Mon, Mar 01, 2010 page20

• Kallis, de Villiers set up Proteas victory

  • AFP
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  A.B. de Villiers and Jacques Kallis hammered centuries to set up South Africa’s consolation 90-run victory over India in the third and final one-day international on Saturday.

  De Villiers cracked a quick-fire 102 not out for his sixth century and skipper Kallis a solid unbeaten 104 for his 17th century as South Africa posted their highest one-day total of 365-2 against India.

  Man-of-the-match de Villiers’ century came off just 58 deliveries, the seventh-fastest in one-day history.

  

  South Africa’s Loots Bosman plays a shot during the third and final one-day international match against India at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad, India, on Saturday.

  PHOTO: AFP

  India, who rested openers Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag, as well as pacemen Praveen Kumar and Ashish Nehra after gaining an unbeatable 2-0 lead on Wednesday, were all out for 275 in the day-night match in Ahmedabad.

  “A.B. played a really special knock, taking the total from 300 to 360,” Kallis said. “We know we are a lot better than we have played in the series. If we play to our strength, we are a very good one-day side.”

  South African paceman Dale Steyn did the maximum damage as he finished with three wickets for 37 runs, including those of Virat Kohli (57) and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (9) in one over.

  Seamer Lonwabo Tsotsobe bagged three wickets, while spinners Johan Botha and Roelof van der Merwe took two wickets apiece.

  The South African bowlers were superbly backed up by wicketkeeper Mark Boucher, who finished with five dismissals.

  Suresh Raina (49), Rohit Sharma (48) and Ravindra Jadeja (36) were the other main scorers for India.

  “We have done well this season. There have been injuries and we have missed key players,” Dhoni said. “If you look at everything, we have done really well.”

  De Villiers and Kallis made the most of India’s depleted attack, adding 173 for the third wicket with a wide range of strokes. They built on impressive efforts from openers Hashim Amla (87) and Loots Bosman (68).

  Kallis hit three sixes and five fours in his 94-ball knock, reaching his century in the penultimate over with a six off fast bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth.

  De Villiers, who made an unbeaten 114 in the previous match in Gwalior on Wednesday, completed his second successive century with a four off part-timer Sharma in the final over. He hit three sixes and 11 boundaries.

  Amla and Bosman set the pace after their team elected to bat on a good track, dominating the Indian attack to add 113 for the opening wicket.

  Bosman was more aggressive, hitting seamer Sudeep Tyagi for three fours in an over and then pulling Sreesanth for the first six of the match.

  He raced to his second half-century in one-day internationals in style, lofting off-spinner Yusuf Pathan over long-on for a six. He fell playing strokes, caught at long-off while attempting a big shot off Pathan.

  Bosman hit four sixes and seven fours in his 46-ball knock.

  Amla continued to gather runs comfortably against both pace and spin, before being caught in the deep off spinner Jadeja.
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