Hansie puts his act in place

At Kingsmead last night Brian Lara and Co were awarded the soft-serve award for the highest number of easy dismissals, although Carl Hooper managed to catch a bowling accolade and Shivnarine Chanderpaul one for batting. All courtesy of the sponsors of this series of particular slogs, Standard Bank. Top cap it all, Hansie Cronje stepped up with his toothpaste smile and won the man of the match award and uttered the usual banal things at these after-match ceremonies. ``Yes we did get a good score on the board, but you never know with the West Indies ... look how they batted in East London'' etc, etc.

Cronje, naturally felt chuffed at his own performance. He gave a nice lead to his South Africa teammates as they went 2-1 up in the series after a more than empathic victory by 55 runs, although the scoreboard got it wrong at one stage, giving the victory target needed 274 and not 275.

Then, what can you expect on a day where the Kingsmead stirfy came up with a touch of the bizarre, bold and the quaintly bashful. And always in praise of the team, Cronje's gesture of congratulating the crowd for their support was a little short of the sort of tongue in cheek comment that which was as amazing as Daryll Cullinan's dismissal in the 27th over of the innings, given out handled the ball.

Considering the attitude from some quarters of the crowd, with South African fieldsmen being booed by those who stirred the fires of controversy during the Test between South African and Pakistan last year, Cronje was no doubt being polite. But then, having led the side to victory he could afford to be a tad magnanimous.

If we log events as they happened, let us get the bizarre out of the way. Cullinan facing Keith Arthurton plays at the ball, it pops up, Cullinan, no doubt blaming a moment of amnesia, did what the law suggested he should not do, act willfully in snatching the ball away from an expectant wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs. Lara enquired of umpire David Orchard is there was something which suggested Cullinan was out. His crime, transgression of Law 33.

The last batsman to be so ruled out by the umpire was Mohinder Amranath at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 1985/86 in yet another incessant WSC games. South Africa went in without Shaun Pollock, touched by the flu and it gave his dad, Peter, the convener of selectors a chance to bring in Andrew Hall for his LOI debut and recall for Steve Elworthy to share the new ball with the debutant from Gauteng.

So, while we had Cullinan departing for 46 Lance Klusener batted on with the sort of aggressiveness which kicked along the innings; all smash and grab tactics with plenty of smash over the top. Cronje enjoyed himself as well. Three fours and three sixes, one a big smack over long-on. Just the spirit of adventure Herschelle Gibbs involved himself at the start. His first six forward of square stunned Reon King and Lara. It conjured the sort memories of a square cut six by Vandre Nel off Mike Procter at Berea Park in the early 1970s.

South Africa, with Cronje leading by example and getting a hike up the run-making ladder from Klusener was just the sort of omen needed to build a match winning total. A score of 58 off 42 balls could not be sneered at. Chanderpaul did his bit as well, and his best, in putting 52 on the board off 44 balls: nine fours and a six; crisp hitting, which was as steady as well as entertaining as we are likely to see.

On the way to that total Cronje passed 4 500 at LOI level and earlier Klusener, top-score of the innings with 64 passed his 1 000th LOI run. Statistics are fun for some.

The West Indies ran out of steam; also Lara, after looking promising and carving up the South African bowlers. with the exception of Jacques Kallis whose 10 overs cost him 24 runs. It was tight bowler, not easy to get away and making amends for some of the other bowling thrown together. Cronje, like Kallis also picked up three wickets. But it was always going to be hard total to chase; was saw a glimpse of Lara's batting mastery and then throwing it all away when he became the first of Cronje's wickets.

So, what happened to Lara's theme of opening? We'll have to wait until Port Elizabeth to see if that indeed materialise. The Chanderpaul-Junior Murray partnership of 88 was over in 11.4 overs. After that it was downhill. The momentum needed required someone to build the innings and when Chanderpaul went, building partnerships was not going to be that much tougher.