Herschelle Gibbs hit a sparkling century and Dale Steyn took four wickets to lift South Africa to a series-clinching 61-run win over Australia in the fourth one-dayer on Monday.
The hosts clinched the series 3-1, Gibbs smashing 110 and AB de Villiers 84 in a commanding total of 317 for six.
Australia started well with an opening stand of 129 in 127 balls between Brad Haddin and Michael Clarke, but lost their way against the spinners and were bowled out for 256 in the 46th over.
PHOTO: AP
Haddin and Clarke began the Australian chase with a flurry of runs but the introduction of spin changed the course of the innings.
Haddin targeted Johan Botha and took 14 runs off his first over on the way to a 41-ball half-century but the off-spinner had his revenge when he had Haddin caught at long-on by Wayne Parnell for 78.
Roelof van der Merwe, playing his third one-dayer, claimed three wickets as the required run-rate soared. Clarke was bowled for 50, Callum Ferguson stumped by Mark Boucher for three and Michael Hussey trapped LBW for two.
Australia were 151 for four and captain Ricky Ponting meandered through to the 41st over, scoring 37 off 61 balls without reaching the boundary.
He called for the batting powerplay and hammered Steyn for four boundaries in the first five balls before the South Africa fast bowler had him caught off a bouncer for 53.
South Africa’s most dangerous bowler also bowled a threatening lifter to dismiss David Hussey caught-and-bowled for 20.
James Hopes scored 31 at better than a run-a-ball but he fell to Parnell and Steyn finished with four for 44 as he wrapped up the tail, comprehensively bowling Nathan Hauritz and Shane Harwood in the last over.
The final match of the series is in Johannesburg on Friday.
■2011 WORLD CUP
AFP, JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA
Afghanistan’s hopes of clinching a 2011 Cricket World Cup place just eight years after the national team was formed were all but dashed on Monday.
The sporting heroes of the war-torn nation lost by six wickets to Canada in Pretoria and with Ireland, Kenya and Netherlands also winning, the Afghans need a miracle to squeeze through.
Afghanistan must hope the Kenyans and Dutch lose their remaining two World Cup Qualifier Super 8 matches today and on Friday, while they defeat title holders Scotland and Namibia.
Net run rate would then decide which countries fill the four places on offer for the quadrennial world cricket showpiece in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Ireland on Monday bounced back from a shock loss to Afghanistan with an eight-wicket win over the United Arab Emirates, Kenya had a 24-run victory over Scotland and the Netherlands defeated Namibia by two wickets.
Canada and Ireland have eight points each with two rounds of Super 8 action left, Kenya and the Netherlands six, Scotland and UAE four and Afghanistan and Namibia two apiece.
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
After fleeing Sudan when civil war erupted, Al-Hilal captain Mohamed Abdelrahman and his teammates have defied the odds to reach the CAF Champions League quarter-finals. They are today to face title-holders Al-Ahly of Egypt in Cairo, with the return match in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, on Tuesday next week. Al-Hilal and biggest domestic rivals Al-Merrikh relocated to Mauritania after a power struggle broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary force. The civil war has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced more than 12 million people, according to the UN. The Democratic Republic of the Congo-born Al-Hilal
The famously raucous Hong Kong Sevens are to start today in a big test for a shiny new stadium at the heart of a major US$3.85 billion sports park in the territory. Officials are keeping their fingers crossed that the premier event in Hong Kong’s sporting and social calendar goes off without a hitch at the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium. They hope to entice major European soccer teams to visit in the next few months, with reports in December last year saying that Liverpool were in talks about a pre-season tour. Coldplay are to perform there next month, all part of Hong Kong’s
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
RSS