Fleming146;s Mc-call does SA in

It8217;s not for nothing that Stephen Fleming is called an instinctive captain and Craig McMillan a maverick cricketer.

It8217;s not for nothing that Stephen Fleming is called an instinctive captain and Craig McMillan a maverick cricketer. Lesser captains wouldn8217;t even think of throwing the ball to a dilly-dolly-nothing bowler when his pacers have wrecked havoc in the morning session, two medium-pacers are bowling tight, and his world-class spinner has taken a vital breakthrough.

Cricketing logic didn8217;t allow McMillan the bowler to appear on the scoreboard, but the famous hunch of the out-of-the-box thinking captain did. Herschelle Gibbs and Ashley Prince had put the 8216;men at work8217; sign and were busy restoring the early damage that had seen South Africa being reduced to 3/2 and managing just 12 runs from 11 overs. That8217;s when Fleming redialed 8216;M8217; as 8216;Macca8217;, calling for some fresh damage.

He did more by accounting for Gibbs, Prince and Mark Boucher to break the back of the South Africans who were trying to stand up again. McMillan8217;s body blows, after the two early strikes to the head by the new-ball bowlers Shane Bond and James Franklin, meant New Zealand were chasing South Africa8217;s score of 193/7 for victory. And only a collapse of a monumental magnitude can stop the Black Caps from not logging 10 points and swaggering to the last four.

And that will be a big achievement for the team that might look all-aggressive with that rugby inspired 8216;All Black8217; name but deep down is happily laid-back and would rather borrow Brat Simpson8217;s famous T-shirt with the message 8216;underachiever and proud of it8217;. However, today Fleming didn8217;t take a step wrong and his decisions had a big role to play in the Black Caps dominating the first half of the day that was overcast and also saw some drizzle.

Former wicketkeeper Ian Smith narrates a morning incident that gives insight into Fleming8217;s constantly ticking cricket brain. Just after the captain had a long walk on the pitch, he spoke to Smith about the day ahead. Damp pitch means juice for bowlers, overcast conditions means help for them and no rain threat meant the pitch drying up to be batsmen friendly in the second half. Smith just nodded his head thinking the New Zealand captain for 215 ODIs, that includes three World Cups, had got it right again.

But there was one problem: Fleming rarely wins a toss 8212; as coach John Bracewell said yesterday. Commenting on how his team is always ready for every eventuality, he concluded his explanation on a lighter vein. 8220;Besides our captain never wins the toss,8221; he said.

Today, Fleming called the coin correctly and as Bond and Franklin accounted for the openers, the ball spoke how Fleming8217;s decision was spot on. After the early blows, South Africa regrouped with Jacques Kallis looking dangerous.

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At the end of the 18th over, Fleming threw the ball to left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori and got rid of Kallis. It was the case of the man with the golden arm but it was tough to decide if the credit for the breakthrough should go to the bowler or the captain.

Four years ago at the 2003 World Cup it was a brilliant 134 from Fleming that saw South Africa8217;s hopes being dented. This time around he seems to have done it without even getting the bat in his hand.

Scoreboard

South Africa: G Smith c Oram b Bond 1, AB de Villiers lbw b Franklin 0, J Kallis c Bond b Vettori 22, H Gibbs b McMillan 60, A Prince c Patel b McMillan 37, M Boucher c Fulton b McMillan 16, S Pollock not out 21, A Hall c Oram b Bond 17, R Peterson not out 8.

Extras lb-3 w-7 nb-1 11. Total for 7 wickets, 50 overs 193.

Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-3, 3-52, 4-128, 5-143, 6-149, 7-181.

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Bowling: Franklin 7-2-16-1, Bond 10-1-26-2, Oram 5-2-23-0, Patel 10-1-36-0, Vettori 10-0-50-1, Styris 3-0-16-0, McMillan 5-0-23-3.