365WCX_1999JUN10

************* CRICINFO365 WORLD CUP EXTRA **************

Thursday, June 10, 1999. World Cup Edition No. 25

IN THIS EDITION:

* Match Report ­ South Africa v New Zealand * Kirsten and Gibbs Get Their Show on the Road Again * Quotes * Magic Moment * Quick Singles * Full Scorecard * Super Six Points Table * Friday's fixture

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SOUTH AFRICANS QUALIFY FOR SEMIS AS KIWIS PLUNGE TO DEFEAT

By John Houlihan

South Africa coasted to an extremely comfortable 74-run victory over New Zealand in their Super Six game at Edgbaston. The foundation of the South Africans' victory was a massive 176-run first wicket partnership between Gary Kirsten and Herschelle Gibbs, aided by some late power hitting from Hansie Cronje and man of the match Jacques Kallis. Despite a brave innings of 42 from skipper Stephen Fleming and a breezy 35 from Roger Twose, the Kiwis were never really in the hunt and the victory assures South Africa of a place in the semi-finals.

Hansie Cronje won the toss and decided to bat under cloudy skies in central Birmingham. Geoff Allott opened the bowling for the Kiwis and immediately found the inside edge of Gary Kirsten's bat, but the ball missed the stumps and squirted down towards fine leg. Dion Nash was Allott's new ball partner, but Kirsten and fellow opener Herschelle Gibbs made a steady, if slow, start with few further alarms.

South Africa continued to progress but good fielding and excellent field settings from Kiwi skipper Stephen Fleming kept the openers in check, initially at least. After the tenth over, the South Africans seemed to make a conscious effort to up the scoring rate, at last starting to find the boundary and nudging quick singles. The South Africans posted their fifty in the fourteenth over and, as both openers began to settle in, their total continued to climb at a steady rate. Larsen and Cairns eventually took over the bowling duties, but with the pitch and conditions offering little assistance, Harris was brought on to try and make the breakthrough with the batsmen looking serene and in almost total control.

With both Kirsten and Gibbs able to dictate proceedings, Kirsten pulled Nash through square leg to bring up his fifty and breathe new life into a rather lacklustre crowd. As the South African batsmen began to dominate, Fleming juggled his bowlers around, desperate for the breakthrough as unforced fielding errors began to creep into the Kiwis' game. Gibbs posted his fifty and began to play some expansive pulls and drives, rattling three consecutive boundaries off Nash, and the South African openers continued to accelerate, seemingly able to plunder runs at will on the slow, lifeless pitch.

With the South African openers looking almost unassailable, Gary Kirsten moved to four thousand runs in One Day Internationals. He then attempted to turn Nash around the corner, but instead looped up a catch which was snapped up by Astle at mid-wicket to depart for 82. With the Kiwis at last achieving their much-needed breakthrough, Hansie Cronje sent in Lance Klusener to jog along an already impressive run rate, but he lasted just five balls before Larsen nipped one through the gate to peg back his off stump and dismiss Klusener for the first time in the tournament. However with Gibbs still at the crease and now closing in on his hundred, South Africa were well placed for the final ten-over onslaught.

With the innings careering towards its climax, Jacques Kallis came to crease and pillaged nineteen off Chris Harris' final over, including two massive sixes which finished way back in the stands. Herschelle Gibbs looked well set to post his century, but the returning Geoff Allott, again the pick of the New Zealand attack, produced a fiery yorker to dismiss him for a cultured 91 and set a new record of nineteen wickets in World Cup competition. Daryl Cullinan lasted just two balls before he chipped up a return catch to Chris Cairns, who took a difficult chance diving away to his left. The wickets appeared to slow the South African charge, but skipper Hansie Cronje, feinting and retreating to the leg side, played a whirlwind skipper's knock to continue the momentum, spanking Cairns for two steepling sixes in the penultimate over and finishing with 39 off 22 balls before he was run out by a direct throw from Nash. Kallis just had time to post his fifty in the final over as the South Africans finished strongly to record a highly competitive total.

Facing a daunting target, Nathan Astle and Matt Horne came out to open proceedings for New Zealand with Shaun Pollock entrusted with the opening over for South Africa. Jonty Rhodes was soon in action at backward point, but Horne sliced over the slips to record the first Kiwi boundary of the day and get them off to an auspicious start. Kallis took the new ball from the City End with the Kiwi supporters brandishing inflatable sheep to greet the occasional boundary. Astle fortunately survived a huge appeal for caught behind off Kallis, from a ball which quite patently deflected off his thigh pad.

Just as their openers appeared to have given New Zealand a decent start, Matt Horne provided a regulation edge which Pollock safely pouched at second slip to give Jacques Kallis his fiftieth wicket in One-Day Internationals. Pollock troubled Astle throughout the whole of the seventh over and was unlucky not to make a further breakthrough, but as new batsman Craig McMillan sprinted a dicey two, Klusener's powerful, accurate throw from third man almost gifted the South Africans another cheap wicket. Kallis worked up a good pace and made the next breakthrough, having Astle caught low down at widish slip by Cullinan. Next man in, New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming, started brightly, punching Donald for four through square leg from his very first ball and then flayed Elworthy through the covers for another boundary. McMillan was caught brilliantly by Boucher off a short pitcher from Elsworthy, only to have it called noball in a marginal decision by umpire Venkat. However, as the fielding restrictions were lifted and the field spread, the required run-rate continued to climb and the Kiwi batsmen were never able to cut loose in the face of some tight bowling.

With hazy sunshine breaking through the cloud and a restless crowd willing some excitement into the rather tedious proceedings in the middle, McMillan flicked a chance which fell just beyond the reach of the airborne Rhodes. But neither batsman could really break the shackles, until Fleming lofted Donald over mid-off for four and received a vicious bouncer for his trouble. Fleming and McMillan posted their fifty partnership in the twenty-fourth over, but the Kiwis desperately needed to accelerate if they were to stand a chance of challenging South Africa's total. With the game at its half-way stage, Hansie Cronje declared skipper's privilege and turned his arm over, having immediate success as McMillan uncharacteristically tried to launch an assault and skied one which had the South African fielders queuing up, although it was Herschelle Gibbs who finally took the easiest of catches. With Roger Twose back on his home ground and joining his skipper in the middle, Stephen Fleming managed to pass three thousand runs in One Day Internationals before Hansie again proved himself a golden arm as the Kiwi captain lobbed a routine delivery up to Shaun Pollock at mid on. Facing a run rate nudging over nine, a restive crowd urged the South Africans to put the Kiwis out of their misery, but Chris Cairns attempted to add some muchneeded impetus although even the embryonic Mexican waves which occasionally threatened to sweep the ground had a rather weary air. After a short but adventurous innings, Cairns was eventually cleaned bowled by an inswinger from Klusener and Parore was run out going for a suicidal single, as the game slipped ever further out of the Kiwis' grasp.

With the game meandering towards an inevitable conclusion in bright early evening sunshine, Twose began to play his shots as the Kiwi total inched incrementally upward. Chris Harris had a close call from a direct hit, but it was Twose who perished next, skying a Klusener delivery which skipper Cronje took comfortably at long off. With defeat for New Zealand now a certainty, both teams seemed to be going through the motions out on the field and a strange air of lethargy also gripped the spectators, as the remaining Kiwi batsmen plodded along, content to measure their progress in singles. Pollock clean bowled Nash, but it wasn't until the last ball of the forty-eighth over that the Kiwi total inched over the two hundred mark, an event which was greeted by two male streakers leaping the advertising boards, an event which at least enlivened an otherwise extremely dull finale.

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KIRSTEN AND GIBBS GET THEIR SHOW ON THE ROAD AGAIN

By Trevor Chesterfield

While Gary Kirsten and Herschelle Gibbs re-established their countrymen's faith in their ability to score runs with a century partnership, it was New Zealanders Gavin Larsen and Geoff Allott who added to the entertainment on a chilly afternoon at Edgbaston today.

After days of rumblings about the failure of the Western Province duo to give South Africa a solid platform to build a match-winning total and suggestions of changes to the top order, which ranged from axing the lefthand Kirsten to opening with Nicky Boje, they found the Kiwi bowling act a soft touch. Not deliberately, of course: the Kiwis would be the first to tell you they are a tough competitive bunch and would not give anything away, especially not in a Super Six match as crucial as this one.

The left-arm quick Geoff Allott, if we are to believe the speed gun, reached 90 mph, and earned the wicket of Herschelle Gibbs to make him the highest wicket-taker in a World Cup tournament. Larsen, who bowled Lance Klusener, earned #1 000 for the 'charity of his choice' for the privilege of dismissing the 'giant killer' of the tournament. The money was donated by the sponsors of the event.

Who it will go to is still to be decided but it is a worthwhile effort. Taking Klusener's wicket so cheaply was a big plus for the New Zealanders. By that stage, however, Kirsten and Gibbs had posted their best scores of the tournament and set up South Africa for an impressive total of 287 for five, which was always going to be a big challenge for the Kiwis to match. They needed a victory here if they hope to edge Zimbabwe out of the semifinals and now have to rely on beating India at Trent Bridge on Saturday if they are to get through: depending, of course, on whether Pakistan manage to rub out Zimbabwe at The Oval on Friday.

There was some good batting from South African openers, though. On a day which should have reminded them of Newlands in Cape Town, cloudy, blustery and a wind sweeping off the mountain perched at mid-wicket (looking down the pitch from the media centre). There were some sumptuous strokes; even handsome if you prefer; it was good to see, though.

It was a game of crucial importance to both countries: South Africa to confirm a semi-final spot as well as lift their net run rate into the plus area, ditto New Zealand in terms of run rate and psychological advantage for the India game.

Apart from posting their best opening partnership of the tournament, eclipsing the 111 by the same pair against England at The Oval, they declined to take risks and batted with care attention and the sort of discipline which both batsmen have always been capable of producing. Conditions may have been trying at times with the ball moving around, yet the Kiwis bowled disappointingly.

Dion Nash worked up some pace, as did Allott, but as South Africa, seeking quick runs, pushed Klusener up the order with the total at 176 for one, no one could blame Hansie Cronje for taking the view it was a prudent move. Okay, it failed, too. But with Jacques Kallis smashing Chris Harris about the place and taking 24 off one over, including two of three sixes - Cronje hit the other - the question arose, who needs Klusener?

The run-making was of such frenetic pace that the Kiwis must have wondered what all the fuss over Klusener had been. Kallis with 53 off 36 balls and Cronje 39 off 22 balls took over that role without too much bother.

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QUOTES

Heard at today's post-match presentations and press conferences:

South African captain Hansie Cronje:

On the overall performance: "very happy today, (the) guys put it together, (and we) got off to a good start thanks to Gibbs and Kirsten".

On the decision to bat after winning the toss: "(it was a) good wicket, and we tried to put some pressure on them as they don't have a bowling attack that really does anything".

On the pitch itself: It "kept low towards the end, (but it was a) very good one-day wicket".

On making the semi-finals: "We're very relieved (to do so) after the outcome of the 1996 World Cup (and we're) very glad that LK had a failure now - at a stage when he wasn't needed. The side still hasn't clicked, and Allan Donald, Shaun Pollock, Daryll Cullinan, Jonty Rhodes and I still haven't come off but we'll rise to the big occasion".

On the upcoming match against Australia and how they will be treating what is now a far less important match for South Africa than for their opponents: "We'll have to sit back and have a look at that one. We've got injuries to Jacques Kallis (stomach muscle twinge), Herschelle Gibbs has a hamstring problem, and one of the bowlers (he did not elaborate as to which of them) is not feeling too well".

Man-of-the-match Jacques Kallis:

On his batting: "I was glad to get runs again. The platform that was laid for me (by our openers) allowed me to play any shots that I wanted".

New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming:

On the team's loss: "we were never in the hunt, didn't play very well, and caught the brunt of it in the batting performance. South Africa bowled well".

On the must-win clash against India on Saturday "yes, (to win is a) big ask, (and) we've got to get the batting going (in order) to challenge. It's very easy to get up for a one-off to win".

On the quality (or lack thereof) of the effort: "Geoff Allott did well today and continued his form. It was a tough day at the office otherwise, (and I) can't single out anyone else who did their job. Their opening partnership broke up the inner ring and made it very difficult for us to contain the runs. Once the platform was set, it was very easy for the other guys in their side to play their shots".

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MAGIC MOMENT

Today's was a match generally devoid of excitement and there were not many great incidents from which to choose. Nevertheless, our magic moment - which came late in the South African innings - from today's play was one that we enjoyed nearly as much as any that has previously been nominated.

Amid some furious late strokeplay (and, more specifically, a Chris Cairns over that had twenty-one runs plundered from it), our winner was clearly Jacques Kallis' magnificent off-driven six from the fifth ball of the forty-ninth over. Kallis is becoming one of the world's top batsmen, and this stroke (which towered into the seating beyond the wide long-off boundary) encapsulated the ease of his timing and the purity and effortless nature of his strokemaking.

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QUICK SINGLES

* For as badly as many commentators believe they have been struggling during this World Cup, South Africa's openers, Herschelle Gibbs (91) and Gary Kirsten (82) achieved a rare feat in the tournament today - the production of a century stand for the first wicket for their team. Their magnificent 176-run liaison (which went a long way toward settling today's encounter with New Zealand and which featured some glorious batting from both players) was indeed easily the highest opening partnership of this event. And the name of the pair which compiled the first century stand - well, that's also Kirsten and Gibbs; their 111 together against England at The Oval on May 22 the only other such milestone.

* Under the not so imaginative headline, "Get Lance Klusener Out and Win #1,000 For Charity", 'The Sun' newspaper in England - with the help of a national telecommunications company's sponsorship - unveiled a new competition this morning, presumably in the hope that it would generate interest for much of the remainder of the World Cup. The idea of the competition was that the two organsiations would donate a total of #1,000 to a charity nominated by the first bowler to dismiss the seemingly unstoppable South African big-hitter in the Cup. We were intrigued to observe, then, that the competition ended after just five balls today, and that unfashionable New Zealand medium pacer, Gavin Larsen (who bowled Klusener through the gate between bat and pad) was the victor. Whilst Larsen is an excellent bowler - and has a larger band of supporters in England than one might suspect - we imagine that he wasn't quite the personality The Sun's editors were hoping would win the competition. We'll certainly be interested tomorrow to not only learn of the charity to which Larsen has chosen to direct the funds but also how emphatically his victory and the competition's extremely premature death is celebrated!

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SCORECARD

ODI # 1478 ICC World Cup, 1999, 6th Super Six Match New Zealand v South Africa Edgbaston, Birmingham 10 June 1999 (50-over match)

Result: South Africa won by 74 runs Points: South Africa 2, New Zealand 0

Toss: South Africa Umpires: ID Robinson (Zim) and S Venkataraghavan (Ind) TV Umpire: P Willey Match Referee: CW Smith (WI) Man of the Match: JH Kallis (RSA)

South Africa innings (50 overs maximum) R B 4 6 G Kirsten c Nash b Astle 82 121 6 1 HH Gibbs b Allott 91 118 6 1 L Klusener b Larsen 4 5 1 0 JH Kallis not out 53 36 1 3 DJ Cullinan c & b Cairns 0 2 0 0 *WJ Cronje run out (Nash) 39 22 2 2 JN Rhodes not out 0 0 0 0 Extras (lb 11, w 3, nb 4) 18 Total (5 wickets, 50 overs) 287

DNB: SM Pollock, +MV Boucher, S Elworthy, AA Donald.

FoW: 1-176 (Kirsten, 36.3 ov), 2-187 (Klusener, 37.5 ov), 3-228 (Gibbs, 43.6 ov), 4-229 (Cullinan, 44.3 ov), 5-283 (Cronje, 49.4 ov).

Bowling O M R W Allott 10 0 42 1 (1nb, 1w) Nash 8 0 44 0 (1w) Cairns 7 0 55 1 (3nb) Larsen 9 1 47 1 Harris 10 0 59 0 Astle 6 0 29 1 (1w)

New Zealand innings (target: 288 runs from 50 overs) R B 4 6 MJ Horne c Pollock b Kallis 12 20 3 0 NJ Astle c Cullinan b Kallis 9 32 1 0 CD McMillan c Gibbs b Cronje 23 54 1 0 *SP Fleming c Pollock b Cronje 42 64 6 0 RG Twose c Cronje b Klusener 36 41 3 1 CL Cairns b Klusener 17 16 1 1 +AC Parore run out (Kirsten/Boucher) 3 5 0 0 CZ Harris not out 25 36 1 0 DJ Nash b Pollock 9 22 1 0 GR Larsen not out 14 14 1 0 Extras (lb 9, w 11, nb 3) 23 Total (8 wickets, 50 overs) 213

DNB: GI Allott.

FoW: 1-20 (Horne, 5.3 ov), 2-34 (Astle, 11.3 ov), 3-93 (McMillan, 25.6 ov), 4-107 (Fleming, 29.4 ov), 5-144 (Cairns, 34.3 ov), 6-148 (Parore, 35.4 ov), 7-171 (Twose, 40.4 ov), 8-194 (Nash, 46.3 ov).

Bowling O M R W Pollock 10 1 29 1 Kallis 6 2 15 2 (4w) Elworthy 8 0 35 0 (1nb, 2w) Donald 10 0 42 0 (1nb, 1w) Klusener 9 0 46 2 (1nb, 3w) Cronje 7 0 37 2 (1w)

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World Cup 1999 Super Six Points Table:

P W L NR T Pts Net-RR PCF South Africa 4 3 1 - - 6 +0.23 2 Zimbabwe 4 2 1 1 - 5 -0.09 4 Pakistan 4 2 2 - - 4 +0.10 4 Australia 4 2 2 - - 4 +0.44 0 New Zealand 4 1 2 1 - 3 -0.76 2 India 4 1 3 - - 2 -0.14 0

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