Pollock slays England in the bullring
Johannesburg - Flame-haired Shaun Pollock provided all the fireworks needed as he help South Africa to a dramatic victory over England at a soggy Wanderers tonight, clinching the triangular series final in the process.
Pollock, who produced a five-wicket haul in an unbroken spell of nine overs, brought the roar back to a subdued bullring as he laid waste to England's top-order. England were routed for what was the dreaded Nelson of 111 at the Wanderers to give South Africa victory by 38 runs.
Embarrassingly extras were to score with 24 as four batsmen reached double figures. In a match reduced to 45 overs a sid, the rain which had dogged the match during the week and led to cancellation of the original first day held off long enough without the need to use the Duckworth/Lewis system.
South Africa, themselves in the most imaginable difficulties when 21 for five recovered to a total of 149, which it had to be admitted might be a hard total to match considering the conditions.
Nasser Hussain reckoned without the explosive power of Pollock who sliced his way through England's top-order with three wickets in 11 balls to set South Africa up for what some felt might be an unlikely victory the confident way England began their reply.
He was well supported as well: Mark Boucher taking five catches, including a 30 metre dash to collect a top-edge that saw the end of Hussain for eight to give the bowler, Pollock, man of the series as well as the man of the match. It was not his best by far (6/35 against the West Indies in East London 12 months ago) and almost matched his dramatic three-wicket first-over haul against Pakistan in Lahore four years ago.
With Hansie Cronje setting attacking fields and opting for "live by the sword" approach, South Africa were well in charge of the day/night show when they were reduced to 45 for five in the 15th over when Jacques Kallis pulled off as dramatic a slip catch as any you will see this season when he got rid of Graeme Hick for 12.
As the wickets continued to fall England's lack of depth was quickly exposed with South Africa establishing control with Steve Elworthy, brought in for his first game, being unlucky not to have Mark Alleyne's wicket when the batsman had five and England 38 for four.
In the prevailing conditions at the start, it was far from surprising that England's three front line bowlers scything through South Africa's top-order, ripping a big hole out of the confidence as well as the underlining the importance of Hussain winning the toss. With men such as Caddick, Gough and Mullally using the conditions as well as we have seen this tour, Cronje knew it
would need a special effort to restructure the innings. Fom13 without loss at the start of sixth over openers Herschelle Gibbs and Neil McKenzie faced any number of testing deliveries before Gibbs edged Gough to Nick Night at first slip with the fourth ball of the over. It was a regulation
effort and when Kallis followed next ball, with the Yorkshireman bowling the all-rounder, 14 for two gave an uncomfortable feeling.
It was Caddick who made the South African innings look decidedly queasy. McKenzie was undone by the bounce and the ball and Jonty Rhodes and Pollock came and went with the innings in the sort of disarray which no doubt had Cronje wondering if he was indeed not wallowing in some nightmare and not reality.
It was as surrealistic as you are going to get in the bullring: a mist hanging around, a pale sunlight filtering through and the cloud, handing around like a bad odour. With so much damp in the air is it any wonder there was no glue left to bind the innings: between overs five and 10 five wickets fell for seven runs. Little wonder the possibility loomed of South Africa being dismissed for the lowest LOI score at the Wanderers 109 by Pakistan, ironically against South Africa in January 1995 in the quadrangular series final.
It needed Cronje to dig deep and for Boucher to show as much discipline and skill as he has displayed in the past. Under the circumstances it was going to need serious remedial surgery to restructure the innings. Such was the uphill grind Cronje, at one stage, faced 33 balls in scoring four runs.
He edged one from Gough short of wicketkeeper Chris Read and there were times when he also forgot how important it is to move your feet when facing the swinging ball. Once he got his timing in order he put together any number of interesting shots. Boundaries were rare but there was the six over long on off Craig White and a cut into the eastern boundary off Mullally.
Boucher, too, plucked three boundaries from the tight bowling as the pair at first scraped and then pulled together a record partnership for the sixth wicket against England at LOI level. And from that the innings took on a touch of respectability.
