
The Proteas raced to an eight-wicket victory against Zimbabwe in a warm-up game ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup, which also saw the return of Jacques Kallis and the debut of Imran Tahir. Zimbabwe won the toss on Saturday at the Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai and elected to bat. They posted a total of 152 for 10 in 41.5 overs. Pacemen Morne Morkel (3-16) and Tahir (3-35) were instrumental in limiting the Zimbabweans to a mediocre total by taking three wickets a piece. Brendon Taylor top scored with 40 before being removed courtesy of a ball from debutant Tahir. Sean Williams was the only other Zimbabwean to make over 25 runs – his stay at the crease ended after he was run out for 35 runs. Hashim Alma together with skipper Graeme Smith gave South Africa a solid start with their respective 45 and 41-run knocks. Kallis (not out on 49) and AB de Villiers ensured a plain sailing win for one of the title favourites. The only down side to the game was Lonwabo Tsotsobe straining his right knee. Assessments are being done on the pacemen. South Africa will take on Australia in their next warm-up game on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka demolished the Netherlands with a resounding 156-run victory in their warm-up encounter. The Sri Lankans were relentless at the with their 351-5 off their 50 overs – they managed to achieve this impressive score without batting input from big hitters in Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene. The Dutch side only managed to reach 195 in 48 overs. West Indies defeated Kenya in another warm-up game played on the Asian subcontinent as the cricket World Cup beckons. – Kemantha Govender, BuaNews
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