McKenzie and Boucher
guide South Africa home on tense final day
Source:
Cricinfo - Charlie Austin - 19 November 2002
Middle order batsman Neil McKenzie and vice-captain Mark
Boucher guided South Africa to a tense and acrimonious
three-wicket win against Sri Lanka in the second Test to
win the series 2-0 at SuperSport Park on Tuesday.
McKenzie, playing for his place after three failures in
the series, rescued his side after a dramatic afternoon
collapse saw a nervy South Africa slip to 44 for five and
then 73 for six chasing a paltry 121 for victory.
The 26-year-old scored 39 from 53 deliveries in crucial
partnerships of 29 with Andrew Hall and 39-run with
Boucher. When McKenzie was bowled by Muralitharan with
nine runs still needed another twist appeared to be on
the cards but skipper Shaun Pollock finished the game
with a lofted straight boundary.
Earlier in the day, the Sri Lankans had also collapsed,
losing their last seven wickets for just 65 runs as they
were bowled out for 245. South Africa looked certain
winners with 77 overs to chase down the target but Sri
Lanka produced a fighting performance in the field as
they tried to win only their fourth Test outside the
sub-continent in two decades.
Chaminda Vaas led the way, trapping opener Graeme Smith
lbw with the first ball of South Africa's innings, before
fast bowler Dilhara Fernando conjured up an inspired
four-wicket burst after the luncheon interval. Herschelle
Gibbs (7) miscued an attempted pull and was well-caught
by a scampering Kumar Sangakkara and then Gary Kirsten
(11) fended off a sharply rising short delivery into the
hands of Jehan Mubarak at
gully.
With South Africa tottering on 23 for three the stakes
had been raised, and the needle between the two sides
that had been sparked by Pollock grabbing Mahela
Jayawardene's helmet last night was once again evident.
Short leg fieldsman Russel Arnold and wicket-keeper
Sangakkara traded verbals liberally with Jacques Kallis.
The wound-up right-hander responded in kind after a
powerful cover drive for four. Arnold bowed
sarcastically.
Kallis, who had reprieve when palpably lbw earlier in the
over, lost his cool after dragging a short delivery on to
his stumps, directing an extended volley of expletives at
the celebrating Sri Lankans on his way back to the
dressing room.
Ashwell Prince (5), another batsman playing for his
place, was then snared down the leg-side by Fernando,
umpire Russell Tiffen taking a long time before deciding
that the left-hander had gloved the ball. Prince looked
distraught with the decision.
Fernando, who had taken four wickets for 33 runs in his
eight over burst, was then replaced by Vaas. The
left-armer proved expensive as Hall (16), promoted up the
order, and McKenzie wrested back the initiative.
But 25 minutes before the tea interval Muralitharan
struck for the first time in the innings - somewhat
fortuitously - as umpire Darryl Harper upheld a bat-pad
appeal off Hall. Television showed that the ball had
missed the right-handers bat. But McKenzie and Hall
counter-attacked and the match soon drifted away from the
visitors, who will have rued their collapse this morning.
The day started disastrously as their premier batsman
Mahela Jayawardene (40) was wrongly adjudged lbw by
umpire Russell Tiffen off the first ball of the day, the
right-hander hitting outside the line of off-stump.
Arnold's wretched series then continued. He started
brightly with an aerial square cut to the boundary but
was then trapped lbw by Pollock in the second over of the
day.
The left-hander had scored just six runs in four innings
in the two Tests, and with an unacceptable Test average
of 29 he will struggle to retain his place in the next
series against New Zealand at home in April. He may also
be dropped from the one-day side after the selectors'
last-minute decision to draft in left-hander Hashan
Tillakaratne for five-match series that follows this
Test.
Hasantha Fernando scored three boundaries in his 14
before being suckered into an ill-advised hook off the
lively Makhaya Ntini, who tore into bowl like a man still
seeking redemption from his captain.
South Africa went for the jugular, attacking the Sri
Lankan lower order with a barrage of short deliveries.
But the visitors profited as 12 runs were collected with
boundaries that flew over the head of wicket-keeper
Boucher.
When Tillakaratne, who occupied the crease for 80 minutes
for his six runs, was seventh man out with the score of
209, caught behind off an inside edge, Sri Lanka's
chances looked to have evaporated. Chamila Gamage (0) was
caught behind next ball before Vaas fought back with a
series of pulls to add 36 runs for the ninth wicket with
Dilhara Fernando, taking the lead into three figures.
However, Steve Elworthy eventually broke through as
Fernando edged to Boucher, the wicket-keeper's fifth
catch, and in the next over Vaas was trapped lbw by
Kallis to end the innings. Nitini finished with four for
52 meaning a match haul of eight for 138.
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