By Martin Gough

Klusener's bludgeoning bat brought success in the 1990s

The din inside Johannesburg's infamous Wanderers Stadium reached deafening point when the crowd's favourite came out to bat against New Zealand in the World Cup.

Lance "Zulu" Klusener did not disappoint. The all-rounder plastered an unbeaten 33 from 21 deliveries as South Africa accelerated to an apparently unbeatable total against New Zealand.

The story had been much the same seven days earlier at Newlands, with South Africa up against it, chasing 279 to beat West Indies in the World Cup opener.

And the script was well-read, especially during the 1999 World Cup: enter Klusener stage right, accompanied only by his six-pound bat, to save an apparently lost cause.

Several swash-buckling innings were enough to gain Klusener the man of the tournament award in 1999.

But something went wrong with the script in the next four years.

And, in omitting Klusener from their squad to tour England this summer, South Africa's selectors have admitted as much, effectively ending the career of fan-favourite Zulu.

South Africa could not contain New Zealand at the Wanderers - not helped by five overs from Klusener that yielded 37 runs - in a loss that all but sealed their World Cup elimination.

But the cult hero was directly to blame for the loss to West Indies, failing to cross with Nicky Boje as he lofted a catch to deep midwicket.

Instead of all-rounder Boje facing the bowling with eight runs needed and three balls left, tail-ender Makhaya Ntini was left on strike.

KLUSENER FACTFILE Born: Durban, 4/9/1971 Tests: 48 1904 runs, ave 33.40, high 174 78 wkts, ave 37.48, best 8-64 ODIs: 154 3381 runs, ave 43.34, high 103* 175 wkts, ave 29.37, best 6-49 Also: 1999 World Cup man of the series

He lasted two deliveries and the hosts lost by three runs.

It was not the first time Klusener was singled out for blame - he and Allan Donald contrived in the run out that resulted in the infamous tie against Australia in the 1999 semi-final.

It was Klusener's cavalier approach that brought dramatic conclusions and endeared him to the masses but when that approach did not come off it looked like crass carelessness.

Klusener's off-field persona suffered in the same way.

When he was doing well he was soft-spoken and shy: when he failed he was aloof and arrogant.

Klusener's pace bowling began a downward slope after he underwent knee surgery in 1998, and for the last year at least he has relied on the off-cutter as his main weapon.

Unable to be what former coach Bob Woolmer once described as his "110 percenter", the pressure grew on him to perform with the bat.

In a candid admission during last year's tour of Australia an out-of-form Klusener admitted that even when he spotted a ball to drive he wondered if he remembered how to play the shot.

A confidence player was short of confidence, and there was only one way for him to go.

South Africa have never been short of all-rounders - of the one-day squad named on Monday, Boje, Andrew Hall, Jacques Kallis and Shaun Pollock all fall in that category.

But South Africa's selectors face a much longer wait before they uncover a folk hero of the calibre of Zulu.