By IANS
Johannesburg : South Africa served tournament favourites Australia with an early warning, crushing them by eight wickets at Centurion in the final warm-up match before the inaugural Twenty20 World Championships starts here Tuesday.
In Sunday’s other warm-up fixtures, Pakistan smashed Sri Lanka by five wickets, the West Indies defeated New Zealand by 35 runs, Kenya stunned Bangladesh by six wickets and Zimbabwe defeated Scotland by five wickets.
Chasing 180 for victory, South African skipper Graeme Smith remained unbeaten on 89 off 61 balls with the help of 11 fours and three sixes while A.B. de Villiers smashed 65 off 35 balls containing four fours and as many sixes as the home side overhauled the target Sunday with five balls to spare.
Smith and Herschelle Gibbs raced off in pursuit of the target, putting on 54 for the opening wicket in 5.3 overs. Gibbs was bowled by Ben Hilfenhaus but the hosts’ reply only gained momentum once de Villiers joined Smith. The pair added 129 for the third wicket in 12.1 overs.
Australia used seven bowlers and Brett Lee – 0/14 off two overs – was the most economical.
Earlier, Australian openers Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden struggled to get going. Veteran all-rounder Shaun Pollock bowled Gilchrist and Brad Haddin off successive deliveries in the third over to reduce them to 16 for two.
Wickets kept falling at regular intervals and it was left to Andrew Symonds – 45 off 26 balls – and the lower-order batsmen to take Australia to 179. Pollock finished with superb figures of 2/16 off three overs and was supported well by Makhaya Ntini who conceded just 17 off his three overs.
Also at Centurion, a solid opening stand of 94 between Salman Butt and Mohammad Hafeez helped Pakistan post a five-wicket win over Sri Lanka. Butt scored 51 and Hafeez 45 as Pakistan overhauled the 163-run target with more than an over to spare.
Put in to bat, Sri Lanka were off to a good start with Sanath Jayasuriya and Upul Tharanga adding 45 in five overs. Mohammad Asif, who missed the warm-up against Zimbabwe due to a thigh injury, removed Tharanga for 30.
Hafeez then tied the batsmen down with his off-spin, conceding just 18 off his four overs and picking up two wickets.
Sri Lanka lost their way a bit at 80 for four, before Jehan Mubarak revived the innings, sharing stands of 36 and 41 with Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan respectively.
Pakistan responded well thanks to Hafeez and Butt as the Sri Lankan seamers came in for some severe punishment. The Sri Lankans managed to pick up a few wickets but by then Pakistan were well on course to victory. Shoaib Malik steered his side home with an unbeaten 34.
An incredible bowling spell from Daren Powell spearheaded West Indies’ 35-run victory against New Zealand at Benoni. Powell took 3/4 off four overs as New Zealand were bowled out for 115 in the 19th over chasing 151 for victory.
West Indies’ defence began superbly when Fidel Edwards had Brendon McCullum caught behind off the first ball of the innings. Powell had Lou Vincent caught in the fifth over and then dismissed Ross Taylor and Scott Styris in successive overs. New Zealand were reduced to 44 for four and never recovered.
Peter Fulton (51) and Daniel Vettori (24) were the only other batsmen to reach double figures.
The West Indian batsmen also struggled earlier. Devon Smith was dismissed by Chris Martin in the second over and Chris Gayle had to retire hurt with the score on seven after being hit on the side of his right knee by a Chris Martin delivery.
Gayle had suffered a blow in the same area during practice Thursday. However, his going off was only a precautionary measure, and he is expected to be fit for the tournament’s inaugural match against South Africa Tuesday.
Marlon Samuels and Dwayne Bravo also fell cheaply, effectively reducing West Indies to 22 for four, although only three wickets had fallen. Dwayne Smith propped up the innings with 47 off 46 balls and received support from Narsingh Deonarine and Denesh Ramdin to take West Indies to 150.
In another practice game at Benoni, Kenya upset Bangladesh by six wickets with a ball to spare.
A fantastic effort from Kenya’s bowlers wrapped up the Bangladesh innings for only 116 and all their batsmen chipped in to help reach the target in the final over.
Steve Tikolo’s decision to field paid off when Thomas Odoyo dismissed Bangladesh’s two biggest big hitters – Nazimuddin and Aftab Ahmed – cheaply.
Tamim Iqbal offered some resistance during his 56 off 41 balls that included one six but got no support from the other end. Aftab’s 17 was the second highest score in an innings where only three batsmen got to double figures.
Odoyo’s spell of 2/21 swung the advantage Kenya’s way and he was well backed up by Nehemiah Odhiambo (3/37) and Lameck Onyango (2/19).
Kenya approached their small target sensibly with the Obuya brothers – David and Collins – adding 41 in eight overs for the first wicket. They kept abreast with the required run-rate and it was Steve Tikolo who provided the acceleration, during his 36 off 38 balls that helped Kenya to victory.
Zimbabwe scored a five-wicket win over Scotland at Potchefstroom.
Scotland scored 156 for six in their 20 overs and Zimbabwe overhauled the target with seven balls to spare.
Scotland captain Ryan Watson top-scored with 64 off 50 balls including five fours and two sixes. He received support from Navdeep Poonia (36) as the pair added 84 for the second wicket. Zimbabwe used eight bowlers and Gary Brent returned the best figures with 1/20 off three overs.
Vusi Sibanda and Chamu Chibhabha scored 42 and 43 respectively and laid a solid platform for Zimbabwe’s chase. They added 79 for the second wicket after Brendan Taylor had fallen cheaply. Stuart Matsikenyeri took Zimbabwe through to victory and remained unbeaten on 25 off 18 balls.