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A scare circulated around Adelaide Oval on Tuesday afternoon. David Warner, who had been struck on the left hand during fielding practice, reeled away in obvious pain, and disappeared into the Australian dressing room accompanied by Peter Brukner, the team doctor.As cameramen circled, journalists placed or received calls from editors and urgent snap stories were pulled together, it seemed Australia had a major injury problem on their hands. Warner, of course, had entered the season with a still healing left thumb, fractured during the ODIs in England that followed the Ashes. A re-break would require serious recovery work, and a long time out of the game. Live television news services speculated as such.But just as quickly as it happened, the Warner thumb “story” slipped away. The team media manager walked into the rooms to check on his injury and found him striding back the other way, padded up for the nets. Observers who saw Warner face mainly throw-downs needed to be reminded that this was not uncommon for the opener. Call backs were made, updates posted, stories spiked.All this spoke volumes for the goldfish-like attention span of the news cycle these days, but it was equally powerful as a reminder of Warner’s value. Were he to be injured, Australia’s batting strength would be severely affected, while the captain Steven Smith would be shorn of his deputy and most destructive player. Warner is growing increasingly aware of his own responsibilities too, if his unusually careful responses to questions before training were any indication.While most eyes are on the pink ball and the new concept of day-night Tests, Warner’s memory was filled with hurtful memories of 2011, when Australia gave up a 1-0 series lead over New Zealand in a low-scoring Hobart encounter. That day, Warner’s unbeaten hundred in the second innings was not enough to stave off defeat, and he is adamant that will not be happening a second time on what promises to be a more lively Adelaide pitch than those of Brisbane or Perth.”Going back to when we last played New Zealand here, to sit in the change rooms and listen to the Kiwis celebrate was quite tough,” Warner said. “We were expected to win that game down in Hobart, only chasing 240 on a seemingly deteriorating wicket where Doug Bracewell bowled fantastic and won New Zealand the game. We take those memories into this game.”We definitely want to win every game we can, but it would mean a lot to us if we can get up here in Adelaide. A drawn series, I think, we would consider that as a loss because we’ve played so well. And then for New Zealand to fight back in the last game, to bat the game into a draw was a credit to them. So now we’ve got to be on our guard to try and do what we can the best and that’s to try and get early wickets and put runs on the board again, and put pressure on them.”Something Warner has convinced himself about is that there will be minimal difference between facing a pink ball under lights and its white equivalent. He would not be lured into anything but the most rudimentary discussion of the concept, and flirted with the absurd when saying the verdant green square and pitch – devised to preserve the pink ball – was no different to that of the Gabba.David Warner – “A drawn series, I think, we would consider that as a loss because we’ve played so well”•Getty Images

The prominent grass on the surface is expected to be shaved back by the curator Damian Hough before Friday afternoon, but it is still likely to be the most lively wicket of the series. Warner counselled that an Australian batting line-up used to dictating terms over the first two Tests will need to leave their egos at the dressing room door this time around, and adopt some of the more painful lessons learned in England earlier this year.”The last two [Adelaide] wickets have been very batter friendly. It’s going to be a different story playing here and I think you’ll see the ball move around a bit off the wicket,” he said. “It did so during that Shield game, but it was a very good cricket wicket. That’s one thing: us as batters are going to have to take our ego out of it and say to ourselves: ‘we’ve had two very good wickets, now it’s about knuckling down and finding that respect again’.”There is going to be the new-ball factor with this wicket, we know that. I don’t know what millimetres they’re going to cut the grass to, but I’m pretty sure it’s not going to be anything like the last two wickets. We’ve got to be prepared to see out that first session, work out if it’s going to move off the wicket or swing, then go from there.”We know early on their key is swing bowling and if it happens to be swinging around here you’ve got to see that spell of bowling out like we have done in the last two Tests. I think that’s what we have done well as a top six batting unit. We’ve put on the runs that we have, we’ve actually been able to see through that spell and wait for the bad balls. That’s something Steve wanted us to do as a top six unit, to score all the runs, and at the moment we’ve been doing that and I think a lot of that has to do with the way we played in England as well.”Warner has struck another note of cautiousness in recent times, declining consistently to take first strike after a pair of cheap dismissals when doing so in the West Indies before the Ashes. In England, it was Chris Rogers facing up to the opening over, and so far here, Joe Burns has done likewise. Commonly referred to as the aggressor and the provocateur, Warner is evolving into something else: the pragmatist.”I think statistically something came up the other day about me facing only a certain amount of first balls so that hasn’t even come into my mind actually, I might have to think about that,” he said. “But nah, it’s just what I do. I just go out there and I think I have learnt from a lot of other experienced opening batters around the world, to just give the other person the first ball.”

ScorecardThe Lions eased to a 68-run victory over Zimbabwe in their Standard Bank Pro20 match at the Wanderers on Thursday. It was the hard-hitting of Vaughn van Jaarsveld and the wonderful new-ball bowling of Cliff Deacon that set up such a comfortable win, the Lions scoring 158 for 5 and then bowling Zimbabwe out for just 90.Deacon’s swing back into the batsmen was a potent tool and Zimbabwe lost their way early on as they crashed from 25 for 1 to 29 for 5 in the space of three overs. Deacon, a left-arm swing bowler, finished with fine figures of 4 for 15 and after his top-order demolition job there was no more hope of Zimbabwe registering their second victory in this year’s competition. Stuart Matsikenyeri delayed the rout with 32 off 27 balls, but there was no other resistance from the Zimbabwe batsmen.It was Van Jaarsveld who provided the Lions innings with a late surge, biffing five sixes in his 65 not out off just 37 balls in a top-class display of power hitting. Justin Ontong had motored to 35 off 27 balls to see the Lions to a solid start. Keith Dabengwa, the left-arm spinner, was the most successful Zimbabwe bowler with 2 for 34 as he bowled both Alviro Petersen (19) and Stephen Cook (22). But he was not the most impressive of their attack: Prosper Utseya conceded just 23 runs in his four overs.Zimbabwe were sluggish in the field, whereas the Lions had a pair of fielding stars in Deacon and Blake Snijman, who shared five outstanding boundary catches between them. The Zimbabweans will be cursing their poor batting displays in their last two matches after starting the campaign with a victory over the Eastern Cape Warriors in Port Elizabeth.
ScorecardAn all-round performance by Roelof van der Merwe helped the Titans to a convincing 31-run victory against the Warriors at Willowmoore Park in Benoni. van de Merwe hammered 66 off 30 balls, took 3 for 41 with his left-arm spin to lead his side’s domination in the tournament.Walking in at the end of the first over after the Titans opted to bat first, van de Merwe dominated a stand of 82 with Gulam Bodi, slamming ten fours and two sixes in just over half-an-hour at the crease. After Bodi’s dismissal with the score at 98 for 3, Francois du Plessis and Albie Morkel took control and added 43 in 4.3 overs before Wayne Parnell accounted for du Plessis. Morkel and Farhaan Behardien then combined to push the score past 170.The Warriors top order failed to convert their starts as Morkel and Ethy Mbhalati took early wickets to reduce them to 49 for 4. du Plessis, the legspinner, claimed two wickets in as many balls in his first over to sinks the opposition further. Davey Jacobs top scored with 33 off 24 balls before falling to van de Merwe in the 16th over. By then, the score read 118 for 8 and the target proved way out of reach for the lower order. du Plessis finished with 3 24, the best figures of the match.

Umpire Gerard Abood became the first on-field official to wear head protection in an Australian fixture during Melbourne Renegades’ Big Bash League fixture against Perth Scorchers on Wednesday.Abood said he had been weighing up protection for some time due to the increased power in the modern game. “I’ve had close shaves in the past, a couple have been real tight and they weigh on your mind,” Abood told the Cricket Australia website. “I thought, ‘What needs to happen before we do put one on?’ I’d rather put one on just before I get hit than just after.”The T20 game has evolved to the stage where guys are practising specifically whacking balls as hard as they can and it’s just coming off faster and faster. As far as I’m concerned, it has just reached the point where it makes sense on every level, we’re only 24 yards from the bat and if it’s coming back at us pretty quickly there’s not a hell of lot of time to move.”Abood wore a black Masuri batting helmet, but Cricket Australia, the ECB and ICC are working together to design umpire-specific protective gear.Abood’s move comes after his compatriot John Ward was struck on the head during a Ranji Trophy fixture between Punjab and Tamil Nadu on December 1. Pashchim Pathak, the Indian umpire who was stood at square leg when Ward – who is still recovering from concussion – was struck, had also recently worn head protection. In November 2014, Israeli umpire Hillel Awasker died after being hit by a ball during a match in Ashdod.

He’s been around for close to 18 years, in a career spanning 124 Tests, but Anil Kumble had no hesitation in calling the victory at Perth as his “best win ever”. He felt his side had adapted better to the conditions but said it was more satisfying because of what had gone on before.Kumble, it must be mentioned, wasn’t part of the historic triumph in Kolkata in 2001 but put this win ahead of other memorable contests from the past. He also added that his team now had the claim to being the second best side in the world. “It’s right at the top,” he said when asked to place this win in context. “It’s not just overseas but when I look back at wherever I was involved, both home and away, it’s right up there. Definitely, I think we have competed well with Australia. It’s important we take this momentum forward and square the series.”The most important thing – after what had happened in Sydney – was to play good cricket. We wanted to show that the Indian cricket team is a good Test unit. Even in Sydney, we put in a good effort but didn’t get the result that we wanted. What’s heartening is that we’ve shown that in what’s regarded as the home turf for Australia.”It’s been close to 11 years since Australia last lost a Test in Perth and few gave India a chance when they got here. Kumble, though, felt his side had read the conditions perfectly. “We came fully prepared what to expect,” he said. “Maybe people had other things in their mind but we knew that this was not that kind of a quick, bouncy track. It was important to pitch the ball up and swing it. We did that. And the batsmen stood up to all the challenges that came their way.”Did he have any hesitation about batting first on this surface? “Not really. We have the quality and experience in the team,” he said. “There are four [players] with more than 100 Tests and others who have been around for a while. It’s important we all got together and played good cricket. It was important we batted first on this pitch and knew if we put runs on the board, we could apply pressure on the Aussies.”What made this win even more astonishing is that it came on the back of a serious crisis. The mercury levels had risen after the Sydney Test and there was speculation that the tour was in doubt. Within a few days though, especially after India dropped the charge against Brad Hogg, it was clear they wanted to move on. “We were determined to win much before even Melbourne,” he said, “but it was important we stuck together in the week in Sydney and Canberra.”Going to Canberra was probably a good thing for us,” he said. “We were away from everybody. We did discuss how we’re going to go forward, how to play as a team. That’s when we had decided we’ll concentrate on cricket. We focussed all our efforts into concentrating on this game. I did discuss it individually and also collectively. I’m delighted they all came together. We needed to think positively and the kind of bonding we had is special.”Would he put the Indo-Australian rivalry ahead of India-Pakistan, especially given the recent contests? “It’s very difficult to take away the kind of equation we have in India-Pakistan [matches]. But India-Australia is about the kind of cricket that is played. At Sydney the game went right down to the wire, probably [till the] last five minutes, and here too. The thing when you play a side like Australia is you need to keep the intensity right throughout the game.”

Every number 10 batsman dreams of pulling off a shock win, of hitting up a storm in the latter stages of a run chase to elevate his team from the depths of despair to the dizzying heights of victory. On Thursday, Douglas Anthony Marillier lived out that dream in full-blooded glory.With Zimbabwe chasing 275, Marillier played one of the most incredible one-day innings ever seen. They would have been rejoicing in Harare, Bulawayo and all over Zimbabwe as Marillier scripted one of the most remarkable one-day wins of all time. He brazenly stole the thunder from a marauding Indian side at Faridabad on a pleasant Thursday evening, pulling off the unthinkable with two balls to spare and winning by just one wicket.Walking in to bat with Zimbabwe well and truly on the mat at 210/8 in the 45th over, Marillier made merry with some memorable shots to stand tall and strong on an unbeaten 56 off just 24 balls. What made his heroics all the more incredible was the fact that he ruthlessly punished the best of the bowlers on the day – Zaheer Khan. For a country that has had little to celebrate of late, this amazing win will be something to cherish for a long time to come.Beating India on their home soil is not an easy task, although admittedly the fickle nature of one-day cricket makes the job somewhat easier. But after the dismissals of Andy Flower and Alistair Campbell, Zimbabwe never looked like winning until Marillier took over with his unique style of strokeplay, scooping the ball over the wicket-keeper’s head numerous times for four. The 23-year-old right-hander surely added a new term to the cricket vocabulary – “The Dougie shot.”Earlier in the day, Sourav Ganguly won the toss and decided to bat first on a track that promised runs by the ton. Dinesh Mongia (25 off 24 balls) and Ganguly gave India a brisk start before the former was caught off an inside edge by Tatenda Taibu off Heath Streak. Ganguly and VVS Laxman then added 77 runs in 14.3 overs, the partnership being broken only when Ganguly (57 off 70 balls) was brilliantly stumped by Taibu off Marillier. The Indian skipper, no doubt full of confidence after his Test century, smashed two sixes and half-a-dozen boundaries in his commanding knock.Rahul Dravid (23) was trapped in front of the wicket by Grant Flower (10-0-31-1), easily the pick of Zimbabwe’s bowlers. Laxman played his patented silken drives through cover and the wristy whips through mid-wicket, signs that India will interpret hopefully as a return to form. The stylish Hyderabadi batsman made 75 off 99 balls with five boundaries before Mohammad Kaif mis-called during a run. Laxman ended up at Kaif’s end, tragically run out.India further lost their way as Sanjay Bangar (0) and Ajay Ratra (6) departed in quick succession. It took a whirlwind knock from Ajit Agarkar (40 off 19 balls) to propel India to a score of 274 in 50 overs. Agarkar played some rousing shots, punishing some wayward Zimbabwe bowling and carting the ball to all parts of the ground. He hit one mighty six off Streak over mid-wicket and also struck six fours in his quick-fire knock. Kaif too played a good hand, scoring 39 off 45 deliveries. The two batsmen put together an unbeaten stand of 63 runs in just 6.2 overs.Zimbabwe could not have gotten off to a worse start during their chase of 275. Zaheer Khan picked up the wickets of Craig Wishart (1) and pinch-hitter Travis Friend (7) early to send Zimbabwe reeling at 21/2. It was the old firm of Campbell and Flower that defied the Indian attack, the two senior batsmen adding 111 runs for the third wicket and putting the run chase back on track.Flower was at his usual best, playing the smart sweep shots, the orthodox and the reverse. The senior Flower struck two huge sixes and eight boundaries to score 71 off just 72 balls before dragging a ball from Anil Kumble back on to his stumps. Zaheer was brought back into the attack, and he duly sent back skipper Stuart Carlisle (23) and Campbell (84 off 113 balls). Campbell was looking particularly dangerous, striking seven fours before being trapped lbw by Zaheer.Zimbabwe found themselves in something of a quagmire when Harbhajan Singh removed Grant Flower (2) and Heath Streak (1) in the space of four balls. The visitors were in a hopeless position in the 45th over on 210/8 before Marillier decided to come to the party. He proceeded to take 20 runs off Zaheer Khan’s ninth over, improvising in stunning manner and using the scoop “Dougie” shot over the wicket-keeper’s head to great effect. He also hit one huge six over square leg in the same over, easing the pressure considerably.Marillier and Taibu put on 42 runs in just 3.2 overs, but a shocking decision by the umpire sent back Taibu, supposedly caught behind. Ajay Ratra’s appeal aimed only to distract the umpire from calling an obvious wide, but it succeeded in getting rid of the batsman.With 23 runs required off the last two overs, Marillier was at his best against Zaheer in the 49th over, playing repeatedly over the keeper’s head for easy runs and making a mockery of the field placements. Zaheer’s bowling figures stood completely wrecked, going from 8-2-15-4 to 10-2-47-4.Marillier struck two more boundaries in the 50th over, bowled by Kumble (9.4-0-70-1), to register the most astonishing of one-day wins. Marillier remained unbeaten after an explosive innings punctuated with 10 boundaries and the huge six. Gary Brent remained unbeaten on one, an admiring first-row spectator to the whirlwind that held centre-stage at the other end.

The push for an international window to stage the Indian Premier League is growing with Cricket Australia signalling its willingness to join talks about rearranging the ICC’s Future Tours Programme. The board has yet to release its players, including the soon-to-be-retired Adam Gilchrist, for the inaugural tournament in April amid concerns over protection of its sponsors.There are high-level negotiations between Cricket Australia and the IPL, who are demanding the Australians sign by Sunday or miss out, over this year’s event, but future series of the Twenty20 competition may experience fewer set-up problems. Paul Marsh, the Australian Cricketers’ Association chief executive, has suggested the six-week international break and the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations also supports the move.James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, is now ready to debate the merits of the idea, which if implemented would keep the players happy. The issue is likely to come up when the chief executives of the game’s major countries meet next week in Kuala Lumpur.”James Sutherland is willing to participate in discussion and debate about creating a window in the Future Tours Programme so players can play in the IPL, as long as it is a window that recognises the genuine interests of the FTP and all ten ICC nations,” the Cricket Australia public affairs manager Peter Young told the Sydney Morning Herald. “We are still of the view that [the contract disagreement] is capable of resolution. It’s going to be tough, but we believe we can get through.”Jason Gillespie, who will be for sale to a franchise in the player auction on February 20, supports the idea of a Test and ODI break. “It’s certainly worth considering as this thing will really take off,” Gillespie said in the Herald Sun. “It’s a positive for the game and I think administrators are embracing Twenty20.”The amounts on offer from the IPL for a six-week competition dwarf players’ national payments and have already led to complaints from some Australians about the board’s slow pace at solving the current problem. However, if Australia’s tour of Pakistan goes ahead the negotiations will have been redundant as the trip clashes with the tournament.

Bangladesh have drafted opening batsman Imrul Kayes into the squad for the Asia Cup in place of Tamim Iqbal, who has opted out due to the imminent birth of his first child. This is the only change from Bangladesh’s World T20 squad that was announced earlier this month.Imrul’s last international appearance for Bangladesh came at home against Zimbabwe last month in a four-match T20I series. He scored 1 and 18 in the third and fourth matches, which Zimbabwe won to level the series 2-2. He had made his comeback to the T20I squad against Zimbabwe in November after a gap of nearly four years. He had a successful run for Comilla Victorians in the Bangladesh Premier League 2015-16, finishing as the second-highest run-getter in the tournament with 312 runs in 12 matches at a strike rate of 114.70.The Asia Cup 2016 starts from February 19, with a qualifying round between Afghanistan, UAE, Hong Kong and Oman. The winner of the qualifying round will join the four Full Member teams in the region for the main draw which starts from February 24. Bangladesh play their first match of the tournament on February 24 against India.Bangladesh Asia Cup squad: Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), Shakib Al Hasan, Imrul Kayes, Mohammad Mithun, Mahmudullah, Mushfiqur Rahim, Soumya Sarkar, Sabbir Rahman, Nasir Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Al-Amin Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Arafat Sunny, Abu Hider, Nurul Hasan

Netherlands’s last-gasp fight to stay alive in the Intercontinental Cup begins tomorrow with their latest match against the UAE in Sharjah.Currently positioned fourth in the table on 34 points, Netherlands face a tall ask to stay in the race: they need to collect maximum points in their last remaining three matches if they’re to reach the final. Not even a draw will suffice.”There is no doubt that we need 60 points in the next three matches to reach the final and the countdown begins in Sharjah,” Jeroen Smits, the Netherlands captain, said. “To win this match, we need 20 UAE wickets which will not be easy because of different conditions and the UAE will not be an easy opponent in its own backyard. But we have all that is required to win matches.”The situation is equally clear for UAE, though they don’t share the same hopes of qualifying for the final. Languishing at second-to-bottom, tomorrow’s game is their seventh and last of the tournament and they have only pride to play for.”Prior to the start of the tournament, I never thought we would go into this match playing for nothing more than pride. But if we are in this situation, it is because we have not played to our full talent and potential,” Saqib Ali, the UAE captain, said. “The team is disappointed to be in this situation but it will not stop us from playing hard cricket against the Netherlands. We will try to finish the tournament on a winning note and try to restore our battered pride and confidence.”There have been some exceptionally good individual performances but we have not been able to put together a performance which could win us matches,” Ali said. “Frankly speaking, our batters didn’t put enough runs on the board to allow the bowlers attack the opposition. But we are keen to finish the tournament with a good collective effort.”Netherlands’ prospects were dealt a blow, however, with the news that their legspinner, Mangesh Panchal, will miss out. Additionally, there is a doubt surrounding Pieter Seelaar’s availability. He was hit in the face by a bouncer in the last match against Namibia. “He will confirm his availability before the toss on Thursday,” Smits said, “but he took active part in the training sessions and I am confident that he will declare himself fit.”SquadsNetherlands (from): Jeroen Smits (capt), Peter Borren, Mudassar Bukhari, Daan van Bunge, Ryan ten Doeschate, Tom de Grooth, Maurits Jonkman, Muhammad Kashif, Alexei Kervezee, Geert Maarten Mol, Edgar Schiferli, Pieter Seelaar, Eric Szwarczynski, Bas Zuiderent.UAE (from): Saqib Ali (capt), Arshad Ali, Khurram Khan, Mohammad Tauqir, Nizel Fernandes, Shadeep Silva, Fahad Alhashmi, Shoaib Sarwar, Alawi Shukri, Indika Batuwitaarachchi, Naeemuddin Aslam, Ahmed Raza, Muhammed Aman Ali, Amjad Ali, Rashid Khan, Salman Farooq, Abdul Rehman and Vikranath Shetty.

The loss of some of the best Australian players in history has not convinced Michael Clarke that the side is about to slide. Clarke, who has been promoted to vice-captain for the West Indies tour following Adam Gilchrist’s retirement, believes the team will not suffer any falls.Australia leave for the West Indies at the weekend for a three-Test tour and the squad carries a new look after the departures of Warne, McGrath, Gilchrist, Langer, Martyn and Hogg over the past two years. “Australia is playing as well as ever,” Clarke, who was part of the 2-1 Test win and CB Series loss to India, told the Sydney Morning Herald. “Our squad is as good as it has ever been. We have definitely lost a few great players in the last two years, but people come and go and the game stays the same.”The wicketkeeper Brad Haddin has come into the outfit and is in line for his Test debut while Stuart MacGill is back following wrist surgery. The bowlers Ashley Noffke, Beau Casson and Doug Bollinger have also been recruited for the Caribbean trip.”The new guys that have come in have put their hands up and a lot of the guys are looking forward to fulfilling their potential to do well,” Clarke said. “Both Ricky Ponting and I are excited for what is ahead for the Australian team.”After leading the side in the Twenty20 internationals last season, Clarke has now assumed more Test responsibility and will work as an intermediary between the newer members and Ponting. “I am 27 years of age,” he said. “I know all the young guys and they can come to me.”Clarke did not join some of his older team-mates in India for the IPL and his main travel during the international break involved a visit to the United States with his fiance Lara Bingle. His father Les has Hodgkin’s disease and being with family was more important than extra Twenty20 games after a busy summer.”I made the decision for my body and to spend time with my dad,” he said. “It was really nice to be able to spend some time with my family and Lara – it was fantastic for both of us to spend some time together before I headed off on this tour.”Clarke said he felt it was important to get away from the game and the limelight. “I really needed it,” he said. “I love cricket, but at times it can feel like being stuck in a garage and I wanted to get back to that place where you are so keen to get back into it.”He said he now feels fresh and he was full of enthusiasm at the start of Australia’s pre-tour camp in Brisbane on Monday. “It’s great to be back with all the boys,” he said, “and I’m really enjoying some outdoor cricket training.”

The grand final between the two teams commenced amidst a packed house. The spectators must have enjoyed every minute of the game, but the result was one sided. Though it was unusual for Pakistan to surrender, they did so today.Bating first South Africa did not have a promising start losing 2 wickets for only 29 runs on the board. Gary Kirsten and Nicky Boje later succeeded in picking up the score and raising it to 70 in 15 overs, when the game was suspended on account of rain.On resumption the match was reduced to 35 overs each, thus prompting the players to score fast. As a result 40 runs were added in 5 overs. The rate of scoring going up created lot of excitement for the spectators. South Africa lost 3 wickets for 126 with Gary Kirsten having scored a marvelous 62 and Nicky Boje hoisting 50 in 36 deliveries.With full consideration of the reduced innings South Africa was trying to score the maximum runs. The batsmen at the crease were hitting all over the ground with a grand exhibition of slogging too. Pakistan’s poor fielding enabled them to pile up runs. Having survived a lot of chances, the Proteas were 152 for 6, eventually ending up the innings at 197 for 7. Daryll Cullinan remained unbeaten with a valuable contribution of 31 runs. Kabir Khan and Abdur Razzaq claimed 2 wickets each.Though the Proteas had scored 197 runs, the Umpires gave Pakistan a target of 215 runs in 35 overs to win. With a rain soaked pitch and wet atmosphere it was not an easy target.Pakistan opened with Imran Nazir and Saleem Elahi and lost the 1st wicket at 7, when Imran Nazir was out. He was followed on his trail by Yousuf Youhana rendering Pakistan to 33 for 2. Saleem Elahi who showed some courage to stay was trapped LBW for a useful 26 bringing down Pakistan to 44 for 3.All hopes now rested on the great pair of Saeed Anwar and Ijaz Ahmed but a good bowling – fielding combination of the Proteas did not let them flourish. Saeed Anwar was out after scoring a brilliant 24, while Abdur Razzaq and Azhar Mahmood followed him quick reducing Pakistan to a miserable 76 for 6.With the mountain of a target ahead, the players had lost heart and the spirit to fight. Ijaz Ahmed was the only batsman capable of pulling the team out of crisis but it was not a one man’s job. He was out after scoring a valuable 31 rendering Pakistan to 102 for 7. Rest was the matter of time. With no intentions to fight, the whole team was out for 121 runs in 28 overs.South Africa thus defeated Pakistan by 93 runs to win the Trophy. For his excellent all round performance Nicky Boje was declared Man of the Match.It was a very poor display of cricket by Pakistan. The players some how, did not have their heart in the game. Contrary to their previous performance they lacked the fighting spirit. South Africa certainly deserved to win. They gave a masterly performance to cause Pakistan’s demolition in less than the lesser quota of overs. Well done Proteas.