Cricket: Klusener clubs S Africa to win

DURBAN - New Zealand were more than aware of South Africa's sleeping giant and were not surprised when he clubbed them out of the fifth one-day cricket international in Durban yesterday.

Big-hitting allrounder Lance Klusener's 41 runs off 18 balls was his first real contribution of the series, but it came at the right time to complete the win by six wickets with nine balls to spare.

That left New Zealand trailing 0-4 in the series and still winless in nine completed one-day internationals in South Africa. The only chance of their preventing a whitewash will be in Cape Town tomorrow.

Klusener's three big sixes - two in consecutive balls of Shayne O'Connor - safely completed the pursuit of a revised 153 off 32 overs.

He and man-of-the-match Jacques Kallis added an unbroken stand of 58 off 36 balls for the fifth wicket after the match was evenly poised at 100 for four in the 25th over.

Klusener has finished New Zealand off before, notably in Napier two seasons ago when a last-ball six off Dion Nash won the game.

New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming said it was typical of South Africa's depth that Klusener had stepped up after a quiet series.

"They've got a number of quality batsmen who can come off on their day. Klusener hadn't done it this series, so he was due," Fleming said.

"We had that situation at home against the West Indies last summer.

"It's a confidence thing and you know you want to be it, or someone else will do it."

New Zealand were in with a chance on the green seamer at Kingsmead after scoring 114 for five off 32 overs then seeing the Duckworth-Lewis method used to recalculate South Africa's target to 4.8 runs an over.

Rain had interrupted the day-nighter for four hours in three separate showers.

Geoff Allott and Chris Cairns removed Gary Kirsten and Daryll Cullinan early and O'Connor bowled an impressive first spell, but it was not enough.

Cameos from Nicky Boje and Jonty Rhodes saw the home side within sight of the target before Kallis helped Klusener to see them through with an unbeaten 50 to go with his 100th wicket in the New Zealand innings.

Regardless, Fleming was happy with the bowling effort on an average one-day pitch where the ball dominated too much.

"Because it was doing so much, even the bad balls looked good, but we did it pretty well and just failed to take the edges. We couldn't have done it any better."

New Zealand were in trouble right from the start after openers Chris Nevin and Nathan Astle were victims of rearing deliveries.

Fleming and Roger Twose added 63 off 106 balls, Twose top-scoring with 38 off 52 balls, and Cairns was just getting into stride on 25 before rain ended the innings.

Fleming felt the rain again handicapped his side at the wrong time.

"We had some batting to come and if they had had another 10 overs at least, then we could have got near 200, which would have been a different proposition."

But once again it was a case of not quite good enough after losing in Kimberley on Sunday with seven balls remaining.

"We're getting closer and competing well enough, but we're certainly not happy with not getting over the mark. It's very frustrating," Fleming said.

For Kallis it was another step in a golden year which has seen him top 1000 one-day runs since January 1 and now reach the 100-wicket club.

He claimed the prized scalp of Twose, who had an extended verbal battle with South African skipper Shaun Pollock, by knocking out his middle stump.

Then his 50 not out took him past 3800 career runs in his 113th match.

Kallis said he was always confident, even when the run rate climbed in the face of some good New Zealand bowling.

He added: "We were quite happy with the run rate getting to 7.5 because we've got confidence in the guys lower down. One of them will come off."

- NZPA