Cricket: Last-ball nightmare for Nash sees SA draw level

By Richard Boock

NAPIER - There was probably only one word which describes the New Zealand cricketer's reaction to last night's hair-raising loss to South Africa, and that's already been snapped up by a certain advertising company.

The teams head into today's fifth one-dayer at Eden Park with the Bank of New Zealand series locked up at 2-2 after the tourists came back from the dead courtesy of a whirlwind innings from man-of-the-match Lance Klusener.

Faced with scoring four off the last ball to win, the man who uses a piece of willow so heavy that it makes Lance Cairns' Excalibur look like a feather-weight, effectively "Mark McGuire'd" a low full toss from Dion Nash over long-on for six.

He was immediately engulfed by ecstatic team-mates, led by captain Hansie Cronje and followed by coach Bob Woolmer, who charged on to the field to help him celebrate a remarkable victory.

New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming said his side paid dearly for not batting the full 48 overs.

"I thought we were in the box seat and it was disappointing to fall short. It was a shattering situation for Dion.

"The plan was to bowl a yorker. It turned into a low full toss and that's one-day cricket."

Chasing 191 to win after inserting New Zealand yesterday morning, South Africa started to look like a losing side after slumping during the middle stages, eventually needing 37 off the last 24 balls.

Klusener, who crashed 35 off 20 balls, was lucky not to be run out in the 35th over when Adam Parore could not get the bail to dislodge quickly enough, and was again fortunate to be given the green light an over later in a hairline decision at the bowler's end.

South Africa lost Gary Kirsten from the first ball and Jacques Kallis in the eighth over, but Herschelle Gibbs and Daryll Cullinan added 88 for the third wicket to push their side into a commanding position.

However, an excellent spell of bowling from Nathan Astle, who added to his effort with a catch directly out of Boys Own Annual with just 16 balls remaining, left South Africa with the batting wobbles at a crucial stage.

Klusener and Steve Elworthy were faced with scoring 11 runs off the final over, but Klusener's big bat accounted for that many on its own, Elworthy chiming in with a single.

New Zealand made a similarly slow start, losing Matt Horne and pinch-hitter Daniel Vettori inside the first eight overs, but Roger Twose and Adam Parore boosted their team's stocks with a 93-run fifth-wicket stand off 94 balls.

Twose scored his unbeaten 79 off 77 balls, including six fours, while Parore again lent excellent assistance, hitting 37 off 45 balls, and struck the fence three times.

South Africa's delight at the win was tempered somewhat last night by news that Allan Donald - who bowled only five overs - is out of the rest of the tour after aggravating his stomach-muscle strain, and that Mark Boucher (who required a runner) had a groin strain.

The other player who seemed to be struggling a shade was Kiwi skipper Fleming, who appeared to be labouring in the field after a long lay-off recovering from a groin injury.