KIRSTEN TAKES CHARGE AS SOUTH AFRICANS GET OFF TO A FLYER

After 15 overs the home side had reached 75 without loss with India struggling to stem the flow of runs and their cause was not helped by untidy keeping from Rahul Dravid and a blunder at slip which gave Kirsten a life on 23.

In the fourth over of the innings, bowled by Ajit Agarkar, Dravid twice allowed the ball to slip past him and run away to the boundary, the first time outside off stump and the second time down the leg side. With Kirsten also helping himself to a boundary 14 came off the over, but 10 of them were extras.

The left-handed South African opener assumed the senior role in the opening partnership with Herschelle Gibbs content mostly to allow Kirsten to get on with it, but Gibbs provided a reminder of his abilities when he lashed Javagal Srinath over cover for a one-bounce four in the eighth over.

Kirsten’s timing was often not quite there in the opening overs, but he played his strokes with sufficient force to usually get away with them. He should have been caught at slip off Srinath in the ninth over, however, when VVS Laxman dived across Virender Sehwag from second slip to spill a chance that first slip would surely have pocketed.

The South African 50 came up in the 11th over when Kirsten drove Srinath straight down the ground for four, before India introduced spinners Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh in an attempt to tie down the South Africans.

To a degree the ploy worked with both batsmen playing a little more circumspectly, but after 15 overs Kirsten was still there on 46 with Gibbs on 18. At the same stage in their innings, India had been 46 for two.

SOUTH AFRICA BOWL INDIA OUT FOR 183 IN ONE-DAY FINAL

The Indian innings, which never really got going, suffered a double setback as it entered the last 20 overs when VVS Laxman and Yuvraj Singh lost their wickets in successive overs.

Laxman, who only arrived in South Africa earlier in the week, made just 5 before he lifted a drive against Lance Klusener to be well caught by Makhaya Ntini coming forward at mid off. Laxman’s wicket left India at 112 for four and they were quickly 113 for five when Yuvraj edged Justin Kemp to slip where Shaun Pollock took a sharp catch, low and to his left.

It was left to Dravid and Reetinder Singh Sodhi to rebuild the innings with a sixth-wicket partnership that eventually yielded 51.

Dravid reached his 35th one-day 50 with an inside edge off Nantie Hayward that scuttled down to fine leg for four. Hayward was by a distance the quickest of the six-man South African seam attack, at one point breaking the 150km/h mark with a delivery to Sodhi.

Neither side was asking or giving quarter and there words regularly exchanged between batsman and bowler, Sodhi and Jacques Kallis swopping views at one point as Sodhi turned for a second run.

The partnership had just gone past 50 when Hayward effected the breakthrough, Sodhi caught by substitute fielder Andre Nel coming in from midwicket as he skied a pull. Sodhi made 22 off 42 balls with the sixth Indian wicket going down at 164.

Ajit Agarkar was given a chance on 2 by Pollock when he missed a lifted drive at mid off off Justin Kemp, but the South African captain made amends in Kemp’s next over when he held a high catch off Dravid who was deceived by Kemp’s slower ball. Dravid faced 102 balls for his runs, hitting five boundaries and his departure left India at 177 for seven.

From there on things went from bad to worse for India. Harbhajan Singh made just 3 before he drove Pollock to Kemp at extra cover, and Javagal Srinath was run out off the first ball he faced, the stumps being broken by Pollock’s direct hit at the bowler’s end.

Anil Kumble was the last man out, Kemp taking his third wicket of the innings as Ntini caught yet another lifted drive at mid off. The last three Indian wickets had fallen without a run being added and the target of 184 seemed well within the scope of the South Africans.

SOUTH AFRICA KEEP INDIA IN CHECK IN ONE-DAY FINAL

Unusually, the second 15 overs of the Indian innings was more productive for the batting side than the first 15 with the score moving from 46 for two to 109 for three after 30 overs. This was largely due to Sehwag who played a crisp little cameo of 34, but Dravid, too, played his part.

For once Jacques Kallis proved ineffectual when he came into the attack, apparently unable to swing the ball in helpful conditions. Sehwag hit him for six into cow corner and four past point as 12 were taken from his fourth over.

Dravid, meanwhile, cut Kallis and Makhaya Ntini four boundaries and then drove Kallis straight for another four to raise the 50 partnership off 65 balls in the 23rd over.

When Lance Klusener replaced Kallis at the City End he had an appeal for a catch at the wicket against Sehwag turned down by umpire Ian Howell and it was Ntini who finally broke the partnership when Sehwag slashed him down to Nantie Hayward at third man.

Sehwag’s runs came off 58 balls and included four fours and a six with the third wicket falling at 91.

Ntini should have had a second wicket in his next over when Dravid, on 30, edged him straight to Klusener at slip but the South African allowed a straightforward head-high catch to slip through his hands.

The Indian 100 came up in the 29th over and after 30 overs Dravid had 41 with VVS Laxman on 3.

SETBACK FOR INDIA AS GANGULY AND TENDULKAR GO CHEAPLY

With Pollock and Nantie Hayward keeping an impressive line and length during the opening overs, India were forced into patience and watchfulness. The strategy paid dividends for South Africa when Ganguly tried to break the stranglehold, opening his stance in an attempt to hit Pollock through the off, but providing Mark Boucher with a catch off the outside edge instead.

Ganguly departed having made 9 off 17 balls with the first Indian wicket falling at 17, and Pollock followed his wicket by bowling a maiden at Virender Sehwag in his next over.

Tendulkar, meanwhile, had look composed and assured at the crease, twice easing Hayward away through midwicket for fours, but the red-headed South African fast bowler was generating impressive pace and he gained reward for his persistence when he bowled Tendulkar off a bottom edge in his sixth over.

Tendulkar had sought to cut at one that came back at him slightly and the ball cannoned off his bat onto his off stump. The Indian star had taken 41 balls to reach 17 with three fours and the second Indian wicket had fallen at 31.

The double blow clearly lifted the South Africans with Sehwag and Rahul Dravid necessarily cautious. Jacques Kallis and Makhaya Ntini replaced Pollock and Hayward after the openers had six overs each. Ntini struggled with his length to start with, Sehwag twice forcing him away to the boundary for four in his first over and at the end of the 15th over Sehwag was on 11 with Dravid on six.

WEATHER HOLDS OFF AS INDIA BAT FIRST IN DURBAN

Heavy rain during the week had led to concern that the match might not be able to start, but although it was overcast, a stiffish breeze kept rain away during the morning. It seemed probable that the game would be free from interruptions.

The South Africans left Andre Nel and Nicky Boje out of their side, fielding a sic-man all-seam attack with Nantie Hayward, as expected, taking his place in the side ahead of Nel.

The Indians, meanwhile, again chose to go into the game without their regular wicketkeeper, entrusting the duties to Rahul Dravid who took two stumpings off Yuvraj Singh in Paarl on Wednesday.

South Africa: Shaun Pollock (capt), Gary Kirsten, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Neil McKenzie, Jonty Rhodes, Lance Klusener, Mark Boucher, Justin Kemp, Nantie Hayward, Makhaya Ntini.

India: Sourav Ganguly (capt), Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Reetinder Singh Sodhi, Ajit Agarkar, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Javagal Srinath.

© CricInfo

Date-stamped : 26 Oct2001 - 22:24