Super Shah stars to stun South Africa
Sun Sep 27 10:37PM
Owais Shah banished memories of shoddy run-outs and sloppy dismissals with an audacious 98 to send hosts South Africa crashing out of the Champions Trophy. Awarding a man-of-the-match proved to be an arduous task as the Proteas skipper Graeme Smith produced a typically savage innings of 141 as his side fell 22 runs short of England's 323.
England's batsmen have often been criticised for adopting the burglar's approach to batting of 'get in, get out', but this time Shah and Paul Collingwood kicked on.
Indeed Shah narrowly missed out on becoming a centurion at Centurion as he was dismissed two runs shy, but the much-derided batsman helped bring England their first ever win at the ground.
If there was any disdain left to be dealt, Eoin Morgan obliged with an enterprising and destructive 67 off just 34 balls - a knock which would have made Ally 'fetch that' Brown look positively pedestrian.
Collingwood was typically understated in his 82 as he and Shah dished out a drubbing to Dale Steyn and co - the sort usually reserved for JP Duminy's off spin.
Morgan struck five sixes, bettered only by Shah's six maximums, as England notched up the second highest total in Champions Trophy history. That is really saying something.
The squatty left-hander's blitzkrieg was emphatic as boundaries were plundered on a deck so flat it must have been tended to by motorway maintenance.
Earlier, Matt Prior was taken ill after a six-hour stint on the local biltong, with Morgan forced to stand-in behind the stumps while Ravi Bopara was awarded a ridiculously premature recall.
Andrew Strauss predictably won his 12th toss in 14 matches to preserve his formidable record with the coin in hand, while Smith was typically bullish in response. The SA skipper talked at length with such conviction about batting second, you wondered whether he had already released his new book: 'Chasing at Centurion'.
Mark Boucher - the veteran wicket-keeper with more records in his locker than Paul Gambaccini - snaffled a stunner of a catch to send Strauss packing, but England were unusually unfazed.
Shrill screams went up around the ground as Shah stuttered, stammered and scrambled through the wickets, but he batted with Matthew Hayden-esque authority to dominate when stationary at the crease.
As Shah bristled with positive intent, Albie Morkel decked the batsman with two vicious beamers which had England's number three taking evasive action in the manner of an extra out of Platoon.
Collingwood took out a blonde woman in the crowd with a hoik over midwicket, but crucially the lady in question did not spill her pint as three sixes were bludgeoned off successive overs.
South Africa knew that they required a heavy-handed, Ronseal-decking approach to their innings with Smith just the man to lead from the front.
AB de Villiers was handed a reprieve after he slashed wildly outside his off stump with Collingwood doing a Monty 'crocodile jaws' Panesar impersonation.
Shah followed suit with an impression of himself at long-on as he gave Smith a second life, with umpire Tony Hill handing him a third after rejecting a plumb LBW appeal from James Anderson.
Jacques Kallis has reportedly been on a strict diet of late, but the Ryvita/cottage cheese combo did little to help his batting as he trudged back to the shed for 12.
Indeed, when the Baywatch theme tune accompanied Kallis's solitary boundary, you were left feeling pretty relieved that the portly all-rounder did not believe his own press.
One side note upon which Cowers does not wish to dwell is the unfortunate bout of cramp sustained by Smith. The lumberjack batsman proceeded to whinge incessantly to Strauss and the two umpires in order to bring in the jet-heeled De Villiers as a runner, but the England captain held firm.
Strauss has long been accused of being too nice, too posh and too clean-cut, but he proved he was no walk-over as he instructed Smith to take his guard and pipe down.
South Africa now have to face the ignominy of leaving their own party shame-faced, while England have secured their place in the semi-finals with an efficiency belying their preparations.
SHOT OF THE DAY: Steyn reached his highest score in limited-overs cricket upon thrashing a four over long-on with an uncompromising carve. His previous best was six and, as the big screen acknowledged the feat, a huge roar went up around the ground to greet it, with the tail-ender left looking very sheepish.
STAT OF THE DAY: South Africa recorded the highest score for a side batting second in a floodlit one-day international - that, of course, will be scant consolation.
USER COMMENT OF THE DAY: "Shame about Luke Wright being dismissed for backing up too far. That is a ruddy awful way to get out: nearly as bad as being given out leg-before by the square-leg umpire!" (John)
Brilliant team effort. Shah, Colly, Morgan, Anderson absolutely top notch.
From soul.limbo on Sun Sep 27 10:43PMAnderson showed up Broad this time. His spell at the end was awesome.
From parksfields on Sun Sep 27 10:51PMQuality stuff from the boys and I like the bit on here about Smith. No one should ever get a runner for cramp and that was just a poor excuse.
From whiteroseyorks on Sun Sep 27 10:53PMCan anyone tell me why Shah has been criticised so much? Apart from running like a **** he seems a very good batsman to me.
From whiteroseyorks on Sun Sep 27 10:56PMGet in the bag boys! What a performance from Strauss and the lads - we are going to win this thing and prove everyone wrong!
From garyplatt7 on Sun Sep 27 10:57PMI agree about Smith. The way he was moaning was embarrassing after all it was only cramp. He would have been the last captain to give a batsman a runner in those circumstances so fair play to Strauss!!!!!
From perfectparfit on Sun Sep 27 10:58PMYou're right 'yorky' especially as they wanted to get De Villiers on to run instead - why not Bolt while they're at it?! Mind you, they let us bring on a sub for Shah as he was rubbish in the field so we can't talk.
From jiveman5 on Sun Sep 27 10:58PMSlogathon.
From shepdavid on Mon Sep 28 01:05AMhate to say it, but very poor form for strauss for mine. smith is one of the most honest and respected captains in world cricket. if he claimed to have serious cramp he probably did. how many batsmen with cramp have been given runners? first rejection i have seen in memory (for a player obviously not carrying an injury into a game). anyway it is not as though he is that unmobile between the crease normally, as we saw earlier in his innings (and as you seem to imply).
but what makes it bad in my eyes is that, yet again, an obviously uninjured england player who also happens to be englands worst fieldsmen (ie, shah) gets more extended 'toilet' breaks. this has been happening for some time in english cricket, and when teams complain about it you the english press say they are 'whingeing'. in this case, the decision to deny smith smacks of double standards.
i doubt youd be saying ponting is 'no walk over' if he had denied a runner for strauss when he is the last recognised batsmen in.
From coslb on Mon Sep 28 07:47AMthis article is about Shah, not Smith who has to accept an umpires decision. But as for Shah, good innings but not MOM, that should definitely have gone to Smith - whingeing or not - he hit a magnificent innings.
From bmush_uk on Mon Sep 28 09:21AMsorry, youre right, this is not about smith.
but since you state 'cramp is not an injury and no one should get a runner for that' perhaps i should shift your attention to englands second odi against india last year at indore, when prior opened the batting for england with a runner for what reason? cramp!!
'If England bat second then anyone who is prone to cramp should drop down the order. An opening bat should either build a long innings or have a dart for 20 overs. Not helped by Bell's early run out, Prior did reasonably well here but ran out of steam employing a runner when simply struggling with cramp.' (website: nothirdman)as i said, gross double standards, and strauss would be best advised to not throw stones in a glasshouse.
From coslb on Mon Sep 28 09:58AMIf it was cramp. Why didn't Smith bring on the Physio. Surely a few minutes rub down and a salt tablet would have helped put things right.
From overspin1 on Mon Sep 28 10:20AMhe did bring on the physio.
From coslb on Mon Sep 28 11:00AM
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