South Africa got the home leg of their series against Australia off to the best possible start with a two-run victory in the Standard Bank Pro20 match at the Wanderers on Friday night, thanks largely to the batting of Graeme Smith and the bowling of Andrew Hall.
The match was delayed by two hours because of rain, but because the majority of the capacity crowd of 32 000 had stayed in the hope of seeing some action, the two teams agreed to play the full 20 overs, and those who had stuck around got value for their money with a thrilling close finish.
Having won the toss, Smith showed a welcome return to form with an unbeaten 89 off 58 balls, including 11 fours and a six.
He and Loots Bosman, making his international debut, had a first-innings partnership of 84, which ended when Bosman was clean-bowled by Mick Lewis for 23. He hit three fours and a six.
Smith and Herschelle Gibbs made hay with a sparkling partnership of 111 off 65 balls. Their running between the wickets was good, and they smashed eight fours and four sixes before Gibbs was given out lbw to Lewis for 56.
Shaun Pollock, playing purely as a bowler, did not stick around too long — he faced just three balls before he was caught by Stuart Clark off Shane Watson for two.
Johan van der Wath hit a six and a four, but was caught by Michael Clarke off Nathan Bracken in the final over.
Facing a stiff target of 202 to win, Australia got off to a sizzling start, but lost wickets at regular intervals.
Andrew Hall took two wickets in his first two overs to dismiss Adam Gilchrist for one and Ricky Ponting for six — both given out lbw.
Despite haemorrhaging wickets, the visitors kept the runs flowing and always appeared likely to win.
Brad Hogg and Brett Lee, who came together with the score on 124 for six, shared a partnership of 57 off 36 balls, and looked likely to take Australia to victory, but South African hopes soared when Hall captured his third wicket — courtesy of a brilliant catch by Smith — to dismiss Hogg for 41 off 25 balls in the penultimate over.
The last over began with Australia needing 19 runs, and Makhaya Ntini, newly returned from injury, bowling.
With one delivery left, Australia needed nine runs, and even Brett Lee’s towering six was not enough to prevent a South African victory by two runs. Lee finished not out on 43 — the top score for the visitors.
The first one-day international will be played at Supersport Park in Centurion on Sunday, and the South Africans will go into that match buoyed by their hard-fought victory. — Sapa