Cricket is Life: Razzaq raises the roof

Abdul Razzaq played one of greatest ODI innings when he dragged Pakistan back from the dead to an incredible one-wicket victory with one ball to spare against a bewildered Proteas here at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium last night.

Razzaq, who came in with the Pakistan total on 136/5 after the dismissal of Shahid Afridi for a brisk 49, could hardly have imagined fashioning victory for his team who still faced a formidable target of 287 for victory.

And yet, somehow he completed the job, smashing 10 sixes and seven fours in an unbeaten 109 in just 72 balls. Not only did he have to score the runs virtually single-handedly, but he also had to nurse the lower-order through to the target. He achieved both as the crowd, who had been ominously quiet for most of the match, simply went ballistic.

From the Proteas point of view, they have some serious bowling problems, particularly at the death. While Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Morné Morkel performed well, Charl Langeveldt’s World Cup hopes took a severe bruising as he went for 75 in his 10 overs, while Albie Morkel was blitzed out of sight, going for 52 in 4.5 overs. It wasn’t just that they were expensive, it’s that they persisted in bowling length to Razzaq who was only too happy to tee off as he hit 53 off the last four overs all by himself.

In retrospect, it’s strange that Rusty Theron, who was specifically included in the ODI squad for his superb death bowling in the two T20s, hasn’t played in either of the ODI games. After their limp displays in the T20 matches and the first ODI, it was the Pakistan tiger who bounded out of his deep lair in the jungle last night, something that augurs well for the series.

With Graeme Smith (finger) and Jacques Kallis (cramps and nausea) both rested to enable them to get over their problems, Johan Botha took over the captaincy.

Stand-in opener Robin Peterson didn’t last long, playing across a straight one from Abdul Razzaq, but Hashim Amla, who unleashed a flurry of typically wristy strokes on both sides of the wicket and a promoted Colin Ingram took the team along at a good clip, adding 84 for the second wicket.

Then Amla was leg-before playing down the wrong line to Shahid Afridi, but AB de Villiers and Ingram carried on without missing a beat and it seemed that South Africa were poised to reach 300 when they reached 196/2 in 36 overs. Ingram went to his hundred, his second in five ODIs and a magnificent achievement, before being trapped leg before by a reverse-swing “toe crusher” from Wahab Riaz. I

Fortunately, the increasingly mature JP Duminy, who has played some responsible and highly important innings in the middle-order on this tour, struck an important half-century as he provided the late momentum for a faltering innings.