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Cunning Cronje Kallis, Kirsten, Gibbs help send South Africa to semis
Posted: Wednesday September 22, 1999 09:45 AM
BIRMINGHAM, England (CNN/SI) -- The ball was certainly kept hopping in South Africa's match against New Zealand at Edgbaston on Thursday as the favorites successfully defended its total of 287 to win by 74 runs, thereby qualifying for the Cricket World Cup semifinals. Although Herschelle Gibbs (91) never reached his century, he and Gary Kirsten (82) put together a monumental first-wicket partnership of 176 to give South Africa the lead. Lance Klusener failed to come off, but Jacques Kallis and Hansie Cronje sounded New Zealand's death knell as they sent the Black Caps on a leatherhunt. New Zealand could muster only 213 for eight in 50 overs after a top order collapse triggered by allrounder Jacques Kallis and captain Hansie Cronje's medium pace. Cronje said he was relieved to reach the semifinals after South Africa's quarterfinal elimination in the 1996 tournament. "Obviously you can't come here and pick and choose [but] if you want to be world champions you have got to be able to beat everyone," Cronje said. Then Kallis and Cronje added 58 runs in the last six overs to propel the score from 229 to 287 in 50 overs. They took 24 runs in the 49th over by Chris Cairns, including three sixes. Cronje was out in the last over for 39 in 22 balls while Kallis remained unbeaten at 53 in 36 balls. Kallis was the Man of the Match after he took two invaluable wickets of openers Matthew Horne and Nathan Astle for 15 runs in six overs. From two for 34 in the 12th over, the Kiwis tumbled to four for 107 after Cronje claimed No. 3 Craig McMillan and No. 4, skipper Stephen Fleming, who top scored with 42 in a 64-ball, 64-minute innings. The Black Caps slid to six for 148 in the 36th over with the asking rate climbing to an impossible 10 runs an over. The fight had virtually ended. "It is hard to feel disappointed ... we got pretty well outplayed," Fleming said. Despite the loss, the Kiwis still have a chance of qualifying for the semifinals if they defeat India on Saturday. "We just have to beat India and beat them well. It is a one-off match. It is simple. You either win or you go home," Fleming said. New Zealand's batting failure was complimented by its bowling disarray. After Kallis and Cronje were done with Cairns, he ended up with figures of 55 off seven overs and the solitary wicket of Daryll Cullinan. Kallis also took 19 runs off a Chris Harris over including a four, a six, a dot ball, two, a six and a single. The hapless Kiwis bowled in vain, failing to claim a wicket until the 37th over when Kirsten was out trying to paddle sweep Nathan Astle, giving an easy catch to Dion Nash at short mid-wicket. The silver lining for New Zealand was seeing their paceman Geoff Allott set a World Cup record for the highest number of wickets in one tournament when he yorked Gibbs to claim his 19th victim. He was the third wicket to fall, in the 44th over. Allott surpassed the record of 18 wickets, which was held by three bowlers. South Africa's opening stand obviously was inspired by Cronje's criticism of his top order's ability to perform in the tournament. Apart from a 111-run first wicket stand against England, the other opening partnerships have been for 55, 22, 13, seven and zero. Kirsten and Gibbs, however, missed by a World Cup record by 10 runs. Their first-wicket partnership of 186 just short of the record set by Kirsten and Andrew Hudson in 1995-96 against the Netherlands. The only other regret South Africa might have from the match was to see the end of master blaster Lance Klusener's one-day record of an unbeaten run. Going into the match at Edgbaston, the much feared pinch hitter from Natal had not been dismissed in nine one-day innings and had scored 396 runs in the process. On Thursday, Cronje promoted him from No. 7 to No. 3 after the fall of Kirsten, apparently hoping to benefit from his heavy 3-pound bat. But after facing only four balls, Klusener tried to whip Gavin Larsen across the line and missed the ball to see his off stump uprooted, for a score of four. His 400 between dismissals edges the record set by Pakistani Javed Miandad, who scored 395 between outs in 1983. His dismissal interrupted what has been a brilliant performance in the World Cup with match winning not-out scores of 52 against Sri Lanka, 48 against England and 46 against Pakistan. He also made 52 against Zimbabwe but South Africa lost that match.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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