Cullinan and Cronje finish off Pakistan

Cricket

Pakistan 242-6 South Africa 243-5 (South Africa win by 5 wkts)

South Africa, lifted by a crucial half-century from Daryll Cullinan, beat the World Cup holders, Pakistan, by five wickets in their Group B match in Karachi yesterday.

With South Africa needing 243 to win, Cullinan came in after two wickets went in quick succession to the fast bowler Waqar Younis, following an opening stand of 51 in eight overs between Andrew Hudson and Gary Kirsten.

Cullinan blended dashing strokeplay with disciplined defence to make 65 and, with his captain Hansie Cronje proving a staunch ally, steered his team to 203 before he was fifth out. Cronje stayed to finish the job with an unbeaten 45 as South Africa scored 243 for 5 off 44.2 overs to stay top of the group with four wins out of four.

Pakistan had earlier scored 242 for 6 in their 50 overs, with Aamir Sohail making an emphatic return to form with a fine 111. The opener, heavily criticised by the local media after making five and nine against the United Arab Emirates and the Netherlands respectively, reached three figures off 129 deliveries.

An overjoyed Cronje praised his openers for their brisk start but he singled out the performance of 19-year-old Paul Adams, who took one for 42 in his first match in the tournament. "It was a risk to play him," said Cronje, "but Adams is a player for the big occasion.

Wasim said his players were "down" after the defeat, adding: "We misread the pitch. "I thought it might have done more.We all make mistakes."

(Pakistan won toss)

PAKISTAN

Aamir Sohail c Cronje b Pollock 111

Saeed Anwar c McMillan b Cronje 25

Ijaz Ahmed lbw b Cronje 0

Inzamam-ul-Haq run out 23

Salim Malik c Palframan b Adams 40

*Wasim Akram not out 32

Rashid Latif lbw b Matthews 0

Ramiz Raja not out 2

Extras (b1, lb2, w4, nb2) 9

Total (for 6, 50 overs) 242

Fall: 1-52, 2-52, 3-112, 4-189, 5-233, 6-235.

Did not bat: Mushtaq Ahmed, Waqar Younis, Saqlain Mushtaq.

Bowling: Pollock 9-0-49-1; Matthews 10-0-47-1; Cronje 5-0-20-2; Donald 8-0-50-0; Adams 10-0-42-1; McMillan 8-0-31-0.

SOUTH AFRICA

A C Hudson b Waqar Younis 33

G Kirsten b Saqlain Mushtaq 44

B N McMillan lbw b Waqar Younis 1

D J Cullinan b Waqar Younis 65

J H Kallis c & b Saqlain Mushtaq 9

*W J Cronje not out 45

S M Pollock not out 20

Extras (b8, lb4, w6, nb8) 26

Total (for 5, 44.2 overs) 243

Fall: 1-51, 2-53, 3-111, 4-125, 5-203.

Did not bat: S J Palframan, C R Matthews, A A Donald, P R Adams.

Bowling: Wasim Akram 9.2-0-49-0; Waqar Younis 8-0-50-3; Mushtaq Ahmed 10-0-54-0; Aamir Sohail 6-0-35-0; Saqlain Mushtaq 10-1-38-2; Salim Malik 1-0-5-0.

Umpires: S A Bucknor and K T Francis.

The Zimbabwean umpire Ian Robinson was withdrawn from the match after objections from Pakistan. They gave no reason for their objection to Robinson, who was involved in a controversial incident with former Pakistan captain Salim Malik last year.

Surrey have won the race to sign the South African Test all-rounder Brian McMillan.McMillan, the Western Province player, has been given a two-year contract, worth around pounds 100,000.

World Cup

update

YESTERDAY

GROUP A: Kenya bt West Indies by 73 runs. Kenya 166; West Indies 93 (at Nehru stadium, Poona, India).

P W L T NR Pts RR

Sri Lanka 3 3 0 0 0 6 1.63

Australia 3 2 1 0 0 4 1.13

India 3 2 1 0 0 4 0.56

W Indies 4 1 3 0 0 2 -0.27

Kenya 4 1 3 0 0 2 -0.50

Zimbabwe 3 1 2 0 0 2 -0.83

GROUP B: South Africa bt Pakistan by five wickets. Pakistan 242 for 6 (Aamir Sohail 111); South Africa 243 for 5 (D J Cullinan 65) (at National stadium, Karachi, Pakistan).

P W L T NR Pts RR

S Africa 4 4 0 0 0 8 1.76

N Zealand 4 3 1 0 0 6 0.94

Pakistan 3 2 1 0 0 4 1.24

England 4 2 2 0 0 4 0.14

Neth 3 0 3 0 0 0 -1.92

UAE 4 0 4 0 0 0 -2.53

TODAY

GROUP A: Australia v Zimbabwe (at Vidarbha Association ground, Nagpur, India). TV: Sky Sports: Live 03.15-11.30.

GROUP B: Netherlands v United Arab Emirates (at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, Pakistan). TV: Sky Sports: Live 11.30-17.00.

TOMORROW

GROUP A: India v Sri Lanka (at Feroz Shah stadium, Delhi). TV: Sky Sports: Live 03.15-11.30.