Calm Boje saves day with priceless knock

Sharjah - Pakistan, the world's most dangerous team, may have been without the "Rawalpindi Express" and Wasim Akram here on Friday night, but they thundered into South Africa nonetheless, nearly elbowing them off the tracks before Nicky Boje intervened with a priceless 35 not out to give South Africa a tense game by three wickets.

Despite Boje's intervention, it was a skittish win against an under-strength team and South Africa will need to up their game considerably if they are to threaten Pakistan again next week. Chasing 197 to win, the South African reply betrayed classic hallmarks of anxiety.

Herschelle Gibbs slashed a half-volley to Inzamam ul-Haq at first slip off the fifth ball of Waqar Younis's first over for a duck and Gary Kirsten, although combining in a second-wicket partnership of 44 with Jacques Kallis, never looked entirely comfortable against Younis's pace.

He attempted to steal the odd ill-judged single (often a sign of him feeling cramped) and when he was on 20 he angled a thick edge to Inzamam to take a fine catch at first slip. With Kallis at the wicket South African nerves need not have been frayed; he was very good square of the wicket - with brisk cover-drives and equally commanding flicks through midwicket - but when he was on 35, with the total on 69, he was beguiled by the swing of Abdur Razzaq to be caught behind.

Hansie Cronje came and went for 14 before Mark Boucher joined Neil McKenzie, for so long an observer in India until he was given a chance in Nagpur. McKenzie played really well, slapping a couple of memorable lofted drives off the spinners, Ashad Khan and Shoaib Malik, before getting his pads in the way of a Khan arm ball for 31.

Klusener reined in his impulse to have a dart at the spinners but was caught behind anyway for five and suddenly South Africa looked jittery at 136 for six. Mark Boucher and Boje steadied things at this point, both demonstrating their indomitable fighting spirit, before Boucher was caught and bowled by the newly-introduced Shahid Afridi for a gutsy 27.

Steve Elworthy was then bowled off a Razzaq no-ball as he and Boje were able to see things through to the end. Earlier, Pakistan sleepwalked their way to the slowest of possible starts, scoring 17 runs off the first 10 overs and 37 off the first 15.

Shaun Pollock was omitted from the South African side due to a minor cartilage strain, and the bowling was opened by Nantie Hayward and Kallis.

Hayward bowled an intelligent first spell, bowling a regular slower ball and generally bowling with pace and hostility. The initial breakthrough, however, came from the other end. Kallis was only given three early overs by his captain before being replaced by Elworthy, Wednesday night's man of the match.

Off his very first ball Elworthy induced Afridi to spoon a delivery into McKenzie's waiting hands in the covers and Pakistan seemed to be intent on repeating Thursday night's woeful batting performance against India.

Imran Nazir and Younis Khan then rose from their slumbers, and although they yawned a good deal along the way, they scraped together a 115-run second wicket partnership. What light there was in the darkness came largely from Nazir, Pakistan's top-scorer on Thursday night against India with 43.

Batting with a runner after being pegged on the hip by a ball from Elworthy, Nazir was bowled by a Klusener slower ball for 71, the second Pakistani wicket to fall and then Zulu engineered a substantial collapse which included the wickets of Moin Khan (0), Younis Khan (48) and Inzaman (7) caught down the leg-side by Boucher.

Later he yorked Yousuf Youhanna for 15 to wrap up a smart spell of bowling, as he got through an assortment of slower balls and teasers, preventing the Pakistanis from gathering any momentum at a stage when they needed to accelerate the scoring rate.

His final analysis was 10-0-47-5 and he was well supported by Makhaya Ntini (9-1-38-1) and Elworthy (10-1-43-1) as Younis (8) and Razzaq (23) momentarily threatened to catapult Pakistan beyond 200 but in the end fell four runs short.