South Africa win warm-up game in Bangladesh

South Africa got everything they were looking for when they cruised to a comfortable win over a youthful Bangladesh Board XI at the BKSP ground on the outskirts of Dhaka on 11 April.

The generosity of the hosts allowed South Africa to give the whole squad a run, with all 13 players taking the chance to hone their respective skills ahead of Sunday's match against India in the TVS Challenge.

The South African innings of 294 for 6 was built around fluent half-centuries by Jacques Rudolph and Boeta Dippenaar. The Titans left-hander looked in particularly good form as he struck 8 fours in his 58-ball innings of 55, while Dippenaar hit a six and three fours in his run-a-ball 52. Both retired to allow their teammates a chance to bat.

The captain Graeme Smith had set the ball rolling on the flat, baked mud pitch, making 42 from 53 balls. Opening partner Herschelle Gibbs was the only top order failure as he was caught behind for 10.

Neil McKenzie, Mark Boucher, Shaun Pollock and Andrew Hall also looked in sound touch as they scored freely against the less than threatening attack.

After lunch the South African bowlers took a while to find the right length on the slow surface, and Makhaya Ntini and Charl Willoughby were given short shrift by the opening batsmen as they raced to 71 in just 8 overs. But once Alan Dawson had picked up two wickets in his first five overs things settled down as he and Shaun Pollock found the right length to bowl.

The heat, as expected, was searing by mid afternoon, prompting a Ntini to say: "Even the ice is warm here".

There was some light relief when Dawson had to stop in mid-delivery when two Sports Institute students fell out of a tree from which they had been watching proceedings and distracted the batsman. Bruised pride and embarrassment was the only damage to the youngsters.

No damage, though, to the South Africans as they wrapped up the innings for 167 in three balls short of 40 overs. Ntini returned to find his rhythm to take four wickets.

Spinners Paul Adams and Robin Peterson were tidy, with neither getting much spin.

Captain Graeme Smith expressed satisfaction at the day's work."That was a great workout, everyone got a run which was just as we planned and we also got a good feel of the conditions. But we know things will be much tougher come Sunday," he said

South Africa will train under lights at the Bandabandhu National Stadium on Saturday evening before playing India on Sunday.

Scores:

South Africa: 294/6 in 50 overs.
Rudolph 55, Dippenaar 54, Smith 42,McKenzie 35,Boucher 28,Pollock 27,Hall 24.
Ziarur Rahman 2/40

BCB XI: 167 all out in 39.3 overs.
Aftab 44, Nasir 36.
Ntini 4/49,Dawson 2/23, Willoughby 1/37,Peterson 1/18, Hall 1/11.

SA won by 127 runs.