Brilliant half-centuries from Graeme Smith and Shaun Pollock helped South Africa win the fourth one-day international by seven wickets here on Friday to level the five-match series 2-2.
Smith and Pollock's second-wicket stand of 159 sees them through
MULTAN: Brilliant half-centuries from Graeme Smith and Shaun Pollock helped South Africa win the fourth one-day international by seven wickets here on Friday to level the five-match series 2-2. Pakistan's total of 230 for 9, built around a fighting 110-ball 82 from Younis Khan, had looked respectable, but Smith (81) and Pollock (90) added 159 runs for the second-wicket to help their team reach 233 for 3 in 37.4 overs.
It was Smith and Herschelle Gibbs (39) who put on a brisk 65 for the first-wicket to provide the perfect platform for the chase, which left a packed crowd at Multan Stadium disappointed.
When Gibbs was trapped leg-before by leg-spinner Shahid Afridi in the 11th over, Pollock was sent as pinch-hitter to counter Pakistan's potent spin bowling.
He and Smith, dropped on 74 by Umar Gul off his own bowling, took the game away from Pakistan before Pollock fell with just seven needed to win and Smith when just three were needed.
The 34-year-old all-rounder Pollock hit nine boundaries and a six during his 84-ball knock, while Smith hit seven boundaries during his 103-ball stay. "We bowled well to restrict Pakistan, we might have caught them at 180-190 but still we chased well and now it's up to the fifth and final match where we would like to win and take the series," said Smith.
Scorecard
Pakistan: Y Hameed c Gibbs b Pollock 10, S Afridi c Nel b Ntini 0, Y Khan c Gibbs b Nel 82, M Yousuf run out (Botha/Boucher) 5, S Malik c Smith b Kallis 45, Misbah-ul-Haq c Boucher b Nel 7, K Akmal c Pollock b Botha 28, A Rehman b Morkel 31, I Anjum not out 2, U Gul c Ntini b Botha 1, M Asif not out 0
Extras: (lb13, w5, nb1) 19; Total: (9 wickets; 50 overs) 230 (4.60 runs per over); FoW: 1-2, 2-20, 3-38, 4-129, 5-158, 6-159, 7-219, 8-227, 9-229
Bowling: S Pollock 10-0-37-1, M Ntini 10-0-26-1, A Morkel 10-0-54-1, A Nel 9-0-44-2, J Botha 8-0-41-2, J Kallis 3-0-15-1
South Africa: G Smith c Rehman b Anjum 81, H Gibbs lbw b Afridi 39, S Pollock c Malik b Anjum 90, J Kallis not out 6, AB de Villiers not out 1
Extras: (lb8, w5, nb3) 16; Total: (3 wickets; 37.4 overs) 233; FoW: 1-65, 2-224, 3-228
Bowling: M Asif 8-0-64-0, U Gul 5-0-52-0, I Anjum 5.4-0-27-2, S Afridi 9-0-43-1, A Rehman 10-0-39-0
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