South Africa win

07 October 1996

Daily News Report

NAIROBI, Gymkhana Club, Sunday

Playing positive and intelligent cricket, South Africa beat Pakistan by seven wickets to win the Sameer Group four-nation cricket final and with it pocket US $ 50,000 here today.

Replying to Pakistan's 203 in 46.2 overs, South Africa replied with 204 for three in 39.2 overs.

South Africa were helped in their victory push by a superb, stylish hundred by left hander Gary Kirsten. He strikes the ball very crisply and his timing is wonderful. He drives well on either side of the wicket and is not afraid to cut and pull anything that is pitched short. He had 15 fours.

Kirsten was involved in two productive partnerships 77 for the first wicket with co-opener Andrew Hudson and the stand for the fourth wicket with the ever reliable Jonty Rhodes which steered them to a memorable triumph.

Kirsten remained unbeaten on 118 and with him when victory was achieved was Jonty Rhodes on 16. They put on 97.

Play began in bright conditions and the ground was full even before play began. Anwar won the toss and decided to bat on a wicket that had the usual early life for the pacies. Later it turned out to help the spinners.

Pakistan opened well but with the dismissal of skipper Saeed Anwar for 32 at 90, the Sahara Cup winners in Toronto continued to lose wickets at regular intervals and could manage only 203. Anwar was associated in an opening stand of 58 with his opening partner Elahi who made 30.

Record breaker Afridi could make only 14. Others to enter double figures were Ijaz Ahmed 47, Salim Malik 24 and Saeed Azad 31. Donald, McMillan and Crookes did the damage with 3, 2 and 3 wickets respectively.

When South Africa began they paced their victory chase intelligently and batting sensibly and intelligently had no difficulty in winning the match and carrying away the Sameer Group Cup.

Kirsten won the man of the match award and the man of the series was the devastating paceman Allan Donald, who is also referred to as 'white lightning' for his speed.

India, Australia for next year's tourney ?

India and Australia are high on the priority list for next year's Sameer Group tournament to be worked out by the Kenyan Cricket Association in September.

The Kenyan Cricket Association will write to all the Test playing nations inquiring whether they will be free at this time next year and once the replies are received will make their choice.

Sri Lanka who played the most exciting cricket here are also high on the invitation list. They were most unfortunate to bow out of the final by the narrowest of narrow margins.

However they won the hearts of everyone here and the thrills and excitement they provided, especially in their confrontation against Pakistan, will long be remembered.

Everyone here is convinced that Sri Lanka should have figured in the final with South Africa. It was the glorious uncertainties of the game that robbed them of a place in the final.

If the Indians play here they will not lack for want of crowd support. Nairobi is dominated by the Indian population and if Tendulkar's men are to play here they will certainly be crowd pullers.

The Kenyan Cricket Association is thrilled by the success of this tourney. According to Robin Armstrong, secretary of the organising committee, this is their first fling at organising such a big event. 'Judging by the success, it is certainly going to be an annual affair', he said.

But one thing that the Kenyan Cricket Association must address their minds to is better facilities for the media. The best facilities for the press was at the Aga Khan Sports Centre.

Source: The Daily News

Report- Rediff on the Net

Kirsten ton lifts South Africa to title triumph in Kenya

In the final analysis, victory for Protea against Pakistan was achieved in a canter, thanks to an unbeaten century by opener Gary Kirsten. The South Africans won the four-nation tournament by seven wickets.

The result could have been closer had Kirsten now been dropped twice, off successive deliveries by Saqlain Mushtaq, with his personal score on 24 and 26 respectively. In the event, he scored a well-paced 118 not out as South Africa coasted to 204 for three in 39.2 overs.

Earlier, South Africa fought back to bowl Pakistan out for 203 in 46.2 overs, after the batting side had got off to a flier. Ijaz Ahmed top-scored with 47, while for South Africa Allan Donald, who has bowled consistently well after dropping down to the first change slot, took 3-32 and off-spinner Derek Crookes 3-30.

Kirsten then gave South Africa an ideal start for the chase when, in tandem with Andrew Hudson who scored a run-a-ball 42, he helped put together a first-wicket stand of 77 in only 14 overs.

South Africa built on this platform to register a comfortable win and to lift the Kenya Centenary quadrangular trophy. This, incidentally, is the seventh successive one-day win for South Africa over Pakistan.

Kirsten, easily the player of the match, registered his sixth hundred, in 50 one-day internationals, from 114 balls with 14 fours.

Teenage leg spinner Shahid Afridi, who had two days earlier rattled up the fastest one day century (off 37 balls) against Sri Lanka, this time proved his mettle with the ball when he removed both Hudson and Pat Symcox with the score on 77. Darryl Cullinan, first, and then Jonty Rhodes gave Kirsten good support as the opener took his team to the target with 10.4 overs to spare.

Saeed Anwar, leading the Pakistan side in the absence of Wasim Akram, had launched his team's innings in a positive fashion after winning the toss when he, along with Salim Elahi, put on 58 in the first ten overs.

Donald, coming in as first change bowler as has been his habit in recent times, turned things round with a spell of incisive fast bowling, in course of which he took two wickets in as many overs, both thanks to acrobatic catches by wicketkeeper Dave Richardson.

Shahid Afridi started briskly, looking to be in the form that saw him smash the world record against Sri Lanka on Friday, but he could only make a brisk 14 before an expansive drive at Donald saw Richardson pull off the first of two blinders. Donald then claimed Anwar in the 15th over, superbly taken by a diving Richardson as the batsman attempted to drive.

Salim Malik (24) and Ijaz Ahmed shared a fourth-wicket stand of 48, but off-spinners Symcox and Crookes slowed the run-rate and put the batting under pressure. With the batsmen making mistakes in a bid to force the pace, Pakistan managed to top the 200 mark only thanks to a responsible innings of 47 off 68 balls by Ijaz Ahmed.

However, 203 to get from 50 overs was never going to be enough to challenge the strong South African batting lineup, and the players went about the chase with professional competence.