Cricket: Runaway win has critics heading for extra cover

By Richard Boock

In the interests of international cricket relations, it is perhaps time to explain a couple of the finer points of the game to our friends from the Rainbow Nation.

If they really want to compete with a side like New Zealand, then it's high time they stopped fannying about in the nets and strategy meetings and started to think seriously about picking 10 bowlers in their line-up.

The scenes from Eden Park on Saturday afternoon were much the same as witnessed in Christchurch a few days earlier, one team hopelessly outplaying the other to win by seven wickets with a good number of overs up their sleeves - only this time the names had been swapped around.

New Zealand's novel tactic of including only players in their line-up who could bowl ended up (as we all thought it would) an overwhelming success, with Nathan Astle's sixth ODI century ensuring South Africa's target of 212 would be comfortably achieved.

And if there were muffled complaints from some ground authorities afterwards because the pressbox took a while to clear, then they should try hopping down three flights of stairs with a foot jammed in their mouth.

For the record, we now unreservedly accept the New Zealand selectors are of sound mind and body, that there's nothing wrong with a tail starting at No 6, that Allan Donald couldn't bowl his mother out and that the World Cup might as well be shipped out to Christchurch this week.

Astle, whose century arrived off 126 balls when he swung offspinner Pat Symcox forward of square for four, was uncharacteristically sedate during the early stages of his innings on Saturday, but gained momentum later in the day and positively thrived in tandem with Adam Parore.

The pair added 92 for the fourth wicket, with Parore playing the consummate support role and actually shutting up shop near the end of his innings to allow Astle time to bring up his hundred.

This was not achieved without a degree of drama, Symcox bowling four wides down the legside from the first ball of his eighth over to bring the total within two, and again looking to be sliding down leg when Astle connected with the winning runs.

The suspicion was that the big spin merchant was trying to deliberately deny Astle his hundred, although this should not be accepted categorically. He had already been smashed for 60 off seven overs and seemed to have no idea where the next one would land.

Astle had already featured in a 71-run third-wicket stand with Roger Twose before Parore's arrival, with the only real areas of concern in the Kiwi batting involving Matt Horne and Craig McMillan.

Horne had just begun to find some timing when he unnecessarily attempted to drop-kick Shaun Pollock over mid-wicket, while McMillan's slightly inside-out technique to the ball pitched on off-stump again proved terminal.
New Zealand left Matt Hart out of their 11 on Saturday morning, but unlike in Christchurch, made full use of the toss, with Dion Nash inviting South Africa to bat.

Lance Klusener apart, not many of the South Africans managed to do this for very long, although there could be contrasting feelings of sympathy for Jacques Kallis and Hansie Cronje.

Kallis was apparently run out at the bowler's end, or so said third umpire Tony Hill. How he actually could make that judgment when the television replay was inconclusive is anyone's guess, but Kallis will be putting it down to an act of God.

On the other hand, Cronje wasn't as much robbed as strangled, a victim of a miraculous catch by Roger Twose at wide long-on, just as the South African captain was about to call for his heavier bat.

South African coach Bob Woolmer said afterwards he considered that moment the turning point of the game.

"But it's no train crash for us," he said. "It's the sort of thing that happens in cricket. New Zealand simply played very well."

Pictured: Allan Donald.