Wednesday, Mar 13, 2002
Wednesday, Mar 13, 2002 |
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Cricket
CAPE TOWN, MARCH 12. Australia's next generation leader Ricky Ponting ensured a fifth successive victory over South Africa on Tuesday in most spectacular fashion following a tense final afternoon in the second Test at Newlands. Ponting swung a 6 to bring up an unbeaten century as Australia hung on to win by four wickets, running down a victory target of 331, the best ever at this ground and the 10th largest in Test history. Australia finished on 334 for six. His 100 not out was Ponting's 10th century in 55 Tests. It ensured a second successive series victory over South Africa and firmly entrenched Australia as the best Test nation in the world. Fittingly Shane Warne (15 not out) was at the wicket when Ponting stepped inside a short ball from spinner Paul Adams and smashed it high over square leg with a full flourish of the bat. The slimmed down leg-spinner could hardly have made a more vital contribution with bat and ball during his 100th Test, winning the Man of the Match award. There are a few fairytales in sport. This is as close as it gets. Ponting, one of the few players in the side under 30, batted for almost four and a half hours, faced 160 balls and hit sixteen 4s before that timely six. Holding the side together, Ponting played the type of innings Mark Waugh managed in the pivotal second Test of Australia's last tour to South Africa five years ago when he scored a brilliant century at Port Elizabeth to give Australia a two-wicket win and clinch that series. Sadly such an innings now appears beyond Mark Waugh. Fading powers of Waugh twins For much of the summer the brilliant form of opening batsmen Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer and the clean hitting of Adam Gilchrist has camouflaged the fading powers of the Waugh brothers, but on Tuesday it was brutally exposed when they both failed in Australia's run chase. Hayden was outstanding again in second innings and desperately unlucky to miss a fifth century in as many Tests against South Africa, a feat which would have left only Don Bradman ahead of him for hundreds in consecutive Tests. Bradman's sequence ran to six. The powerful Queenslander was 96 when he threw his bat at a ball from Jacques Kallis so far outside the off stump that umpire Steve Bucknor would surely have called wide, except that Hayden edged it to wicket-keeper Mark Boucher. Hayden batted for less than four hours through Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning, faced 141 balls and hit fifteen 4s and a 6. Mark made a particularly scratchy 16 before being given out caught behind by umpire Rudi Koertzen having hit his boot and not the ball playing and missing at a delivery from Makhaya Ntini. Steve (14) was bowled by Paul Adams for the second time in the match. Following his first innings duck, the Australian captain was beaten by a slider from Adams which went straight on and snuck between bat and pad. In eight Tests this summer Steve is averaging just 24 and Mark 33. Rising 37, the twins have not scored a century between them this summer in 36 Tests and one-day innings since the home season began in November. For many years they have stood up when it has counted and done great things for their country but it appears that those days over. Waugh brothers were part of another middle order collapse which saw Australia lose three for 17, with Damien Martyn leg before wicket to Adams without scoring, his second failure of the match. When Adam Gilchrist went caught at mid wicket pulling for a run a ball 24 with 26 still needed for victory South Africa had its best chance of Test success all summer. But Warne, who slashed his second ball over slip to the boundary, batted with great confidence and maturity. In five Tests against South Africa this summer Hayden has scored 710 runs at 101.4. This comes after breaking the Australian record for the most number of runs in a calendar year. Hayden added 99 with Ponting inside two hours. Australia dominated from the outset on Tuesday, taking 18 runs from the first two overs bowled by Paul Adams to deflate the South Africans and forcing an early bowling change. The highest winning fourth innings total at Newlands was a modest 180 for four by Australia during the 1966- 67 tour. South Africa's 143-run first innings deficit became a 330-run lead as it was bowled out shortly before tea on Monday. Only five Australian sides have made more to win a Test.
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