Justin Kemp played a batting role slightly different from his normal explosive nature as he guided South Africa to a clean sweep in their three-match Standard Bank one-day international cricket series against Zimbabwe at St George’s on Wednesday.
Faced with Zimbabwe’s most spirited performance of the series, South Africa were extended for the first time and looked distinctly uncomfortable at 79 for four as they chased 207 to win. However, Kemp combined forces with Ashwell Prince and Mark Boucher to ultimately coast to victory, reaching 207 for five with 21 balls
remaining in reply to the visitors’ 206 for eight.
The big all-rounder has confirmed his reputation as a big hitter this summer, but on Wednesday he showed his patience as a batsman is also developing nicely as he steered South Africa out of trouble in a stand of 59 in 16 overs with Prince (28).
With the match in the balance, it was a critical period for the home side and once the platform had been laid, Boucher weighed in with his typical no-nonsense approach to finish the job in a hurry, with Kemp in an sixth-wicket association of 69 in just eight overs.
Dropped at 21 and 30, Kemp, the man of the match, pressed hard on the accelerator in this stand, eventually smacking four sixes and four fours in his 78 not-out off 81 deliveries. Boucher hit 18 off 18 balls.
Zimbabwe were boosted by the presence of allrounder Heath Streak who made a welcome return to the national fold with his 13th one-day 50 as he hauled his team out of trouble after they had slumped to 35 for five.
It could not have been a more difficult comeback for Zimbabwe’s former captain but, with the experience of 183 one-day internationals behind him, he took it in his stride to give the Zimbabwe attack something to bowl at as they recovered from their terrible start.
Earlier, Charl Langeveldt and Monde Zondeki had ripped through the Zimbabwe top order and an early finish seemed in the offing when AB de Villiers effected a brilliant run out from square leg to dismiss Zimbabwe skipper Tatenda Taibu for a duck.
But SA’s second-string attack lacked the incisiveness to capitalise on the situation as Streak, Brendan Taylor (41) and Gavin Ewing (46) retrieved the situation with sensible rather than explosive batting.
At least, that’s how it started during the face-saving sixth-wicket stand of 67 in 20 overs between Taylor and Streak. But once they’d played themselves in, Streak and Ewing flayed the SA attack, particularly Albie Morkel, in typical one-day style as they
added an excellent 88 runs in 15 overs for the seventh wicket.
Ewing, with just 12 runs in his two one-day internationals, bashed his way to 46 off 61 balls (five fours) and Streak ended with 68 off 104 deliveries (five fours) before being run out off the penultimate ball of the innings. – Sapa