New Zealand v South Africa, World Cup 2011, quarter-final, Mirpur

New Zealand stumble to 221 on slow track

South Africa attacked with spin and seam, shuffled their bowlers regularly like a pack of cards, and hustled on the field to keep a tight leash on New Zealand. Jesse Ryder and Ross Taylor were at the forefront of a revival from the depths of 16 for 2 but their departure in quick succession left New Zealand scrambling towards a below-par total on a slow track.

Carefully, almost mindful of a potential lower-order collapse on this pitch, Ryder and Taylor battled through. The odd boundary signalled growing comfort, but they never broke away decisively. A nervy equilibrium had been reached by the end of the 30th over with New Zealand reaching 112 for 2 and the game was waiting to be seized. New Zealand, however, weren't brave enough, or skilful enough, to take it. They made couple of weak-hearted attempts but only stumbled and stuttered.

Imran Tahir

First, it was Taylor, who raised New Zealand hopes with a slog-swept six off Peterson in the 32nd over but soon exited, falling to the same shot. He top-edged a slog sweep off Imran Tahir in the 33rd over to cue charged-up celebrations from the bowler.

Next, it was the turn of Scott Styris to flatter and deceive. He unfurled a lovely on driven four and a pulled boundary off Morne Morkel and lifted Johan Botha to the straight boundary to push New Zealand to 153 for 3 in the 38th over, but then fell, edging a slog on to his stumps against Morkel.

New Zealand sent in Kane Williamson and pressure escalated on Ryder to attack. Ryder tried but failed, top-edging a slog sweep off a delighted Tahir. With Ryder's exit New Zealand were on 157 for 5 by the 39th over and 250 went flying out of the window as they settled for a "decent" total. It was left to Williamson, who worked the angles with grunted pushes and punches, to lift New Zealand past 200. He lifted Robin Peterson for a six over long-on and punched Steyn to the extra cover boundary to give some joy to the New Zealand fans.

Credit must be given to South Africa, and Graeme Smith, who made innumerable bowling changes on this slow track. No bowler was exposed to any batsman for any length of period and barring Morkel, all the bowlers turned up with their A game. Morkel had an off day, struggling to find a nagging line or length and leaked almost six runs per over but redeemed himself somewhat by picking up a couple of wickets in the final overs.

It was Morkel who had allowed Ryder, and New Zealand, to break away initially at the start. Ryder made a scratchy start, playing too late on many deliveries, but broke free against Morkel, pulling and whiplashing him through the off side. Ryder also slapped Peterson for a couple of boundaries.

The back-lift was minimal, the foot movement was limited but precise, and the bat-speed increased tremendously whenever he unfurled those lashes through the off side. He brought up his fifty in the 22nd over and the hundred partnership with Taylor in the 30th over as New Zealand slowly moved towards a position of some comfort before it all went pear shaped.

Sriram Veera is a staff writer at ESPNcricinfo

The truth about Imran Tahir

The truth about Tahir

He fractured his thumb in the nets? That's what you think

NAGPUR - A thumb-wrestling match between Johan Botha and Imran Tahir turned violent here on Wednesday when the no-longer-future captain of South Africa fractured the thumb of the first Protea who has ever been able to spin a ball.

The two players were having lunch at the hotel where they are staying when Botha challenged Tahir to an apparently friendly duel, but things turned sour when Botha turned Tahir's thumb a bit too much and it resulted in a fracture.

"I mean, we thumb-wrestle in the team all the time. It's how we decide on things like who is going to open the bowling. So I didn't think much of it when Botha asked me to play," Tahir said.

Paul Harris

According to reports, Tahir playfully asked Botha whether he was worried about his place in the side. "I was just kidding. I didn't think he would take it so seriously, but he started pushing my thumb really, really hard and then I heard a crack and I had to be rushed to the medical staff."

Botha denied that his actions were out of jealously or panic that he could lose his side in the squad.

"I'm not worried about my place in the team. Tahir was brought to India to be our secret weapon. A secret weapon is only a secret weapon as long as nobody knows about it. Everybody knows about Tahir now. There are just a few sides left that need to play him and figure him out," Botha said.

"It's only a matter of time before everybody has figured him out. Then I can go back to baking pies and order will be restored to the South African line-up. We'll be without a useful spinner once again. So no panic or any malicious intent from my side at all."

According to reports, Kamran Akmal was the referee for the thumb-wrestling match and things got out of hand when he dropped the whistle before he could call a halt to proceedings as things began to turn messy. Akmal denied allegations that Botha paid him to drop the whistle.

Proteas staff, however, moved quickly to cover up the mess, stating the injury was inflicted when Tahir caught-and-bowled Jonathan Trott in Chennai on the weekend. Graeme Smith immediately blamed the pitch.

"Well, as you know, the pitch in Chennai was quite dreadful. It's also the reason we lost the game. We knew we could expect a pitch to aid spin, I predicted on Twitter that we'd see pitches aiding India for the rest of the tournament, but I didn't expect the pitch to be so bad that it damages our players," said Smith.

There's no news yet as to who will replace Tahir, should he be injured for the long term, but it probably won't be Botha. There is some speculation that another foreigner might be drafted into the squad since quality spinners in South Africa are as rare as Akmal actually holding on to anything.

Paul Harris could be an option for the Proteas, as he has apparently been turning in his sleep quite often and was even promoted to tong master at a friend's barbecue.

The biggest confusion is currently around what Tahir would actually need his left hand for. Tahir bowls with his right hand. Speculation is that he needs both hands to constantly alter his already ridiculous hair.

Ant Sims is a South African who usually writes about personal finance and blogs here. Follow her on Twitter here. The quotes and "facts" in this piece are all made up, but you knew that, didn't you?

de Villiers fifty powers South Africa

de Villiers fifty powers South Africa

Imran Tahir picked up a four wickets
 on debut as West Indies squandered
a good platform to be all out for
 222 in Delhi © Getty Images

Tahir shines as West Indies implode

A new-look South African bowling unit kept a lid on a combustible West Indies, the spinners bowling a combined 29 overs for just 138 runs as West Indies imploded to be all out for 222 when, at one stage, 270 had seemed more likely. Imran Tahir had a debut to remember, picking up four wickets and striking at crucial moments to peg West Indies back on a pitch that displayed none of the demons that led to the abandonment of the last international game at this ground in December 2009. After the spinners had kept South Africa in control for much of the game, Dale Steyn returned at the death to ensure there would be no late fightback.

There was a time when whether South Africa could afford to play even a single specialist slow bowler was open to question, but they included no less than three frontline spinners at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Johan Botha, Tahir and Robin Peterson. The thoroughness of South Africa's gameplans and their willingness to utilise unorthodox tactics was in immediate evidence as for the first time in his career Botha opened the bowling.

The ploy paid off immediately as Chris Gayle, who might have been preparing himself for a barrage from Steyn and Morne Morkel, thrust his bat out at a flighted offspinner, the ball brushing the edge and nestling safely in Jacques Kallis's hands at slip.

Darren Bravo, who set the early tone with a couple of deftly glanced boundaries off Steyn, looked to impose himself on Kallis and slapped his first ball of the game disdainfully over wide mid-on. With Morkel getting the odd delivery to rise disconcertingly off the pitch, Smith offered solid support but did unfurl his trademark cut shot when given the chance.

Morkel's round-the-wicket offstump line troubled both left-handers at times but the luck appeared to be with West Indies and Bravo brought up a 55-ball 50 in the 16th over, his third in ODIs, and celebrated the milestone with a remarkable one-handed smite over long-on off Tahir. While his innings was peppered with such flamboyance, there was no over-indulgence from either Bravo or Smith and after the field was set back placement and earnest running were the order of the day. The century stand was brought up off 117 deliveries in the 20th over, and with West Indies starting to seize the initiative Smith turned to Botha.

Again the offspinner provided the breakthrough, slipping one past an uncertain flick to pin Bravo in front of middle and dismiss him for 73 despite a slightly desperate referral from the batsman. The wicket seemed to unsettle Smith and, after playing the spinners with aplomb for much of his innings, he pushed too early at a flighted legspinner from Tahir to present the bowler with a simple caught-and-bowled chance - and a wicket on debut.

Tahir struck again to remove Ramnaresh Sarwan before he had time to settle, and might have had a third wicket in the same over when Dwayne Bravo chipped back another return catch - but this time the bowler couldn't quite hold on. Backed into a corner and under pressure, Bravo responded with sixes off all three spinners but just as he and Shivnarine Chanderpaul were starting to flow a brainless piece of running put paid to their fightback. A reverse-sweep from Chanderpaul went straight to the man at short third man but inexplicably a run was called for and Bravo was easily run out for 40, the score 178 for 5 in the 38th over.

West Indies unravelled with alarming speed thereafter, their innings sliding swiftly into mediocrity after Chanderpaul, who had upped the tempo with a couple of thumping strikes, chipped Tahir straight to Peterson at long-off. Kieron Pollard's arrival at the crease caused an immediate ripple of excitement among a decent crowd of spectators, but Steyn returned to dismiss him for a golden duck with a skidding inswinger that struck the pad in front of middle and leg. Tahir had his fourth wicket when a wild swipe from wicketkeeper Devon Thomas ended up in JP Duminy's hands, running back from extra cover, and the tail proved no match for Steyn's pace and accuracy as the innings was wrapped up soon afterwards.

Liam Brickhill is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

Imran Tahir

South Africa v West Indies, World Cup 2011, Group B, Delhi

Spin-heavy South Africa opt to bowl first

Graeme Smith decided to bowl first against West Indies after winning the toss at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi, but hinted that there was still a degree of uncertainty over a pitch that last saw international cricket in December 2009, when a volatile surface forced an abandonment of the match between India and Sri Lanka.

It has since been re-laid under the supervision of the BCCI ground and wickets committee chairman Venkat Sundaram and ICC pitch consultant Andy Atkinson, and appears utterly transformed. Before the start of play, a rock-hard surface exhibited a couple of cracks and healthy tinge of green that could make effective use of the new ball decisive.

Imran Tahir

Once the shine is seen off, the wicket should settle and favour the batsmen - although South Africa's decision to play three frontline spinners in Johan Botha, Robin Peterson and Imran Tahir, who will be making his international debut for his adopted country - gives a hint of their gameplan for maintaining control over the middle of the innings. With JP Duminy and Faf du Plessis, not to mention Smith himself, on hand to provide part-time spin support and left-arm seamer Lonwabo Tsotsobe sitting out, there is an unfamiliar hue to this South African attack.

A nonplussed Smith suggested that it might have been a good toss to lose given the unknown nature of the wicket, but the nature of South Africa's bowling line-up and the seemingly ever-present possibility of the 'dew factor' with a chilly Delhi evening expected to follow a warm, clear afternoon means his decision was probably the right one. West Indies captain Darren Sammy insisted he was quite happy to bat first and leave the challenge of chasing under lights to the South Africans, but much will depend on whether Chris Gayle can negotiate the new-ball threat of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel and lay the platform for a defendable total.

Much has been made of the unpredictability of this West Indies side, but there's no escaping the fact that South Africa have beaten them in the last 11 ODIs the two sides have contested, including a match in the 2007 World Cup and series both in South Africa and in the Caribbean. They've also slipped to No. 9 in the ICC's one-day rankings after an indifferent year, which is quite an indictment for a side that, in theory, brims with talent. They'll be looking to this game to spark a reversal, but it will take more than just individual brilliance to overcome a South African side that claims to have covered all its bases in preparation for this tournament.

South Africa: 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Jacques Kallis, 4 AB de Villiers (wk), 5 JP Duminy, 6 Faf du Plessis, 7 Robin Peterson, 8 Johan Botha, 9 Morne Morkel, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Imran Tahir

West Indies: 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Devon Smith, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 6 Dwayne Bravo, 7 Kieron Pollard, 8 Darren Sammy (capt), 9 Devon Thomas (wk), 10 Sulieman Benn, 11 Kemar Roach

Liam Brickhill is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo