South Africa 221-7 (in 49 overs)

TRENT BRIDGE, JUNE 5: South Africa's depth and resolve overcame Pakistan's flawed brilliance in a seesaw battle that went down to the wire and produced a familiar hero.

No game is over as long as Lance Klusener has bat in hand. The man who decimated India in the first match, stole a game that Pakistan seemed to have wrapped up. Another bludgeoning innings at the death induced such panic in the Pakistan ranks that they made terrible mistakes, including a dropped catch off the winning hit, to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

It all seemed so unlikely when the ferocity of the Pakistani pace attack reduced the Springboks to tatters as they began chasing 220. Shoaib Akhtar, who had earlier seen Donald bowl within himself at 90 mph, steamed in at 95 mph and scorched a couple of South African batsmen. Pure speed did Gibbs in, caught at gully. Cronje, who has had a lean run, chose to bat at No 3 to counter the fire and lead from the front. Butagain, the pace of Shoiab's flier carried his swat to the third man boundary where Saqlain Mushtaq caught it well.

The two blows were a telling answer to South African coach Bob Woolmer's rather patronising comments about the Rawalpindi Express -- something to the effect that speed isn't everything and all one had to do is to put bat to ball.

The highly-rated Cullinan, who also has made no impression in this World Cup, went for nothing and when Jonty Rhodes failed to spark to make it 80-5, even South Africa's famed depth in batting looked inadequate.

Kallis held the innings together with a resolute half-century, till Klusener, the Executioner, took over. Pakistan's top order is proving to be a myth. Saeed Anwar is lovesick for the flatbeds of Sharjah, Wajahatullah Wasti looks a shade below top class, and Ijaz Ahmed is having a nightmare World Cup. It was written into today's script that Rhodes would run out Inzamam-ul-Haq.

A batting yeti if ever there was one, Inzamam is now certifiably the abominablerunner of world cricket. He lumbered to his 30th run out in career. The joke in their dressing room is that since Inzamam hails from Multan, where the temperature often touches 45 degrees centigrade, torpidity comes naturally to them. But as Geoff Boycott remarked glacially, one of these days, he will be asking his servants to run for him.

Two more run outs blotted the Pakistani scorebook, but as always, they clawed back.

Moin Khan came in with Pakistan facing rack and ruin, a familiar plight they have found themselves in all through the tournament with half the side down for hundred or thereabouts, bowlers choking the runs, and overs running out. How he conjures up those nifty dabs and meaty blows is something of a miracle which bowling sides have seen many times in One-dayers.

He produced 63, as precious as foreign exchange for his parlous country. Not even the return of the combative Donald and Pollock in the death overs stemmed his inventive genius as he masterminded the final assault and tookPakistan to a defendable total. England's Nick Knight rates him the world's most dangerous late order batsmen with, as it turned out, the possible exception of that man Lance.

Klusener trumps Khan might well be today's story, all other things being equal.

Super Six: Pakistan vs South Africa

PAKISTAN R B 4/6

Saeed Anwar c Boucher b Elworthy 23 37 2/0

Wajahatullah Wasti c Boucher b Donald 17 56 2/0

Abdur Razzaq c Kirsten b Elworthy 30 60 2/0

Ijaz Ahmed c Cullinan b Klusener 23 36 1/1

Inzamam-ul-Haq run out (Rhodes) 4 15 0/0

Yousuf Youhana run out (Klusener) 1 7 27 1/0

Moin Khan run out (Cronje/Boucher) 63 56 6/2

Azhar Mahmood not out 11 9 0/0

Wasim Akram not out 5 3 1/0

Extras (b4, lb8, w11) 23

Total (7 wickets, 49.5 overs) 216

Did not bat: Saqlain Mushtaq, Shoaib Akhtar.

Fall of wickets: 1-41 (Saeed Anwar, 13.2 ov), 2-58(Wajahatullah, 18.4 ov), 3-102 (Abdur Razzaq, 29.5 ov), 4-111 (Ijaz Ahmed, 32.3 ov), 5-118 (Inzamam-ul-Haq, 35.1 ov), 6-150 (Yousuf Youhana, 42.6 ov), 7-206 (Moin Khan, 48.5 ov).

Bowling: Pollock 9.5-1-38-0, Kallis 10-0-47-0 (7w), Donald 10-2-49-1 (2w), Elworthy 10-2-23-2 (1w), Klusener 9-0-41-1, Cronje 1-0-6-0 (1w).