Proteas pulverize Pakistan's final dream

TANGIERS-It went down the wire, but it was South Africa who held their nerve to defend a most modest total of 196, in the end winning by eight runs, with nine deliveries remaining unconsumed.

With this second defeat on the trot, Pakistan's dream of making it to the Morocco Cup 2002 final lay in tatters, and Sri Lanka and South Africa stood qualified with one league match still to go.

Led by Allan Donald (4 for 43) and Lance Klusener (2 for 21), the Proteas never gave up hope and kept coming back to take wicket after wicket, until they ensured the narrow victory which never seemed possible when Shahid Afridi was tearing into them with unalloyed aggression.

Pakistan was off to a bad start, with Imran Nazir gone in the first over, and Shoaib Malik following him after a stand of 49 for the second wicket with Afridi. That turned out to be the best partnership of the match.

After Shahid Afridi's (62, off 40 deliveries, 6 fours, 4 sixes) whirlwind knock helped overcome the early jitters, Pakistan somehow managed to bat themselves out of the match.

With 92 runs on the board for the loss of two wickets when Afridi was going great guns, Pakistan was scoring at around five runs an over till the 19th over, and reaching the target of 197 inside 40 overs to earn a bonus point looked probable. From this position of enormous strength, they lost eight wickets to be snatch defeat from the jaws of victory by some rank inept batting.

The South Africans bowled exceptionally well, especially Donald, Klusener and Pollock. But it was the Pakistani batsmen who kept throwing their wickets away. The most crucial of these were that of Yousuf Youhana, who needlessly played one down the throat of Nicky Boje at square-leg after Inzamam-ul-Haq had been dropped by Donald in the last over. That started the rout that could not be stemmed.

Younis Khan followed next ball, leg before to Klusener. Abdul Razzaq was bowled in the next over by Boje on a spinning delivery. From the excellent position of 92 for three, Pakistan was reduced to six for 119 to give South Africa the vision of a victory.

Sensing that Pakistan had hit a trough, the South Africans never let go from here as Donald bowled Rashid Latif and Inzamam smote Justin Ontong for a six but in the process stepped on his wicket. At eight for 163, Wasim Akram and Azhar tried to make a fist of it. But Donald got Akram bowled middle stump, and soon it was all over as skipper Waqar Younis holed out to long-on off Allan Donald with Graeme Smith pouching the catch to bring Pakistan's innings to a close.

Pakistan attack restricts Proteas to under 196:
Earlier, another excellent bowling performance by the Pakistan attack, especially by the new-ball duo of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis - the two of them sharing five wickets, four of them taken inside first 8 overs -- restricted South Africa to 196 for eight.

Probably acknowledging that it was desperate times which required desperate measures, both sides strengthened their batting, making two changes apiece. To the extent that for South Africa Pollock came at No 10, while Akram had a similar position in the order for Pakistan.

Strengthening the batting, however, didn't work for the Proteas, in the main because they lost too many wickets too early in the match, starting with the first ball dismissal of Herschelle Gibbs.

From five down for 49, they recovered enough, though -- because of good hands by Boetta Dippenaar (55, 89 balls, 8 fours), Mark Boucher (57, 99 balls, 5 fours) and a much-restrained Lance Klusener (28, off 42 deliveries).

Wasim Akram struck a major blow first ball, as Herschelle Gibbs chased a wide one outside off-stump, guiding it into Rashid Latif's safe hands. Younis got Jacques Kallis on a fuller delivery next over, and the two most experienced batsmen in the top half of the order were gone. Akram had Smith leg before two balls later, plumb in front playing too far back to an incutter. Justin Ontong took boundaries off Akram and Younis, and was the first to double figures, but Younis had him caught and bowled off a miscued drive. At 29 for four, the South Africans were in deep trouble.

After rewarding first spells, Akram (2 for 13 in 5 overs) and Younis (2 for 27 in 6 overs) gave way to Azhar and Razzaq. A 20-run stand between Boeta Dippenaar, who seemed to be the best of the Proteas, and Jonty Rhodes steadied the innings somewhat but Azhar removed Rhodes to put it back on the rocks.

From here on, Dippenaar and Boucher quite considerably revived their team's fortunes with a stand of 78 for the sixth wicket and were getting more adventurous when Azhar Mahmood's throw from deep square-leg got the former a couple of feet out of his crease. The breakthrough got Pakistan amongst the wickets again. Boucher soldiered on, taking fours off Razzaq, Younis and Azhar, but Azhar got him in his last over, the waist high full hitting the top of middle and leg stumps.

Despite the hard-hitters packed in the tail, the late charge never came; only 50 runs came in the last 10 overs for the loss Boucher and Boje. The Pakistani bowlers remained in control throughout the innings; only 4 fours were conceded in the last 10 overs, and just one in the last six.