26 January, 2009

South African players celebrate South Africa has embarrassed Australia and clinched the Commonwealth Bank Series with an emphatic eight-wicket win in game four at Adelaide Oval on Monday.

The Proteas made light work of their run chase, finishing at 2-223 with 11.5 overs to spare. It gives the tourists a 3-1 series advantage with only Friday’s game at the WACA to be played.

An unbeaten 144-run third-wicket partnership between AB de Villiers (82 off 85 deliveries) and Hashim Amla (80 from 103 deliveries) was the backbone to South Africa’s tally while opener Herschelle Gibbs released the pressure on the rest of the line up with a scintillating cameo of 38.

De Villiers, who won the man-of-the-match award, brought up the winning run with a leg-glance.

James Hope was the best of the Aussie bowlers with 1-28 off 7.1 overs while Ben Hilfenhaus was the other wicket taker. The rest of the attack was disappointing with the majority going home with some unflattering figures next to their name.

Gibbs faced just 29 balls, smashed eight boundaries and was the key player in the 58-run opening stand.

He eventually miscued one of several lofted drives and was caught by Mike Hussey at mid-on.

Jacques Kallis also made batting look easy but he was dismissed soon after and the score was 2-79.

Amla and de Villiers consolidated after the veteran’s dismissal, picking up the singles and the twos in the pursuing overs.

They then played with more flare with a mid-innings powerplay sparking a more aggressive approach.

The duo rarely strayed from the orthodox as time was on their side and the ever-decreasing run-rate ensured life out in the middle remained low key.

Earlier, Australia won the toss and batted but was bowled out for a below-par 222 in 48 overs.

The Aussies were in a strong position at 2-110 with top scorer Ricky Ponting (63 off 70 balls) and Mike Hussey controlling play and keeping the run-rate ticking over at around a run per ball.

But the team's leaders were dismissed in quick succession and when Brad Haddin followed soon after the home side was 5-130 at the 25-over mark.

It was then left to the tail to scramble as many runs as they could in the second half of the innings.

Hopes posted a responsible and well-timed 42 off 44 deliveries while Cameron White made a fighting 30 but got out chasing a wide Steyn delivery.

Wickets fell at regular intervals and many of the batsmen would’ve been disappointed with their dismissals rather than overwhelmed by the Proteas’ hard-working bowling attack.


Steyn had the best figures with 3-49 while Makhaya Ntini took some early punishment from Ponting but fought back to finish with 3-52. Captain Johan Botha delivered a retro, 80s-style bowling performance with a tight 2-28.

The Proteas got the early ascendancy against an aggressive Australia by dismissing openers David Warner and Shaun Marsh cheaply.

But Ponting launched a stinging counter attack with the skipper hitting Ntini out of the attack with a hat-trick of boundaries in the eighth over. He then kept the momentum going with another couple of fours off the opening bowler's replacement Albie Morkel.