 238 for eight, unable to unleash the really big shots except for a couple of overs towards the end. That may have cost them; even 10 runs more would have seen them emerge victorious instead of the South Africans. As it transpired, with this win South Africa more or less ensured themselves a place in the semi-final, with only a match against Kenya remaining to be played.