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Change Your Life! |
South Africa beats New Zealand, reaches final |
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August 26, 2000
SINGAPORE (AP) - South Africa thrashed New Zealand by eight wickets at the Kallang ground Friday to ease into the final of the Singapore Challenge 2000 triangular cricket series. South Africa will face Pakistan in Sunday's title match. South Africa came up with a tremendous all-round performance to outclass New Zealand in a game that was a virtual semifinal. First the South Africans bowled out New Zealand for a paltry 158 and then knocked off the required runs for the loss of two wickets with 16 overs to spare. Gary Kirsten, who shared an opening stand of 94 with Andrew Hall (46), remained unbeaten with a classy 75 off 103 balls to see his side home. Nothing really went right for New Zealand after Stephen Fleming won the toss and decided to bat first. The Kiwis' bid to innovate misfired badly as Daniel Vettori, sent in as a pinch-hitter to launch the innings, lasted just three balls. Shaun Pollock had the bespectacled left-hander caught by Jacques Kallis at second slip as he fished outside the off-stump and got a thick outside edge. Pollock struck again in his third over to make it 10 for two. The ball crashed onto his stumps off an inside edge as Nathan Astle attempted an ungainly pull shot. Fleming misjudged a single and was easily run out by Kirsten, who gathered the ball at mid-off and threw down the stumps at the non-striker's end.
Roger Twose hit a couple of crisp boundaries through the offside before swinging wildly at a Kallis delivery that swung in and hit the stumps. When Chris Cairns was taken low down at short extra-cover by Pollock off Kallis, New Zealand had lost half their side for 55 runs in the 15th over. The rot had set in and, Pollock, sensing his chance, turned on the heat. Craig McMillan spooned up a simple catch to Kallis at short mid-wicket as Lance Klusener joined the act and Adam Parore nicked one from Hall to Nic Pothas behind the stumps to leave New Zealand facing the danger of being bowled out for less than 100. Chris Harris struck six lovely boundaries in a little cameo of an innings that only saved New Zealand the blushes. Roger Telemachus ended Harris' tenure at the wicket by having him caught behind for 42 and Pollock won a rare leg-before wicket decision in the tournament to end a brave innings of 23 by Scott Styris. Hall ended the innings by uprooting Geoff Allott's off-stump. Pollock was easily the pick of the South African bowlers, finishing with three for 24 in nine overs. His effort with the ball won the South African skipper the Man of the Match award. New Zealand's only chance of making a match out of it depended on striking early. But with a hot afternoon sun beating down them and the ball coming nicely on to the bat, the New Zealand bowlers had no chance. Kirsten and Hall blazed away in style to add 94 in no time before the latter holed out to Cairns at long-on off Paul Wiseman for 46. Kallis chipped in with a fluent 22 with five boundaries but fell to Styris, who had him caught and bowled. Kirsten warmed up nicely for the final by registering his second successive half-century of the tournament. Darryl Cullinan laboured once again, but saw South Africa home in Kirsten's company. South Africa made one change to the side that lost to Pakistan on Wednesday, bringing in Boeta Dipennaar in place of Makhaya Nitini. New Zealand played Paul Wiseman, omitting Shayne O'Connor.
New Zealand-South Africa Scoreboard |
