A strange match indeed

G. VISWANATH

AFTER an early finish - South Africa won by an innings and 73 runs - soon after lunch, on the fifth day of what was only a five-day first class game, South Africa's skipper Shaun Pollock did not beat about the bush while answering a question on the series score.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) had made it very clear to the respective Boards that it would regard the scheduled third Test as a five-day first class game. Even the United Cricket Board (UCB) chief Mr. Percy Sonn went on record that his Board would regard the match as it was deemed by the ICC.

Pollock did not want to be drawn into a controversy or have a quarrel with anybody a few days before packing his bags for Australia. "I would say we won the series," he said while responding to a question as to whether he would put the result of the series as 1-0 or 2-0.

Minutes before his last Press Conference of the series against India, Pollock had collected his second 'Man of the Match' award for his brilliant century (113, 134m, 109b, 9x4, 7x6). It is not often that a batsman scores a hundred in a little over two hours in any grade of cricket. Pollock actually reached his century in just over two hours. That was some effort, even if his team was in the driver's seat, at 395 for six, when he took strike at the fall of Jacques Kallis' wicket.

Kallis made sure that he took a century off the Indians. Pollock's declaration in the Port Elizabeth Test (because of frequent rain interruptions) had denied Kallis an opportunity to score 11 more runs and make his 10th Test hundred.

At the Centurion, Kallis dug himself in (for nearly five hours) to score a hundred that would add to the number of three-figure knocks he has in first class cricket. It was Kallis and Pollock who came up with the big efforts. In fact, South Africa's first innings reply to India's 232 had begun with a 135-run stand between Herschelle Gibbs and Gary Kirsten. Gibbs made 59 and Kirsten 90. Jacques Rudolph, playing his first match for South Africa, made 21 (he was run out), Neil McKenzie and Lance Klusener 33 each, Mark Boucher 19 (at No. 7), Nicky Boje (20 at No. 9) and Makhaya Ntini (34 not out at No. 10). Pollock and Ntini were involved in an unbroken stand of 121 runs.

India's coach John Wright did not fail to notice the final score South Africa put on the board. "The lowest they made against us was 362 (first innings of the second Test in Port Elizabeth). They made 500 plus in Bloemfontein. It showed how formidable they were in the series." It was yet another time the South African batsmen had exercised their influence over the Indian bowling that depended almost totally on Javagal Srinath, though his left hand was injured by a Mornantau Hayward delivery when he was batting.

India made changes in its bowling line-up. It dropped Ajit Agarkar and brought back Ashish Nehra and Ventakesh Prasad. The left-arm seamer bowled 30 overs and conceded 123 runs for the wickets of Gary Kirsten and Boucher, Prasad bowled 21 overs for 71 runs. Once again the bowling combination failed. Anil Kumble's 34 overs cost him 102 runs, while Harbhajan's 34 plus went for 104. India was under pressure after Pollock declared South Africa's innings before play resumed on day four. But the Indian second innings began on a bright note with Shiv Sundar Das and Connor Williams raising 92 for the first wicket. Williams, who was not picked for the first two Tests only because it was thought not prudent to play him straightaway in a Test match before seeing him in a warm-up game, must have been happy that he made some runs against world class bowlers.

But the fall of the openers put the onus on Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Venkatsai Laxman to thwart the South Africans. The trio could not do it, although rain robbed 52 overs on the fourth day. India lost the wickets of Dravid and Tendulkar inside the first hour on the fifth, both falling to superb deliveries by Hayward and Ntini, respectively. Laxman too fell to Ntini.

It was a case of every batsman getting a start, but not being able to stretch it to save the match. Dravid (23) batted for 70 minutes before losing his off stump to Hayward. Tendulkar (40) played for 80 minutes before being outwitted by a great delivery from Ntini. And Laxman batted for 86 minutes for his 23. Deep Dasgupta once again showed that he has the potential as a batsman, though he needs to work on his primary job behind the wickets. The national selectors should persist with him.

The most disappointing aspect was that the Indian second innings folded up minutes after lunch. Prasad and Srinath did not bat because of injuries, but it was another occasion when India came a poor second to South Africa. Pollock said after winning the match that it was not a hollow win for his side. "It (India) was an international side and it was an international game. It was good preparation for Australia. I am happy everybody gave his best shot towards getting a result like this one."

Dravid, the stand-in captain, did not say much, except that there was always pressure to perform and admitted that the home team played better cricket. In the absence of Ganguly, most of the questions were directed at Wright, who said that if India had not treated this match like a Test match, everything would have been over in three days. "South Africa is a formidable side. A team has to be serious in its attitude to play them. And that's what we did."

Wright might have a lot of things to say. Perhaps he might tell all to the powers that be after returning home for the series against England. Obviously, he is still disappointed at the fact of conceding so many runs on the second day of the first Test at the Goodyear Park, Bloemfontein, especially after India had made 379 after being put in to bat. "It was very important from the point of getting into the series."

Herschelle Gibbs, who was adjudged the Man of the Series by a panel that included Sunil Gavaskar, felt that the support bowlers for Srinath were inexperienced. And when asked if he thought it was turning out to be super year that started on January 1, he said: "Well, it's not yet over."

This time the prize is for his batting

THERE is always considerable debate about the choice of the Man of the Match, especially so when there are many deserving players for the award. In the case of the 'unofficial' Test between India and South Africa at the Supersport Park, Centurion, there were two players in the running: skipper Shaun Pollock and allrounder Jacques Kallis. Adjudicator Anton Ferreira chose Pollock.

The South African captain made 113 in 134 minutes off 109 balls and struck 16 boundary shots, nine fours and seven sixes. Pollock bowled 20 overs in the first innings, but did not get a wicket. He, however, dismissed Shiv Sundar Das and Anil Kumble in the second essay. Kallis made 110 in 295 minutes, off 234 balls and hit 18 fours. He also took the wickets of Sachin Tendulkar and Venkatsai Laxman in the first innings and Deep Dasgupta in the second.

Obviously, Ferreira gave high marks to Pollock's splendid batting effort that spanned a little over two hours and also for the fact that he came to bat at No. 8. Ferreira would perhaps argue that Kallis took a long time to make his century. But then Kallis is a top order batsman, generally marked to bat at No. 3. In this match he came in at No. 4 because, the first-timer in the national side, the left-handed Jacques Rudolph, was given an opportunity at No. 3. Kallis had come to bat at 171 for two, while Pollock came in at 395 for six.

Kallis was distinctly unlucky, though it cannot be said that Pollock did not merit the award entirely. Pollock, who won the Man of the Match award in the Bloemfontein Test against India for taking 10 wickets, said: "Well, I think, it's got something to do with the Centurion. Well, I have batted like this before against Sri Lanka last year."

After the first day Pollock said that the 'edge' was missing because the International Cricket Council (ICC) had withdrawn the Match Referee Mike Denness and umpire George Sharp and stated that it would treat the match as an 'unofficial' one. But the South Africans played the game with fervour. It was manifested in the their score sheet; almost every batsman contributed to the team total of 566 for eight wickets. Pollock's 113 was the highest and it won him the award.