Cricket: Rank outsiders in for the kill

By RICHARD BOOCK in Napier

The creators of that prominent billboard campaign shouldn't have to work hard for their next idea: I always thought New Zealand would hammer South Africa 5-1. Yeah, right.

Rated rank outsiders at the start of the series, New Zealand ended it on an outrageous high last night after beating the world's second-best side by five wickets at Napier and securing their fifth consecutive one-day series at home.

Charged with scoring 187 to win, New Zealand cruised at the start and then stumbled during the middle stages, eventually getting home on the back of a slightly fortuitous innings of 92 not out from Michael Papps.

New Zealand appeared to be well in control after Papps and Stephen Fleming stroked 38 off the first five overs but played a shade anxiously through the rest of the innings before winning with four overs to spare.

Fleming, after showing more of the form that's underpinned his success over the past year, fell to a Makhaya Ntini inspired run-out for the second time in the series; Hamish Marshall went quickly and Scott Styris lapsed in the 22nd over, at which stage New Zealand were 85 for three.

Styris had earlier starred as the villain as New Zealand allowed South Africa to launch a late recovery, and capped a frightful day's work when he bottom-edged a charging slog off Shaun Pollock.

New Zealand's plight might have been even more challenging were it not for umpire Tony Hill, who incorrectly dismissed Jacques Kallis in the first innings and then gave Papps not out in the eighth over of the second to an edge that was clearly audible.

Hill's effort followed a howler on Sunday from Auckland umpire Doug Cowie, and raised the question of whether New Zealand's otherwise domestic umpires were up to speed for the demands of international cricket.

But if any fingers are being pointed, one will surely be directed at South African skipper Graeme Smith, who again failed to read the local conditions and opted to bat first on a pitch that favoured the seamers.

South Africa were immediately in trouble and appeared to be out of the game at 29 for five.

The chief benefactors were Jacob Oram, Daryl Tuffey and Michael Mason, all of whom revelled in the seam-friendly conditions, and spinner Daniel Vettori, who bowled his full complement of overs for just 25 runs.

South Africa managed to stage a partial jail-break, initially through the lower-order efforts of Ashwell Prince, Lance Klusener, Albie Morkel and Makhaya Ntini, and ultimately through a general slackening in New Zealand's fielding.