well played Pakistan and well played SA too. We were almost there in the end but D/L nay marwa deya. Khair better luck next time.
- Razzaq is bowling quite well from last game. He is not taking much wickets but stopping runs.
- Shoaib is making his ball do all the talking than his mouth. Which is good for Pakistan
- Personally i feel that Pakistan was at least 25 runs short of what was really needed to put pressure on in the early/middle stage of the game
- Time to go in to the game with 3 regular fast bowlers Shoaib, Sami, Shabbir and 3 part timers namely Hafeez, Razzaq, Shoaib Malik
Kallis and Smith lead South African run-chase](http://www-usa.cricket.org/link_to_database/ARCHIVE/CRICKET_NEWS/2003/OCT/271242_PAKRSA2003-04_07OCT2003.html)
Dileep Premachandran
South Africa kept the one-day series alive by beating Pakistan on the Duckworth-Lewis method at Faisalabad, when bad light forced play to be called off five hours early, with 23 runs still needed, and only four wickets in hand.
Shoaib Akhtar had set up an enthralling finale with some stunning fast bowling, but the deteriorating light forced the umpires to call the players off with South Africa well ahead of the D/L target of 208. 
South Africa’s run chase was inspired by Jacques Kallis and Graeme Smith, who added an even 100, while Jacques Rudolph held it together when things threatened to fall apart. Pakistan owed their total to Yasir Hameed’s 72, and to a late flurry from Abdul Razzaq.
Akhtar had bowled a fiery four-over spell first up, during the course of which he sent back Herschelle Gibbs. A ball after he had eased one through the covers for four, Gibbs couldn’t resist poking at one that pitched on off stump. The thin edge was easily held by Rashid Latif (10 for 1).
**Three balls later, he should have been celebrating a second wicket, as Kallis got an inner edge while attempting an off-drive. But Shoaib’s subdued reaction – in sharp contrast to his excited teammates – seemed to convince Darrell Hair that there had been no nick. ** :smack:
Kallis made full use of the life, playing some superb drives off Umar Gul, whose profligacy was exacerbated by some fortuitous edged fours. When Saqlain Mushtaq came on, Smith greeted him with three superbly struck fours. To make matters worse for Yousuf Youhana, Saqlain had all sorts of problems with his run-up, bowling six no-balls.
Kallis, who had earlier spanked Gul for a six and a four throught the leg side, rotated the strike cleverly once the fielding restrictions were removed, and South Africa were well on top when Smith departed in tame fashion.
Having just got to his 50, Smith attempted to dab a Razzaq delivery past point, only getting a thick edge through to Latif (110 for 2). The two Jacques then cobbled together a useful partnership before Shoaib turned the match on its head. After Kallis had struck a superb off-drive, he hit him on the hip with a full toss – which ran away for four. The next ball was the perfect yorker, and Kallis’ off stump went for a hike (146 for 3).
Boeta Dippenaar played a ridiculous shot to be bowled off his pads by Mohammad Hafeez (157 for 4), before Rudolph and Mark Boucher got the run-chase back on track. Boucher played a couple of stunning sweep shots off Shoaib Malik on his way to 24, before Shoaib castled him with another screeching yorker (206 for 5). When Rudolph, assured and elegant en route to 46, skied one from Malik to Abdul Razzaq in the deep two balls later, Pakistan had a sniff of victory. But a meaty six from Andrew Hall off Saqlain titled the equation in South Africa’s favour before gloom descended on the Pakistani camp.
Earlier, Hameed provided the stability and mid-innings impetus, while Razzaq added some late urgency as Pakistan set up a challenging total. South Africa’s bowlers kept their discipline, and their nerve, knowing that defeat would end any real interest in the series.
Pollock was at his Scrooge-like best in the opening stages, troubling both batsmen with his probing line and length. At the other end, Andre Nel was hostile without being quite as controlled. On another belter of a pitch, both Hameed and Hafeez struggled to get any sort of batting rhythm going, taking 15 overs to bring up the 50.
Hafeez departed soon after, when an ugly hoick off Hall looped off the outside edge to Dippenaar at extra cover (52 for 1). Youhana came in, and promptly struck two magnificent cover-drives off Makhaya Ntini. When Ntini strayed onto leg stump, he was deftly flicked down to the fine-leg fence. With Kallis brought into the attack to join Hall, Hameed also joined in the fun, with two meaty drives over midwicket, and a fine stroke through cover.
South Africa’s frustration was increased by a run-out that wasn’t given. With Youhana on 9 at the bowler’s end, Hall deflected a Hameed drive onto the stumps. The South Africans appealed, with Youhana out of his ground, but Hair didn’t even see fit to consult the third umpire.
Ntini ensured that it wouldn’t be too costly, when he came back for his second spell. Youhana lunged at one that pitched on off stump, and the faint tickle was well taken by Boucher (95 for 2).
Hameed played some more clunky strokes through midwicket as he motored past his half-century, before he was undone by Robin Peterson. He made room to slam a flighted delivery over cover, but Gibbs jumped up smartly to pluck the ball out of the air (128 for 3). Moments later, Peterson had more cause to celebrate as Younis Khan slammed one straight to Ntini at deep midwicket (139 for 4).
Malik and Faisal Iqbal then took the score to 169 in decent time, before Nel came back to nail Iqbal, who had made 22. A clever yorker took the edge of the bat, and Boucher dived smartly to his right to snaffle the chance. Malik, so influential with the bat in the first two games, played two lovely shots down to third man in his 18, but then sliced one from Ntini to Gibbs at point (181 for 6).
Latif flayed the bat around for 14, before miscuing one from Pollock to Kallis at deep point (200 for 7). But Razzaq then played some cracking shots down the ground and over midwicket to ensure that the South African batsmen would have to be at the top of their game to prevent Pakistan from running away with the series. :k: When they threatened to falter, the forces of darkness stepped in to help.
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Jacques Kallis has his stumps shattered by a scorching yorker from Shoaib Akhtar
(thus more delievers to hit by the batsmen in the end 
). But as both Aamir and Inzi have hinted about giving Hafeez more chances so i guess we can expect more occurances of 50-1 and 43-2 inside first 15. mind you, i would suport bringing Afridi only if slectors are gonna persist with Hafeez for his additional bowling skills.