Zimbabwe's twist in the tail adds more bite
Durban - South Africa collected not so much a flat tyre as another slowly deflating puncture when their first stage in this second haul of the limited-overs roadshow lost its edge in the humid night air at Kingsmead.
Apart from being ambushed by a very effective partnership between Andy Flower and Guy Whittall, which took Zimbabwe to a pulsating two wickets victory off the last ball of the match, it may have also crossed Hansie Cronje's mind how his bowlers also mugged the team's fielding efforts.
What it came down to was a matter of 16 extra deliveries, or 2.4 overs more, along with a missed certain run out eight balls from the end, which spiked the tyres of the bus coach Graham Ford had been driving so well. Mornantau (Wayward) Hayward was back to his notorious best with sic no balls and a wide; Shaun Pollock bowled three no balls and Lance Klusener, whose batting act rescued the innings from disaster, bowled an over extra himself with five no balls and a wide.
Cronje said nothing about the bowling misdemeanours which helped turn the series upside down and left South Africa languishing at the bottom of the triangular series table with a minus net run rate. Perhaps he did not want to state the obvious after such a tense finish, with the result could have gone on of three ways until the second last ball of Jacques Kallis' last over.
The culprits know who they are and need to work on sorting out the problem if the slow puncture is to be mended on Friday in East London where. Either that or the risk in bowling Hayward and Klusener needs to be rethought in the two remaining games, the first is against England on Friday in East London.
How Jonty Rhodes missed the stumps so close is going to need some explanation as well; it was the sort of motion which perhaps would have been better had he performed another Brisbane leap. He's eight years older now and the run out a bit of folk lore which requires a mite more confidence than he showed last night, despite that brilliantly executed catch at point which got rid of man of the match Andy Flower.
The senior member of the Flower clan is the sort of batsman who is adaptable to most situations and at 107 for six midway through the 29th overs, when joined by Whittall was about as precarious as we are going to see any side when making a comeback this tournament. Any rescue mission which turns it around with an all-time Zimbabwe record partnership of 91 at more than five runs an over deserves some credit.
It was slightly better than Klusener's effort with Jacques Kallis which added 82 for the seventh wicket in just about as hopeless a position as you are going to get. The run rate may not have had the same intensity of pace, but it was revved up enough.
Until Flower stepped in to the breach and worked his way into the LOIs history books, the story of the match had been more one of Klusener's record efforts. There was a touch of World Cup flamboyancy about it along with his new, measured approach: 65 off 84 balls with five fours and two sixes was a tough act to follow.
Kallis was more measured in his approach. He had to be. At 112 for six when joined by Klusener it needed someone to show a touch of caution as well as skill and sensible strategy. At one stage, all of four minutes, it seemed Kallis had found the right middle-order partner in Neil McKenzie when making his debut. He pulled the fourth delivery he faced just a little wide of Stuart Carlisle only to see the Zimbabwe fieldsman pull off possibly the catch of the series. You have to face it: a brilliant attacking stroke which should have been four, just as the man who replaced Dale Benkenstein, who in turn was considered good enough to be Daryll Cullinan's replacement, was walking back wondering about the fragile cruelties of the game. It is not so much a matter of shrugging it off but wondering how a debut innings for South African can be terminated with such daring?
Well, it happens. It is one of the risks you take as South Africa, having made two changes, had holes blown in what batting strategy there was with a touch of batting bravado which the Zimbabweans turned to their advantage with some quality catching. It seemed the visitors had spent a lot of time thinking about their Kimberley disaster and wondering whether it is possible to recover.
Defeat at Kingsmead would have all but blown their hopes away. On Wednesday they scrambled a last ball single to manufacture an impossible victory.
Then again, they gave South Africa an extra 12 balls to face, and that is the sort of felonious act which can win or cost the team a series. Yet there was as much skill about some of the batting as there was the bowling and fielding. Zimbabwe went in with the extra batsman and weakening their bowling yet circumstances allowed Grant Flower and Gary Brent to give away 69 runs in 20 overs: economical stuff which can also turn a game and add pressure at the right time. A good lesson in the slogs.
