Akhtar & co. annihilate South Africa

By Our Special Correspondent

SHARJAH, MARCH 29. Shoaib Akhtar - who was once timed on Tuesday at a speed of 156 kmph - never ceases to produce dramatic and sensational stuff. He is not a one-man demolition squad, whom Pakistan has used as a main weapon to skittle out rivals, but a genuine fast bowler who sets his own pace, creates fear in the batsmen before beating them in the air and off the pitch.

More than a year ago, the then Pakistan captain, Wasim Akram, called him an `anytime' bowler because of his capacity to peak in one of his spells in the day and give breakthroughs, like in the Asian Test Championship match at the Eden Gardens.

On Tuesday, Akhtar took three overs to find his rhythm before triggering an astonishing South African collapse that paved the way for Pakistan's morale-boosting, 67-run win ahead of the final on Friday, in the Coca-Cola Tri-series here. Pakistan and South Africa go into the final with honours shared and incidentally, it was Pakistan's first win over the South Africans in 14 one-day internationals.

It was not pure pace alone that saw Akhtar pick up three wickets in his fourth over, an over which pushed the South Africans to the precipice. The South African openers had made a sedate start, before Herschelle Gibbs opened out to make a flurry of shots square of the wicket off Waqar Younis, who was to later reach his 300th wicket in one-day Internationals.

Gary Kirsten's inability to continue, owing to serious back spasms, was a setback for South Africa. Gibbs and Mark Boucher then put on a near-half century stand and it looked as though they would take the South Africans to an incredible ninth victory in a row here.

But Akhtar's fourth over, in which he took the wickets of Boucher, Dale Benkenstein and Lance Klusener, altogether changed the complexion of the game. And when Wasim Akram dragged Shaun Pollock to edge to Inzamam-ul-Haq at slip, the South Africans appeared to have lost their grip on the match.

There might have been a doubt about the legality of the delivery which consumed Boucher. Boucher, taking evasive action against a rising delivery, edged to Moin and both the umpires - Trevor Manuel and the square leg umpire John Hampshire did not feel that the height of the ball was above the batsman's shoulder to warrant a no ball.

Benkenstein and Klusener - who changed his bat after facing a ball - played inside the line to be bowled. Akhtar bowled three more balls in his fifth over and then limped off the field to attend to his troubling groin. He came back after 10 minutes and was eager to bowl again. But, to prevent further aggravation, he went back inside and Abdur Razzaq had to complete his over for the second time.

In the end, one of the most incisive bowling spells in the tournament led the South Africans to their first defeat in four matches. At one stage 74 for two, the South Africans crumbled to 101 with Gibbs remaining undefeated on a gutsy 59 and the scorecard showing five zeros.

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