OWN CORRESPONDENT, London | Saturday 7.15pm.
*7.15pm
Shaun Pollock put the game away by making Angus Fraser pop up to Gary Kirsten. The last wicket gave SA the match by 122 runs, although the game looked shaky after the Proteas’ innings.
Disciplined bowling and excellent fielding kept England from capitalising on a low 226 target, adn the batsmen never really got going. Alec Stewart’s dismissal for a duck while England had under 10 runs was a powerful blow to the side’s psychological health.
The score of 103 all out is England’s lowest score against South Africa, worse than their 115 all out in East London in 1995. England may have tried too hard to blunt South Africa’s pace attack, and allowed too much movement on the pitch.
Captain Hansie Cronje gave credit to Gary Kirsten and Herschelle Gibbs, whose opening 110 partnership fired South Africa. Excellent fielding made the difference, as South Africa left a 226 achievable total.
Lance Klusener won another Man of the Match for his 48 not out at the end of South Africa’s innings. Klusener came in at 168/7, and saw the side through to 225 for 7 before 50 overs expired.
*7.00pm
Allan Donald’s fourth wicket sent the only remaining dangerous English batsman, Neil Fairbrother, back to the clubhouse after 21 runs. Fairbrother went lbw.
The Englishman made only 21 runs off 44 deliveries, despite being at the crease for about 150 deliveries. He rarely had the strike. The fat lady is singing at 99/9 after 38 overs, and it seems unlikely that South Africa will need 50 to bowl England out.
South Africa has never let up, despite a few apparent jokes on the field, and that intensity has earned them this crushing victory. Elworthy took the 8th wicket, forcing Robert Gugh to deliver the ball in to the competent hands of cptain Hansie Cronje.
*6.30pm
Lance Klusener did some damage with the ball instead of the bat by dismissing Rob Croft for 12 runs. Klusener made him hit to Jonty Rhodes, who put on a stunning fielding display.
Rhodes jumped, tagged the ball up, spun 180 degrees and caught it as it, and he, fell. The strike left England at 79/7 after 30 overs, and made England’s necessary run rate approach 8 runs per over.
The task seem hopeless given the dominance South Africa is showing, and while England’s batters gamely hit the odd boundary and make the occasional sharp run, the game seems all but over.
The current partnership is Fairbrother, who is only still around because he rarely has the strike, and Darren Gough.
*6.00pm
South Africa continue to dominate England, after Allan Donald sent Mark Ealham off for 5 runs. Ealham was caught by Darryl Cullinan at first slip, one of many excellent slip fielding displays in the World Cup by South Africa.
The score stands at 63/6 after 26 overs.
The heart of England’s order has been beaten, and the tailenders have a mammoth job to do. Given the consistency and strength of SA’s bowlers, it seems well nigh impossible.
The current partnership of Fairbrother and Robert Croft has yet to create any magiv, but Croft is holding up his end. The newcomer has two boundaries already and has just given up the strike to Fairbrother.
*5.20pm
Allan Donald has made his presence felt, keeping the pressure on the English batsmen. After Donald sent Graham Thorpe out lbw, Elworthy dismissed Graeme Hick for the first time in the tournament.
That left Neil Fairbrother and Andrew Flintoff, but Flintoff was cut down for a duck by Donald’s pace, leaving England nearly broken at 45/5.
Hick succumbed to Elworthy’s pace, cracking one straight to Herschelle Gibbs at mid on. Flintoff, who took a wicket during South Africa’s innings, is more of a batsman, and was expected to shine.
England are in serious trouble, having given up five wickets for only 45 runs. The current partnership is Fairbrother and Mark Ealham.
*4.00pm
Jacques Kallis sent England captain Alec Stewart off for a duck with his first delivery, leaving England at 2/1 in the first over. Stewart was caught lbw by Kallis. Graeme Hick joins Nasser Hussain as the current parntership.
A controversial wicket saw Hussain leve the pitch as an apparently wide ball was clipped and caught by boucher. Kallis has two wickets with England under 10 runs.
*3.30pm
Spectacular bowling shut South Africa down after the 23rd over, as Mullaly, Ealham and Gough combined for six of England’s seven wickets to shut the Proteas down at 225.
After a brilliant 110 for 0 start by Kirsten and Gibbs, England’s bowlers felt around for their backbones and began to play. Quick wickets by Ealham and Mullaly slowed the South African attack in the 24th and 25th overs.
Each time South Africa looked to regain the momentum, England’s bowlers cut the ground from under them, dismissing Jacques Kallis and Shaun Pollock for ducks. Holding the line again was Lance Klusener, grabbing most of South Africa’s final 40 runs.
From a troubling 168 for 7, Klusener and Boucher fought back to 225 for 7 after 50 overs. Ginve the bowlers’ performance against Sri Lanka, 226 is a defensible total, even at the Oval.
The ground is notoriously good for batters, and England Captain Alec Stewart may have made the right decision by sending SA in to bat. By keeping the total low, England’s fired-up batters have a reachable target, even given SA’s potent attack.