SA failed to do homework

2004-03-02 21:12

Johann de Jager

Napier (New Zealand) - It appears as if South Africa failed to do their homework prior to the sixth and final one-day international against New Zealand here on Tuesday - a match the Kiwi's won by five wickets to clinch the series 5-1.

It is South Africa's heaviest one-day series defeat in ten years.

SA skipper Graeme Smith won the toss for the sixth time in a row and decided to bat on what he said looked to be a good batting pitch.

However, there was movement and especially bounce for the home team's bowlers and the visitors were struggling at 40-6 at one stage before Lance Klusener, Ashwell Prince, Albie Morkel and fast bowler Makhaya Ntini, who contributed an unbeaten 42, helped Smith's team to a fairly respectable 186-9 in their allotted 50 overs.

In reply, the Kiwi's cruised to 190-5 with four overs to spare on a pitch which then offered the SA bowlers very little assistance.

Review statistics

Pakistan were recently dismissed for 126 at the same venue - a statistic which should have given the South Africans an indication of what could be expected at McLean Park.

Smith said his team had in fact reviewed statistics of the previous series (between New Zealand and Pakistan). His decision to bat first in the second match in Auckland recently on a pitch where the ball also moved around had earlier been questioned in some circles.

Kiwi captain Stephen Fleming said he would have bowled first on Tuesday, had he won the toss.

He was critical of his team for having allowed the SA tailenders, and Ntini in particular, to score freely at the end of the visitors' innings, describing his team's performance during that particular period as the Kiwis' worst in the series.

The SA skipper was visibly upset about his team's poor performances. "I'm sick of losing. We just played poorly. They performed better than us."

He said he was looking forward to the coming Test series, and that his troops were determined to turn the tables on the Black Caps and return to South Africa with their heads held high.

- Volksblad