Ken Borland

It’s been an eventful week for Kevin Pietersen, even by his standards.

South Africa’s most famous cricketing export was back in his homeland, playing in a cricket tournament that raised plenty of money for charities, playing with children, helping to dart rhino with the Castle Lager Boucher Legacy programme, signing with the Dolphins and managing to get himself c Borland b Symcox.

The latter misfortune happened during the Momentum Cricket Sixes, the wonderful annual event that sees corporates donating to charity to share the field with greats of the game like Pietersen, Mark Boucher, Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis, Damien Martyn and Dale Steyn.

Kallis and Pat Symcox were the legends bought by the Castle Lager Boucher Legacy team for which I was privileged to play and so it was that Symcox was bowling to Pietersen, who had already hit me for a majestic straight six and a cheeky reverse-paddle four. Pietersen launched the off-spinner towards cow-corner, where Kallis ran round from wide long-on to catch the ball but then immediately tossed it to me running from deep midwicket! Whether it was out of sympathy or not, Kallis wouldn’t say, but I had dropped a catch off Symcox the previous delivery so the pressure was on. Fortunately it was so unexpected I didn’t have time to panic and I held the catch, the scorers later confirming that it had been given to me.

The wrath of Symcox, who is still famously competitive and batted beautifully himself, averted.

The Momentum Cricket Sixes are the brainchild of Smith, Boucher and Justin Kemp and lives up to its billing as the social cricket event of the year as a ton of sporting legends compete in the most convivial atmosphere. There were even rugby stars taking part as John Smit entered his Barney’s Army charitable side featuring Bob Skinstad, Butch James and Percy Montgomery, and rock stars Ard Matthews and Ross Learmonth from Prime Circle played for the Castle Lager Boucher Legacy team as well.

Apart from Boucher’s rhino charity, which is doing crucial anti-poaching work in creating a DNA database of all rhino in the country, the other main beneficiary of the event is the title sponsor’s Momentum2Excellence bursary initiative and one of their talented cricketers, Jared, played in Pietersen’s team, batted like a star and gave a delightful speech at the auction dinner.

If you believe the English, then Pietersen’s ego has the effect of a scud missile on a changeroom but there was no evidence of that as he relaxed and socialised amongst many former and current Proteas, with whom he has established close friendships. On his own accord, while he could have been chilling in the VIP bar, he spent an hour playing cricket with the little kids gathered around the field, an amazing gesture that will live long in the memory of those future cricketers.

Pietersen was not the most impressive bowler on show, however. That honour must go to Paul Harris.

The left-armer proved that, if spinners are the most valuable bowlers in 20-over cricket, then that must be four times as true in the five-over game. He attracted the highest price at auction – more than Pietersen or current Proteas like Steyn, David Miller and David Wiese – and he once again gave the ball plenty of air and enjoyed great success.

I didn’t think it was possible for Harro to bowl slower than he did last year, but he somehow found a way, as he always does!

The ever-controversial Kevin Pietersen will be bringing his own brand of batting brilliance back to South African fields on October 18 when he takes part in the Momentum Cricket Sixes at Old Eds, which will be raising money for a cause that is heavily in the nation’s conscience at the moment – saving rhinos.

The Momentum Cricket Sixes is a celebrity event with all proceeds going to the charities selected by founders Graeme Smith, Mark Boucher and Justin Kemp, which this year includes the collaboration between Boucher and South African Breweries – Rhinos in Safe Hands, and the Momentum to Excellence Bursary Programme for talented young cricketers.

Apart from Pietersen and fellow former internationals Smith, Boucher and Kemp, the likes of Australian batsman Damien Martyn, Jonty Rhodes, Jacques Kallis and Meyrick Pringle will also be playing.

The event still has space for more corporate teams to enter, with the option to bid for one of the professional stars to play for your team, hospitality or a rhino darting experience also available.

More information is available from kirsti@klprsa.com.

THE Highveld Lions meet the Delhi Daredevils in a clash of batting power versus bowling brilliance in Thursday night’s first Champions League Twenty20 semifinal in Durban, with no contest more eagerly awaited than that between Aaron Phangiso and Kevin Pietersen.

There is probably no more powerful batting line-up in this competition than Delhi’s — even Australian star David Warner battles to get a game — with Pietersen a key figure in a top order that also boasts Virender Sehwag, Mahela Jayawardena and Ross Taylor.

Pietersen has had more than a few problems against left-arm spinners in the past and his personality is such that he will look to attack Phangiso from the outset. But the Lions’ spin bowling star is always up for the fight and Phangiso will relish the battle with Pietersen.

“Aaron’s from Soshanguve and they breed them tough there. The key is that he does not get overawed quickly. He’s a good kid, he has a good heart and he’s a fighter,” Lions coach Geoffrey Toyana said.

From humble beginnings, Phangiso scrapped his way into the South Africa under 19 side in 2003, a stint with the Titans, and now he is one of the top dogs at the Lions.

Phangiso’s performances in the tournament — 8/71 in 16 overs at a fabulous economy rate of just 4.43 — and how he has sucker-punched stars such as Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Watson, suggest he would not be out of place on the international limited-overs stage.

National selector and South Africa A coach Vincent Barnes is certainly a fan.

“Aaron went to Zimbabwe with the South Africa A side for a triangular series with Sri Lanka and bowled exceptionally well against some full internationals. He was then unbelievable in Ireland. He was outstanding the whole winter for South Africa A, averaging about 3/30 every bowling spell,” Barnes told Business Day.

“Aaron’s a very clever bowler, he gets turn and he has good variations, but his mind-set is also brilliant, he knows when to use those balls.

“He’s not getting tail-enders out, he’s getting good batsmen out with good balls. He reminds me of Johan Botha, and Robin Peterson too, in terms of his grit and determination. He’s in your face, he works bloody hard and he hates the batsman scoring a run off him.”

Barnes would still like to see Phangiso play more four-day cricket, as he only has a part-time role for Gauteng in the longer formats.

“He’s an exceptional cricketer, a fantastic fielder and no slouch with the bat either. I know he’s hungry for international cricket, but I would like to see him start to concentrate on the four-day game as well.

“I hope the Highveld Lions will play him, but they have Eddie Leie and Imran Tahir too, so it will be a challenge.”

While the Lions’ left-arm spinner will be a key weapon against the Delhi batting, Dirk Nannes, Sohail Tanvir and Chris Morris will have to play their part with the ball, while pressure will be on batsmen Alviro Petersen, Gulam Bodi, Quinton de Kock and Neil McKenzie to handle the Daredevils’ pace quartet of Morne Morkel, Umesh Yadav, Andre Russell and Irfan Pathan.

In the other semifinal, the Titans take on the Sydney Sixers at Centurion on Friday.

http://www.bdlive.co.za/sport/cricket/2012/10/25/pietersen-versus-phangiso-in-semifinal-clash