1st A Team ODI: South Africa A vs Cricket Web A
at Port Elizabeth
Scorecard
Ball By Ball
An incredibly feeble collapse to Dale Steyn and Charl Langeveldt sent Cricket Web A into a four-run defeat at Port Elizabeth, despite belligerent batting from Armstrong, Towns and de Silva which should have easily secured victory chasing a reasonable target.
Opting to bowl first seemed a solid choice as neither Alviro Petersen nor Morne van Wyk could force the pace, leaving the South Africans at a precarious position of 41 for two at the end of the thirteenth over. However, Jacques Rudolph and Boeta Dippenaar steadied the innings, milking poor deliveries from Gelman and Richards in the middle overs. Neither were asked to bowl their full quota, Gelman's seven costing more than six an over despite having van Wyk caught, but Fuller, Dunn and Rose restored respectability towards the close with quick, moving balls. Rudolph reached a 97-ball ton, then nibbed one back to Rose, while captain McKenzie avoided the crash with a steady 10 not out to propel South Africa A to 242 for four.
Jasotharan failed to settle against the moving ball, and it was Towns who had to play the role of wrecker-in-chief, notching up four boundaries and a run-a-ball 32 before Morne Morkel's quicker one rattled Jasotharan's off stump. Steyn recovered from a poor opening spell to take the wicket of Towns in the eighteenth over, but the team kept the required rate below five, with de Silva's and Armstrong's partnership of 55 a particular highlight. Once again, it was Steyn who broke the deadlock, with the help of a fielder as Armstrong was run out for 72. Captain Smith was then yorked for 0, and after de Silva slogged out to McKenzie (having hit two sixes and two one-bounce fours), the Webheads required 17 to win off 36 balls with four wickets in hand.
With Gelman fending a quick one away to backward square for three, the target was cut to 13 off 33. Fuller gave him the strike, and another desperate fend was matched by an equally desperate dive; Steyn snitched the ball just inches off the ground, and in the next over, Langeveldt's outswinger was well held by van Wyk, who dived across first slip to take it. Still, only eight was required to win, with two wickets in hand. That turned to one as Richards' second ball faced was fended back to Steyn - Dunn held out four balls, then gave Rose the strike, and an unwise two cut the target to five. However, Dunn had to face Langeveldt's swing instead of Steyn's bounce, and on the second ball stuck his bat out, got another outside edge, and was well taken by van Wyk. South Africa A got out of gaol; Cricket Web will be pondering the state of their much-vaunted lower order.
South Africa A 242 for four (50 overs)
JA Rudolph 100, HH Dippenaar 85*
Cricket Web A 238 all out (47.2 overs)
GAJ Armstrong 72, DP Towns 47; DW Steyn 4-52, CK Langeveldt 3-58
South Africa A won by four runs
Man of the Match: J. A. Rudolph (South Africa A)
