Johan Botha’s blitz takes South Africa to a formidable total in 4th ODI against Pakistan
A magnificent counterattack by South African all-rounder http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Johan-Botha-c67173 has helped his team to a formidable total in the 4th ODI of the five-match series against Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
The match, a virtual do-or-die affair for the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 side, slipped away from their grasp in the closing stages of the South African innings as they took full advantage of the power-play in the last 5 overs of the innings to post
a total of 274/6 in the allotted 50 overs.
The South Africans scored 54 runs in the power-play session, and that was what propelled the total from the mediocre region to a brilliant one. Botha scored 28 runs off a mere 15 balls, smacking as many as 6 boundaries as his improvisation
ran the Pakistanis ragged after Wahab Riaz had made two strikes (JP Duminy and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/David-Miller-c53105) off consecutive deliveries in the 47th over of the innings.
Earlier, the South African captain Graeme Smith, who had made a comeback in the team after missing the last two ODIs due to a hand injury, led his team from the front and held his team’s innings together with a 92-run knock.
The Proteas lost their centurion from the last match, Hashim Amla, early on; the right-hander skied an attempted pull shot of pace-man Shoaib Akhtar that landed in the hands of Imran Farhat positioned at square-leg.
Amla scored 10 runs; the Proteas were in a spot of bother when Jacques Kallis holed out to Mohammad Hafeez at mid-wicket fence. Kallis scored 15 runs off 22 balls, hitting 2 fours in the process.
The third-wicket stand between Smith and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/AB-de-Villiers-c887 yielded 94 runs; the stand was broken when Smith was sent packing by Hafeez for a knock that included 9 fours and came off 105 balls.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 lost AB De Villiers in the 41st over of the innings; the wicketkeeper-batsman was caught by Mohammad Hafeez at point off Shoaib Akhtar’s delivery. He scored 49 runs off 70 balls.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/JP-Duminy-c1742 failed to score quickly and faced 51 balls for his 36-run knock before being cleaned up by a searing yorker by left-arm pacer Wahab Riaz. Riaz then made it two out of two when he went through the defences of David Miller,
who failed to keep out another fast yorker.
At that stage, Pakistan were hoping to restrict the Proteas to fewer than 250 runs, yet the cameo from Botha helped them reach an imposing 274.
Pakistan would have to bat out of their skins if they are to take the series to a decider on Sunday.
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