South Africans caught short

Andrew Hall once survived a brutal point-blank shooting at a Johannesburg cashpoint - it's little wonder he has an easy-going attitude to the game of cricket. Not many people would have been able to grin quite so widely when denied a maiden Test century, as was the case today when South Africa's No. 11 Dewald Pretorius had his middle stump flattened by James Kirtley, to leave Hall stranded on 99 not out.

There will at least be plenty of people in the South African dressing-room who can sympathise with Hall, or more likely, laugh along with his misfortune. In the last two years, no fewer than four of Hall's team-mates have been left not out, or worse, run out for 99 in international cricket.

Back at Melbourne in December 2002, in that World-Championship-decider-that-wasn't, Jacques Kallis was fighting a lone rearguard for South Africa against Australia, when he became the first South African to be run out for 99 in Tests. He wasn't unique for long. Three Tests (and one continent) later, Neil McKenzie joined the club at Cape Town. He was scampering for his 100th run when Damien Martyn pulled off a superb direct hit, and Australia went on to record their fifth win in five unequal contests.

Today, Hall's grin was in stark contrast to Shaun Pollock's grimace against Sri Lanka last November. He had clubbed South Africa into a commanding position in the second Test (at the inappropriately-named Centurion), when Makhaya Ntini opted for a slice of the action as well. Ntini heaved Chaminda Vaas straight to Russel Arnold at mid-off, and Pollock could only stare at the heavens in disbelief, as he trooped off for 99.

Even that hoarder of gargantuan scores, Graeme Smith, knows what it's like to fall one short. Ten days later, and once again at Centurion, Smith became the first batsman to be run out for 99 in a one-day international. It is a score that remains his highest in the shorter game, though not for much longer, one would imagine.