Stuart Hess
19 January 2008
Cape Town — Hollywood's scriptwriters may be on strike, but Shaun Pollock's clearly aren't - they're just getting warmed up.
Pollock started the first few pages of the final chapter of his international career by guiding South Africa out of trouble to a thrilling victory in the Standard Bank Pro20 International here last night.
In the process, as Pollock gave a glimpse of what South Africa will miss, so Albie Morkel, one of those slated with filling Pollock's boots, gave glimpse of what the future may hold. Together the pair added 57 for the seventh wicket, digging the home team out of hole at 77-6 in the 14th over to a victory with four balls to spare.
Until the penultimate over it looked like being a fairly tense finish. This supposedly most batsmen-friendly of cricket's formats switched allegiances last night, with cooler temperatures, cloudy overhead conditions and a bouncy, seamer friendly surface providing assistance to the bowlers.
South Africa's batsmen struggled, as the West Indies had done earlier, but as the ball got softer, they managed to get on top as the West Indies had done earlier too.
But it took Pollock's cool head and excellent timing to swing the match the hosts way. With 20 runs needed to win at the start of the 19th over, Pollock smashed off-spinner Marlon Samuels over square leg for six and then followed it up with a another sumptuous straight six to decisively turn the match in South Africa's favour.
He finished with an unbeaten 36 off 25 balls that included those two sixes and a pair of fours.
Morkel's role shouldn't be forgotten either. He started the ball rolling - or flying - with the innings' first six off Ravi Rampaul in the 17th over, and provided the impetus that the partnership required.
Until then it was a match that for the most part saw the bowlers on top. The West Indies innings only really took off in the last four overs, when thanks to Dwayne Bravo and Darren Sammy they managed to score 40 runs.
Until then it had been a real battle as the SA attack, once more expertly led by Pollock, hindered scoring through some excellent use of the conditions by moving the ball through the air and off the seam. Pollock, and the Morkel brothers Albie and Morné, deserved greater reward, but then wickets may not be so important in this format.
Pollock claimed 1-19 and Morné Morkel 1-22, but Albie came away with the best figures of 0-11 in three overs.
They were backed up by some typically exemplary fielding, and Bravo's 24 off 17 balls was the only score of substance that came at better than a run-a-ball.
South Africa's chase started sluggishly with Herschelle Gibbs out second ball for a duck. It didn't really improve from there - well not until the 17th over at least - with West Indies bowlers, in particular Jerome Taylor, bowling accurately and using the seam movement to trouble all the batsmen. He finished with two wickets while Darren Sammy claimed 3/21.
Ultimately, however, it was Pollock's night and his farewell road show, got off to the perfect start.
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