OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Friday 11.00pm.
HANSIE Cronje wrote himself into one-day cricket history as he led South Africa to a six-wicket win over Zimbabwe in the triangular series-opener on Friday.
Cronje’s unbeaten 83 off 112 balls made him only the fourth player after West Indies’ Viv Richards, Australia’s Steve Waugh and Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuria to score 5,000 runs and take 100 wickets in limited overs internationals.
South Africa’s captain took over after his team had been reduced to 55 for three chasing Zimbabwe’s total of 226.
The 104 runs Cronje shared with opener Herschelle Gibbs was a South African fourth-wicket record for one-day internationals against Zimbabwe. Gibbs scored 65.
The previous best was 59 by Adrian Kuiper and Gary Kirsten in Harare in 1995-96.
Cronje also featured in the other major partnership of the innings, 70 with Lance Klusener for the fifth wicket. Klusener contributed 26 not out.
Murray Goodwin’s brisk 73 held Zimbabwe’s batting together. The former Western Australian hit eight fours and a six before paceman Shaun Pollock yorked him.
Left-handed second wicket pair Neil Johnson and Alistair Campbell seemed set for a substantial score but with the stand worth 56 Johnson hesitated on a short single poorly called by Campbell and was run out for 33.
Campbell fell for 29 in the next over, caught by Mornantau Hayward at extra cover off Jacques Kallis.
A fifth-wicket stand of 79 between Goodwin and Stuart Carlisle, who scored 38, earned Zimbabwe a respectable total.
South Africa play England in the next match of the competition in Bloemfontein on Sunday. — Reuters