Cricket: Winners shed the tears as test series drawn

By RICHARD BOOCK

Tears rather than champagne flowed freely in the South African dressing room yesterday after Gary Kirsten bowed out of the international arena with a match-winning and series-saving last stand.

The first South African to play 100 tests, Kirsten made sure his team would at least depart New Zealand shores with a drawn series after teaming with skipper Graeme Smith in a decisive fourth-wicket partnership of 171.

Kirsten, who this month announced his intention to retire at the end of the tour, played second fiddle to Smith's gritty and unbeaten 125, but his eventual total of 76 was just as influential in his team's six-wicket win.

The 36-year-old left-hander was trapped leg-before just before the lunch break and was embraced by his entire team as he departed the field, with tears in his eyes and the winning of the test only 27 runs away.

Unbeaten on 19 overnight, he battled through the key first session in tandem with Smith, nullifying the threat of Chris Martin, picking up key runs in the first 45 minutes, and then putting the result beyond doubt with a flurry just before the interval.

And just to emphasise how desperate the tourists were to avoid becoming the first South African side to lose a test series to New Zealand, he said later that he could not think of a better moment in his 11-year career.

"From a personal point of view, this was pretty much the highlight of my career," he said. "Being able to make a decent partnership and win a test match under pressure was very satisfying.

"And it was really nice to have a good partnership at the end with Smithie. He stole my place as an opening batter a couple of years ago and I had to find somewhere else to bat."

So while Kirsten confirmed his departure from test cricket, the sight of Chris Cairns' extended family at the Basin Reserve seemed to reinforce the Herald's story of his imminent retirement.

New Zealand needed to bounce back quickly yesterday morning, but received little help from the wicket and even less from Kirsten and Smith.

Although Martin maintained his consistency he could not find the penetration that blessed his earlier performances, and neither Jacob Oram, Chris Cairns nor Daniel Vettori could dislodge the South African pair.

In the end it was Scott Styris who made the breakthrough, although by that stage the game was as good as gone.

Smith was in no mood for chancing his arm, but still played delightfully at times.

Aged only 23, he brought up an astonishing seventh test century with a trademark on-drive and played a similar shot to score the winning runs in the seventh over after lunch.

The loss was a disappointment for New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming, whose dream of ending the season with a fairytale finish was unable to be realised, leaving his side to mull over a 1-0 series loss against Pakistan and a shared series against South Africa.

Fleming suggested afterwards that the New Zealand batsmen had lost the game and that the side had possibly been distracted by the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Scoreboard:

NEW ZEALAND

First innings 297

Second innings 252

SOUTH AFRICA

First innings 316

Second innings (82-3 overnight)

G Smith not out 125

H Gibbs c Fleming b Martin 16

J Rudolph b Martin 0

J Kallis lbw b Oram 1

G Kirsten lbw b Styris 76

M van Jaarsveld not out 13

Extras (2lb, 1nb) 3

Total (for 4 wkts, 72.2 overs) 234

Fall: 29 (Gibbs), 31 (Rudolph), 36 (Kallis), 207 (Kirsten)

Bowling: C Martin 18.2-2-65-2, M Mason 6-1-32-0, J Oram
11-2-23-1, C Cairns 10-2-19-0 (1nb), D Vettori 18-2-53-0, S Styris 9-1-40-1

Result: South Africa won by six wickets, series drawn 1-1.