Mark Boucher and Justin Kemp combined for an unbeaten 69-run partnership on Sunday to give South Africa a thrilling five-wicket win over Australia in a tri-series limited-overs cricket match.
South Africa, with its first win on its Australian tour, scored 231-5 at the Gabba ground, chasing Australia’s 228 with seven balls to spare. Rain stopped play for about 20 minutes with two overs left in the match.
Wicketkeeper Boucher finished with a run-a-ball 63 after Boeta Dippenaar set the platform with 74 runs before falling at 162-5 with eight runs an over required.
But Kemp, battling a shoulder injury for the past month, delivered a match-turning performance when he smashed Brett Lee into the Gabba’s upper tier for six, notching 17 runs in the 46th over.
Earlier, Mike Hussey and Lee made half centuries in a record 123-run, seventh-wicket partnership that lifted Australia after a disastrous start.
Hussey and Lee came together with the total at 71 for six and stayed at the wicket until the 45th over, sharing the largest seventh-wicket partnership for Australia in Brisbane and helping guide the home side to its 228.
Shaun Pollock, named man of the match, dismissed Adam Gilchrist with the first ball of the match, then removed opener Simon Katich (0) in his next over and took three wickets for 18 runs in an opening spell that reduced Australia to 71-6 in the 18th over.
”We’re happy, it’s our first win under our belts,” said Pollock, who finished with 3-30. ”We played some good cricket in the past, and haven’t been able to capitalise on it until tonight.”
Lee was dazed by a Jacques Kallis bouncer midway through his innings but recovered and included three sixes in his brave innings of 57, his second half-century and highest score in 119 one-day internationals.
Hussey made 73 from 108 balls and was reduced to near exhaustion in hot conditions when he was finally dismissed, bowled by Garnett Kruger five overs from the end of the Australian innings.
Australia won the toss and batted first, and for once captain Ricky Ponting seemed to have erred as South Africa’s depleted bowling attack took full advantage of a pitch which offered extreme pace and bounce.
Hussey’s runs included only five boundaries, mostly from controlled pulls and cuts, but with overs in hand was content to accumulate runs in singles and twos. Lee set the pace of the partnership and innings, hitting his first six over point and
another over long on to dominate a wilting attack. – Sapa-AP