Botswana scrape through over Sri Lanka

SANJAY GOEL
Correspondent | Monday November 8, 2010 00:00

Botswana also had a 15-run penalty awarded in the dying minutes for Sri Lanka's slow over-rate to thank for their victory. Needing only 10 runs to win at the end of the 28th over with only 2 wickets in hand, Botswana hung on to a defensive approach as Tshepo Mohzya and Kala Rakwadi fended the sheer pace of Namal Bandara.

The umpires, Jonathan Tosefsky and Ravi Angara rightly awarded the penalty to see Botswana home, a match which they should have won with ease. In this World Cup, Botswana has not faired so well and all the captain's men, importantly his batsmen, cannot put the pieces together again.

 Not until the players realise it is not a big score alone that wins one-day matches but rather those bits and pieces men, those who bowl a few overs economically and those who score the runs by gathering them in crucial phases of the match with tip and run tactics, who make a team what it is in instant cricket.

Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat. The first six overs of power play fetched 42 runs as opener Najaz cracked 5 boundaries. Captain James Moses brought himself into the attack and stopped the flow of runs together with young fast bowler Segolame Ramatu.

Sri Lanka lost its first wicket at 62 as Najaz was caught off Akram Chand for a well-made 35 off 32 balls. The Sri Lankan innings could not take off as one would have expected.

The batsmen preferred to play second fiddle and were perhaps bogged down to the profile of the strong Botswana team. They lost their ways as runs dried out. Only 46 runs each were scored between the 10th and the 20th over, and the 21st and 29th. 

The umpires had to penalise Botswana's slow over-rate for a second time in a row as Sri Lanka managed only 161/7 in 30 overs. Mokokwe finished with best bowling figures for Botswana with 6-0-21-3. On a turf wicket which saw 390 runs scored the previous night, the target appeared a piece of cake for Botswana. Amin Mehraj and Karabo Mothlanka gave a steady start scoring 29 off the first 5 overs when Karabo was caught behind off Ifam for 17 runs. James Moses joined Amin and took the score to a formidable 83/1 in 13 overs.

Sri Lanka were down, but not out. In a spirited fight back, Fawmy and Ifam got rid of Mehraj (33), Moses (20), Waseem Tajbhai (0) and Akrum Chand (1) as Botswana slumped to 90/5. Botswana had lost its advantage of a brilliant top order batting. Tshepo Mhozya and Michael Mokokwe started the repair work.

Mokokwe hit two scintillating 4s to take his score to 18 and in a partnership of 33 runs, scored 18 runs. Young Segolame joined Mhozya, who played a very responsible innings. Pushing and prodding and running the singles well. Segolame gave him a good stand, as Botswana inched towards the Sri Lankan score. Botswana needed to run a ball at the end of the 25th over.

Nine runs came off the 26th over. In the first ball of the 27th, Segolame was clean bowled by Namal Bandara for 7, and Mosa Gaolekwe joined Mhozya. The two Botswana national team bowling partners, who had wrecked many innings playing for Eagles CC this year, had a different agenda for now. They had to take their team home.

Mosa gave all the support to Mhozya and as the two inched towards the 15 runs' deficit, Mosa was run out for 5, leaving Kala Raakwadi to dot the next three balls on the score sheet as Botswana scraped home with a 15-run penalty. Tshepo remained not out with 24. All said and done, it must be said that team Botswana batted superbly in the end to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Michael Mokokwe was declared the Man of the Match by match referee Altaf Raja for his all round performance.

Match summary:

Sri Lanka: 161/7 (30 overs)Botswana: 167/8 (30 overs)Botswana won by 2 wickets.Man of the Match: Michael Mokokwe (Botswana).

Pakistan ties with South Africa

Meanwhile in the Friday night game, South Africa came from behind and tied their game with Pakistan in a high-scoring match.

Pakistani batsmen Shahbaz Ali (40), Farrukh Abbasi (59) Aqlaq Raja (35) and Zain Abbasi (28) took the Pakistan score to 195/ 6 in their allocated 30 overs. Five South African bowlers shared the bowling honours as they always do.

South Africa's opening Botsman, the left-handed Charl Kleinepunte batted superbly for his 39 off 41 balls and with Mobeen Elyas took the score to 85/1 in 14 overs.

After losing Kleinepunte, South Africa played with caution but kept losing wickets at regular intervals. At 138/5 in the 23rd over, the SA fans could merely cheer up their team for a win. In moved Gujarat captain Imran Pathan to the crease.

As captain Gabriel French was out in the next over for a well made 24 with 2 fours, Charles Van Zyl joined Imran.Needing 49 runs off the next 5 overs, the batsmen made most of the next two overs getting 19 runs off them.

he 3 over batting power play was taken at the end of the 27th over and needing exactly 30 runs to win, Imran kept going with some sensible batting. Needing now only 9 in the last over, a four off the second ball tilted the equation in favour of SA.

However, some spirited bowling by Zain Abbasi left SA to score a boundary off the last bowl. A cut to third man by Van Zyl lifted every person of the park at its feet, as the two batsmen scampered through for the third run, leaving the two teams tied with 1 point each.

Match summary:

Pakistan: 195/6 (30 overs)South Africa: 195/6 (30 overs)Match Tied.Man of the Match: Imran Pathan (South Africa) and Charl Kleinepunte (South Africa).