South Africa win Cool & Cool series

Dubai: Through a splendid allround performance Jacques Kallis guided South Africa to a 57 runs victory over Pakistan in the fifth and final One-day match at the Dubai Sports City International Cricket Stadium.

South Africa thus won the series 3-2 to lift the Cool & Cool Cup with Kallis top scoring with a sparkling 83 runs which helped his team post a mammoth total 317 for 5. Kallis also bagged three wickets for 30 runs and took one catch to restrict Pakistan to 260 runs in 44.5 overs.

Two half centuries, from Umar Akmal (60) and Mohammad Hafeez (59) failed to lift Pakistan to victory.

Chasing a run rate of 6.34 runs per over, Pakistan openers Shahzaib Hassan and Muhammad Hafeez put on 82 runs in 12.2 overs to gain a run rate of 6.64 runs per over. Hassan was particularly aggressive playing some powerful and well-timed shots. His knock of 39 runs off 42 balls with six boundaries ended when he got caught at mid on off Kallis.

Younis Khan, the hero of Pakistan's fourth One-day match, joined Hafeez. He lasted only seven balls to score three runs. Kallis produced a short pitched delivery and Khan going for a pull gloved the ball to wicketkeeper AB de Villiers.

Kallis also took the prize wicket of Mohammad Yousuf with another short delivery. Yousuf, who arrived in UAE only on Sunday and expected to play only in the Test match, edged Kallis to de Villiers for 3. Two of Pakistan's most experienced batsmen back in the pavilion and all the good work from the openers looked like a wasted effort.

To make it worse, Fawad Alam edged Dale Steyn to give de Villiers his third successive catch. When Hafeez too fell, spooning an easy catch to Kallis at mid on off Johan Botha, Pakistan looked like surrendering without a fight.

With 200 runs required from the next 30 overs and with half the side back in the pavilion, all hopes rested on Shahid Afridi. He batted in his usual aggressive style, slog sweeping Botha into the stands at deep wicket for a six. Akmal too hit the last ball of that over for a six to mid wicket.

The two aggressive shots lifted the spirits of the crowd. Unfortunately it was short-lived. After adding 47 runs in 7.4 over with Akmal for the sixth wicket, Afridi stepped out and got stumped by de Villiers off Robin Peterson for 24 runs.

Next man Abdul Razzaq began with two consecutive boundaries off Kallis. Akmal reached his sixth half century and accelerated the run rate with Razzaq.

When Pakistan needed 92 runs from the last ten overs, Akmal hit a full toss from Steyn into the hands of Smith at covers for 60. He had put on 60 runs in just 9.5 overs with Razzaq. Peterson removed the aggressive Wahab Riaz, who perished going for a reverse sweep.

With Pakistan still needing 66 runs to win from 38 balls, Razzaq too perished hitting Lonwabo Tsotsobe to Botha at deep long off for 39 to put an end to Pakistan hopes.

Earlier, Kallis became the sixth batsman in the history of One day cricket to hit 11,000 runs in One-day cricket. When he reached 81, he joined the illustrious list of top One-day players to have recorded more than 11,000 runs. It was his 307th One-day match. Left-arm spinner Robin Peterson picked three wickets to end Pakistan's resistance.

Kallis got out for 83 runs but helped South Africa post a mammoth 317 for 5 in 50 overs. The only other batsmen to have scored more runs than Kallis are Sachin Tendulkar, who leads the table with 17,598 runs, Sanath Jayasuriya (13,428), Ricky Pointing (13,082), Inzamam Ul Haq (11, 739) and Sourav Ganguly 11,363 runs.

Kallis has also scored 11, 126 runs in Test cricket too. His consistent performance in both forms of the game has placed him among the world's most prolific scorers in the game today. Yesterday he displayed his wide repertoire of strokes. He handled the spin as well as pace with ease.

When he was 17 short of his 18th One-day century, Kallis cut Shahid Afridi in the air and Wahab Riaz took a brilliant catch. His 95 ball inning contained four boundaries.

Kallis walked in after he had lost his skipper Graeme Smith for just 14 runs. Once again Shoaib Akhtar provided an early breakthrough forcing Smith to play uppishly to Afridi at mid off with a slower one.

Kallis and Amla took the score to 98. Amla, who completed 1000 runs in the calendar year during the course of his elegant knock of 62 runs, got out hitting Afridi to Akhtar at long off. Kallis and AB de Villiers put on 121 runs for the third wicket before Villiers fell for 61 runs.

After placing South Africa on a commanding 227 for 4 in 38.5 overs, Kallis fell. The rest of the batsmen ensured that South Africa cross the 300 run mark with Jean Paul Duminy hitting an unbeaten 59 and Johan Botha unconquered on 28 runs.

Scoreboard

South Africa

Hashim Amla c Akhtar b Afridi 62

G. Smith c Afridi b Akhtar 14

J. Kallis c Riaz b Afridi 83

AB de Villiers c Younis b Hafeez 61

JP Duminy not out 59

C. Ingram run out 1

J. Botha not out 28

Extras: (b3, lb1, w5) 9

Total: (for five wickets) 317 (Overs: 50)

Did not bat: R. Peterson, D. Steyn, M. Morkel, L. Tsotsobe

Fall of wickets: 1-37 (Smith), 2-98 (Amla), 3-219 (De Villiers), 4-227 (Kallis), 5-228 (Ingram)

Bowling: Akhtar 7-0-77-1, Razzaq 3-0-18-0, Rehman 10-0-33-0, Afridi 10-0-59-2 (2w), Hafeez 10-0-47-1 (1w), Riaz 8-0-64-0 (2w), Younis 2-0-15-0

Pakistan:

Shahzaib Hasan c Morkel b Kallis 39

Mohammad Hafeez c Kallis b Botha 59

Younis Khan c de Villiers b Kallis 3

Mohammad Yousuf c de Villiers b Kallis 3

Fawad Alam c de Villiers b Steyn 1

Umar Akmal c Smith b Steyn 60

Shahid Afridi st de Villiers b Peterson 24

Abdul Razzaq c Botha b Tsotsobe 39

Wahab Riaz c Morkel b Peterson 9

Abdul Rehman not out 9

Shoaib Akhtar b Peterson 1

Extras: (w13) 13

Total: 260 (Overs: 44.5)

Fall of wickets: 1-82 (Hasan), 2-90 (Younis), 3-96 (Kallis), 4-101 (Alam), 5-119 (Hafeez), 6-166 (Afridi), 7-226 (Akmal), 8-245 (Riaz), 9-252 (Razzaq)

Bowling: Steyn 8-0-47-2 (2w), Tsotsobe 9-0-47-1 (1w), Morkel 7-0-45-0, Kallis 5-0-30-3 (3w), Botha 7-0-49-1 (1w), Peterson 8.5-0-42-3 (3w)

Toss: South Afica

Umpires: Nadeem Ghouri (PAK) and Daryl Harper (AUS)

Tv Umpire: Zameer Haider (PAK)

Match Referee: Andrew Pycroft (ZIM)

Courtesy: Gulf News, Nov 9,2010

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