Date-stamped : 16 Feb95 - 06:31 NZ Centenary ODI Tournament: Match #1 South Africa v Australia, Basin Reserve, Wellington, 15 February 1995 New Zealand has rarely proved the end of the rainbow for leg- spinners, but on a worn-out, brown smudge of a Basin Reserve pitch yesterday Shane Warne took Australia an important stride towards New Zealand`s centenary limited-over tournament final. Bowling on the same old Wellington strip where earlier in the week West Indian Courtney Walsh cut and seamed and eventually stitched up New Zealand in less than four days with 13 wickets, Warne opened up his own violin case against South Africa. He claimed only 2-18 from his 10 overs, but he so mesmerised South Africa that they crumbled for 123 in 46.2 overs, to which Aus- tralia responded with an unconvincing 7-124 for a three-wicket win with 6.4 overs to spare. Man-of-the-match Steve Waugh, who locked Australia on course for the win in the first of their three qualifying games with 44 not out from 91 balls, said of Warne: ``He was almost unplayable in the first couple of overs. You really had to guess a bit to get ball on bat. He got two vital wickets (Daryll Cullinan for nought and Dave Callaghan for one) and fazed some batsmen out too. They probably got themselves out at the other end, worrying too much about him.`` Australia now meet New Zealand at Eden Park in Auckland on Sunday and then India at Carisbrook in Dunedin next Wednesday. Glenn McGrath (2-25) and Paul Reiffel, who won the TV man-of- the-match award with 4-27 and a timely contribution of eight runs, gave South Africa trying moments with the new ball after Hansie Cronje won the toss. Battign second on a low, slow turner was never destined to be easy. Boundaries were rare and the crowd of 5000 had little to cheer, emitting a unanimous groan when South Africa`s new opener Mike Rintel, staring into the sun, dropped the softest catch from Ian Healy (18) when the wicketkeeper was nought. Australia would have been 5-56. Having moved briskly to 0-38 through the positive strokeplay of Mark Taylor (24) and Greg Blewett (14), Australia lost 3-1 with David Boon (1) looking uncharacteristically jittery before being lbw to Fanie de Villiers (2-34), whereupon Steve Waugh and Healy added 47 for the sixth wicket. When others played across the line and gambled, Waugh played straight, and sensibly took no risks, to finish a comprehensive winner with some smart drives and cuts. Australian skipper Mark Taylor considered the batting inadequate despite the cast-off skin of a pitch, expecting something nearer 170, but he was delighted with Warne`s gradual return to the supremely assured young man of the first two Tests against Eng- land. ``He bowled beautifully,`` Taylor said. ``His first four overs were as good as he has bowled.`` Taylor considered Warne was using more shoulder thrust and driv- ing through the bowling crease more than during his subdued Syd- ney and Adelaide Test performances, but regarded the setbacks as beneficial for the spinner. Source :: Phil Wilkins, Sydney Morning Herald. Contributed by David.Mar (mar@physics.usyd.edu.au)