Arthur Attacks Two Test Series Against Proteas

AS CRICKET nations put the finishing touches to a new schedule that is not expected to solve the problems of the old one, former Proteas coach Mickey Arthur said Australia and South Africa deserved better than the two-Test series shoehorned into the program in November.

Arthur, who orchestrated Australia's first home series defeat in 16 years and is now coach of Western Australia, is dismayed that the customary three Tests have been cut back to two, not enough for the sort of epic battle fought between the two countries in recent series.

Test nations have been working for two years on a new Future Tours Program for 2012 to 2020, which is now being finalised with the structure of global Test and ODI championships. But there are fears the system will remain flawed while individual countries can negotiate their own tours.

Cricket Australia agreed to tour South Africa in November in exchange for the Proteas playing in the Boxing Day.

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Kirsten Popular Choice For SA Coach Job

Kirsten, who ended his tenure with India after winning the World Cup, is said to be the favourite, but has reportedly not submitted a formal application. Insiders have confirmed that he is on the shortlist and has been in contact with CSA chief-executive Gerald Majola. Kirsten had said he wanted to take some time off after his stint with India ended, which may be why he hasn't officially applied.

South Africa's next series is scheduled for October, against Australia, which would allow Kirsten a five-month break. Kirsten is understood to have shown interest in the position and CSA may have placed him on the shortlist to keep him in the running, despite the fact that he has not applied. Majola said in an interview in Colombo that CSA would not consider anyone who wasn't on the shortlist.

Although Kirsten is the popular choice, CSA are also considering other candidates, including the long-serving assistant coach Barnes. He has been in the national set up for the past eight years, since the 2003 tour to England, and had applied for the head coach's position when Mickey Arthur was appointed in May 2005. Barnes started off as the bowling coach and has been credited with being part of the reason behind the success of the likes of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Lonwabo Tsotsobe. Barnes' obvious advantage is that he has worked with the national squad for a significant amount of time and has been a part of their recent successes, such as the series wins in England and Australia.

Fletcher has also been involved with the current crop of players, having joined as a batting consultant in the 2009-10 season. He previously coached England and was at the helm of their Ashes triumph in 2005. Buchanan also has much lauded international credentials to his name, having won three Ashes series and two World Cups with Australia. He is most recently known for his controversial coaching methods which involved a proposed captain-rotation policy at Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL.

Pybus is the only one who is working in the South African domestic set up. He took Cobras to a double title this season, winning both the first-class SuperSport Series competition and the Pro20. Having previously been involved with Titans and the Border province, before the franchises were formed, Pybus has an intricate knowledge of local cricket and has seen many of his charges progress to national honours. He coached Mark Boucher, Makhaya Ntini, Steyn, both Morkel brothers and Paul Harris, among others. He is known for his diverse, out-of-the-box thinking and was also head coach of Pakistan during the 1999 World Cup.

All six candidates, whose names cannot be officially released for confidentiality reasons, will undergo a rigorous interview process by a six-man panel appointed by CSA to choose the new coach. The committee consists of Majola, Andy O'Connor, chairperson of the cricket committee, Boeta Dippenaar, cricket association representative, Andrew Hudson, convenor of selectors and Corrie van Zyl, outgoing coach. Johann Coetzee, a human development consultant and consulting psychologist, was added to the panel last week and.

Interviews will be held on May 16 and 17, and the panel will make its recommendations at a board meeting on May 28. CSA hope to appoint the new coach at the beginning of June.

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Proteas Crash And Burn In Cup Yet Again

SOUTH Africa's World Cup jinx returned to haunt it on Friday in a stunning defeat to New Zealand as India and Pakistan's looming semi-final confrontation sparked a diplomatic and ticket frenzy.

South Africa, chasing 222 to win in Dhaka, crumbled from 2-108 to 172 all out and lost by 49 runs to a never-say-die New Zealand side in an exciting finish in front of 23,000 fans at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium.

Jacob Oram was New Zealand's man of the match with four wickets and two catches, while off-spinner Nathan McCullum sealed the Proteas' fate with 3-24 from 10 overs.

Skipper Graeme Smith (28) and Jacques Kallis (47) put on 61 as South Africa moved to 2-108 by the 24th over, before the last eight wickets crashed for 64 runs.

New Zealand, which has reached its sixth semi-final, will play the winner of last night's match between Sri Lanka and England in Colombo while South Africa, often regarded as the best team never to have won the World Cup, was left to lick its wounds.

South Africa's World Cup record is now three semi-final defeats, two losses in the quarter-finals and once in the first round.

''There are no words to describe how I feel,'' said Smith, who has now played his last one-day international. ''We just have to take it on the chin. It was a very disappointing evening.

''Your guess is as good as mine [on their failure to progress. It's been happening since 1992. We just weren't good enough tonight, but we have to take it forward and not get bogged down.

''There will be a new coach and new captain. We are disappointed with tonight, and nothing I say is going to change that for fans back home.''

New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori praised his team's spirit.

''Every single bowler stepped up today, and probably it was the fielding that got us through,'' he said.

''Once we got 220, we knew we had to be aggressive. We knew it was a tricky wicket and it was going to be an old-school one-day game.''

Defending a modest total, New Zealand earned a lucky break in the first over of the innings when Hashim Amla tried to cut a ball from Nathan McCullum.
The edged ball bounced off wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum's boot to Vettori in the slips.

Smith and Kallis rallied the Proteas before the skipper cut Oram to point where substitute fielder Jamie How picked up a low catch in the 15th over.

Kallis moved towards his half-century when, in an uncharacteristic rush of blood, he pulled seamer Tim Southee high to deep mid-wicket where Oram took a running catch.

New Zealand then claimed two wickets in one over to reduce the rattled South Africans to 5-121 in 28 overs.

JP Duminy was bowled by Nathan McCullum for three and A. B. de Villiers ran himself out after a mix-up with Faf du Plessis.

The spot-on Oram tightened the screws further when he bowled Johan Botha and had Robin Peterson caught behind in successive overs. Du Plessis hit 36 at the end, but South Africa's slim hopes ended when he holed out in the covers off Oram.

Meanwhile, India's semi-final duel with Pakistan sparked a cross-border diplomatic initiative and sent ticket prices soaring on the black market.
India faces its arch-rival in Mohali on Wednesday in what will be Pakistan's first match in India since the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

''India v Pakistan in semi-finals - it doesn't get better,'' said India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

''There will be more pressure on the Indian side and it will be from outside. People will say, 'Win the semis, we don't care about the final'.''
Pakistan coach Waqar Younis admitted it would be ''awesome'' to take on India for a place in the final at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai on April 2. ''There is no bigger rivalry in the game than that … it should be very exciting.''

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh intends to attend the match and has invited Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani to the game.

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SouthAfrica Will Rise From Ashes, Says Smith

Outgoing one-day captain Graeme Smith, devastated by South Africa's sudden World Cup exit, has predicted the national team will quickly overcome their latest debacle.The Proteas collapsed from a winning position to hand New Zealand a dramatic 49-run victory in Friday's quarter-final at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium in the Bangladesh capital.

The Black Caps, restricted to 221-8 after taking first strike, bundled out South Africa for 172 after they were sailing merrily at 108-2 by the 24th over.South Africa, often regarded as the best team never to have won the World Cup, have now lost in three semi-finals, two quarter-finals and once in the first round.But Smith, who will stand down as one-day skipper but remain the leader in Test cricket, was confident the team will taste success again."This is an exciting period for South African cricket," he said. "We have the players and the talent.

Hopefully in future we will go all the way."South Africa deserves to win the World Cup." Friday's defeat lent credence to the widespread belief that South Africa are cricket's biggest chokers, and Smith was at a loss to pinpoint the reason for the failure."It is really hard to describe what happened," said Smith, mystified by a World Cup record which shows South Africa having failed to win any knockout game in the tournament since their 1992 debut."Your guess is as good as mine. It's been happening since 1992. We just weren't good enough, but we have to take it forward and not get bogged down.

"There will be a new coach and new captain. We are disappointed but nothing I say is going to change that for fans back home."Smith said his team threw away a great opportunity."We had the opportunity to close out the game after we kept them down to 221 and can only blame ourselves," he said. "We let ourselves down, we let our fans down."South Africa had topped the tough Group B with five wins from six matches in the league, but fell just when the pressure of a knock-out situation came along.

"I can't fault the way we played in the tournament," added Smith.

 "We trained hard and gave our best."We certainly bowled well in this game, but New Zealand squeezed us when the ball became soft. We needed to show composure at that stage. It is difficult to recover on wickets like this." "One must give credit to New Zealand for the way they played," said Smith. "Ryder set up the 200 which I thought was very gettable. But they stuck to the task in the field."They certainly deserved to win."

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Happy Memories For Kallis In Dhaka

Much has changed for Jacques Kallis since 1998. He has gone from being the wide-eyed newbie to the experienced sage, from being a man with a gritty Test century to his name to being a man with 40 - some hard-fought, some classy. Yet, two things remain the same: his hair, although that's only been possible because of the intervention of technology, and the fact the only ICC trophy he has to his name is the Wills International Cup.

"It's almost 15 years ago, but I still have some fond memories of the final," Kallis said in Dhaka, the same city where the final was played and the place where South Africa are preparing for their World Cup quarter-final match against New Zealand. "It's the only time we ever won an ICC event and hopefully it's a good omen for the games to come."

Kallis has been through it all since then: the heartbreak in 1999, the miscalculation in 2003, the overconfidence in 2007 and now the "play it one game at a time" in 2011. Every time, South Africa have had a strong side, with a few fearsome names and the potential to be titleholders. Every time, they went home disappointed. Kallis thinks one of the reasons for that could be an overdependence on individuals: Lance Klusener in 1999, Shaun Pollock in 2003 and Kallis himself, AB de Villiers and Graeme Smith in 2007.

This time, Kallis thinks the expectation is more evenly spread, with any one of the 15 squad members, nevermind just the eleven on the field, capable of being called upon to do the job. "Everyone has contributed, whereas in the past we've had to rely on one or two players," he said. "Everyone in the squad seems to be in good form. It also hasn't only been eleven guys that have played their part, as we've seen in the last few games. The guys coming in have performed well, which is fantastic."

South Africa's runs have mostly come from two of the top four, with AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla leading the charts, while Kallis himself seems to have found a good rhythm. The middle order have shown character too with JP Duminy and Faf du Plessis hardening up what looked like a soft centre. The wickets have been the same, spread amongst the frontline seamers and the spinners, and going into what Kallis calls the "business end" of the tournament, it's hard to pick out any discernable weakness in the South African game.

That's why Kallis thinks they don't need to tweak their set-up too much even though the seriousness of each match has intensified. "We have to just keep doing the things that we did in the group stage, where we played some unbelievable cricket. There's no reason to change anything." he said. South Africa are the only team to have come out of the group stages having bowled out every side they played against and were only once bowled out themselves.

South Africa have marketed themselves as "process driven" through the tournament, a team that wants to make sure they get their side of the game done correctly, and have said they are not worried about the results. In the knockouts, that thinking has to change a little, because the results matter and the process needs to be geared towards getting the results.

Kallis said that South Africa's preparations are slanted that way and that although the process is still important, it's the time of the competition where all the work they have put into the process should pay off. "I've always seen this part of the tournament as an exam. If you've prepared well and done the hard worked, you just have to go and write the test. If you're underprepared, that's when you start getting nervous."

South Africa have studied each opposition closely, building a plan tailor made for certain players on certain days and New Zealand will be no different. "New Zealand are a dangerous side that on their day can beat anyone. They bat deep and have plenty of allrounders," Kallis said. New Zealand's depth is what South Africa seem most concerned about with Kallis saying that they need to be mindful of the need to compete over the entire match and not just to make early dents. "It won't be game over even if we get early wickets and it's crucial that we stay on top of our game for 300 balls and ensure that we pounce at the slightest show of weakness."

South Africa beat Bangladesh at this ground five days ago and have had the opportunity to play on the wicket, while New Zealand have not been to Dhaka yet. The last time New Zealand visited Bangladesh, they were beaten four-nil in an ODI series, but Kallis thinks that will mean little on match day, and that neither team will have the advantage. He expects that the wicket will keep low and that "250 or 260 is about a par score."

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South Africa Not Worried By Opposition Team In WorldCup

By finishing top of Group B, South Africa have set up a quarter-final clash with the fourth-placed team in Group A: New Zealand, a team who came into the World Cup having lost 11 out of the 12 games they had played in the subcontinent over the last year. South Africa, however, are not paying too much attention to who their opposition is, according to their allrounder Faf du Plessis.

"We specifically said we don't want to focus on who we are playing and have our minds distracted by our opposition," du Plessis said at the team hotel in Dhaka. "If we prepare well and we are ready for the game and we play to our full ability, we are confident that we will win the quarter-final."

After winning five out of their six group-stage matches, South Africa have earned recognition as one of the strongest sides in the tournament, perhaps even the favourites now, a tag they did not have coming in to the competition. They've approached each game as an individual entity, not a stepping stone, or a rung on a ladder, but as unit on its own. Even though they have now reached the do-or-die stage of the tournament, du Plessis said their approach won't change.

"My experience of knockouts is not to do anything different. That will take all the pressure off. When you do the opposite and it gets more tense and there is more pressure, you don't play to your full potential."

South Africa have played as a unit, with wickets spread among the seamers and the spinners, and runs coming from everyone in the line-up. It has meant that, on a day when one doesn't perform, they are safe in knowing someone else will. du Plessis said the win against India played an important part in the team reaching this point. "The win against India gave us a lot of confidence because everyone chipped in."

It also served as a morale booster, after a demoralising loss to England in Chennai where the batting collapsed and South Africa were accused of crumbling under pressure. "We should have won the game against England," du Plessis said. "But it gave us a sense of what to do when we are in that situation again."

Some called it getting the choke over and done with early, and while du Plessis didn't say so in so many words, he indicated that the team had learnt their lesson from that outing. It also allowed them to focus on moving forward and remaining positive.

"If you think about making mistakes, you're not going to play your best game. Even when we were in tough situations, guys played with freedom and got us out of the hole," he said, perhaps referring to the chase against India or the way the batting came back from being 117 for 5 against Ireland.

South Africa put in a complete performance against Bangladesh, both with bat and ball and beat them by 206 runs in Mirpur. They will play New Zealand at the same venue, and du Plessis thinks the experience on the pitch at the Shere Bangla National Stadium will serve them in good stead.

The pitch is a typical subcontinent wicket, although it doesn't look that way. du Plessis admitted that the team were surprised by the colour of the surface. "I haven't played on a wicket that looks charcoalish. It gets a bit slower the later you bat." du Plessis doesn't expect the toss to play a big role in the match, even though it is a day/night game.

The conditions won't be a concern because South Africa have played in them before, and the opposition is not an issue, because, as du Plessis reiterated, South Africa refuse to make them one. "We've seen them play a lot of cricket on television. They are a dangerous side, similar to West Indies in that they've got match winners as well. But we are not too worried about that."

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All Round South Africa Wallop Netherlands

A day after Ireland's heroics in Bangalore gave the Associates a major fillip, normal service resumed in Mohali where AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla reeled off contrasting hundreds to set up a hammering of Netherlands. Peter Borren elected to field under overcast skies, but things unraveled at an alarming rate after a disciplined show in the first quarter of the match. Amla overcame a sluggish start and focused on accumulation, while de Villiers shredded the attack in a blaze of big hits that was reminiscent of Herschelle Gibbs' assault in the last World Cup encounter between these two teams. South Africa's bowlers then backed up the batting with a near-perfect display to set up the fourth-biggest win in World Cup history.

Smart Stats AB de Villiers has now scored two consecutive centuries in the 2011 World Cup. He becomes the first South African to score two centuries in a single World Cup and the fifth batsman after Mark Waugh, Saeed Anwar, Rahul Dravid and Matthew Hayden to score two consecutive centuries in a single World Cup tournament. de Villiers also became the 16th batsman to score two or more centuries in one World Cup tournament. The record is three centuries in one tournament, jointly held by Mark Waugh (1996), Sourav Ganguly (2003) and Matthew Hayden (2007). de Villiers' strike rate of 136.73 is the highest among South African batsmen who have scored centuries in World Cup matches. Hashim Amla reached his first century in World Cups off 121 balls. Overall, he has scored over 2200 runs at an average of 60.07 with eight centuries and 12 fifties. The 69 runs scored in South Africa's batting powerplay is second only to Pakistan's aggregate of 70 runs in their batting powerplay against Kenya. The 221-run stand between de Villiers and Amla is the highest third-wicket partnership for South Africa in World Cups and the third highest for any team in the World Cup. It is also the highest partnership for the third wicket for South Africa in all ODIs. South Africa's 351 is their third-highest World Cup score and the 12th highest score for any team in World Cups. South Africa's highest World Cup score is the 356 against West Indies in the 2007 World Cup. From a decent position of 81 for 2, Netherlands lost their last eight wickets for just 39 runs to be bowled out for 120. The 231-run win is the fourth largest margin of victory for any team in World Cups and the largest for South Africa in World Cups. It is also the second largest margin of victory for South Africa in ODIs. With his third player of the match award in World Cups, de Villiers is joint second with Jacques Kallis on the list of South African players with most match awards in World Cups. Lance Klusener heads the list with five awards.

Chasing 352, Netherlands' best chance of getting anywhere depended on the top order's ability to see off Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel. The openers played out six overs from South Africa's fastest bowlers, but Jacques Kallis ruined their efforts by snaring two quick wickets after coming in first-change. With the run-rate under control, Graeme Smith deployed his spinners on the lower order, and Netherlands sank without a trace, losing their last seven wickets for 39 runs against Imran Tahir and Robin Peterson.

The margin of victory completely eclipsed Netherlands' spirited efforts with the new ball. Their steady army of seamers stuck to tight lengths, and their accuracy left Smith prodding uncertainly from the outset, unsure of his footwork and indecisive in his outlook. After 31 balls of struggle, Smith had seen enough, and lost his leg stump while trying to shovel Bernard Loots across the line. Ryan ten Doeschate then won the first round in the battle of the prolific allrounders, strangling Kallis into glancing one down the leg side through to the wicketkeeper Wesley Barresi. At 58 for 2 in the 16th over, South Africa were in some strife. Thankfully for them, their two best batsmen in recent times were on hand to revive the innings. Even their most optimistic fans, though, would not have envisaged the emphatic manner in which the tide was turned.

Restless to put the failure against West Indies behind him, Amla tried to kick off his World Cup career by disregarding the lengths, and punching on the up. He nearly paid the price in Berend Westdijk's third over, when his drive fell just short of the man at short cover. In Mudassar Bukhari's next, he mishit another forcing shot through the off side, getting an inside edge that was pouched by Barresi on the bounce. Amla tightened his approach following the two reprieves, resorting to deflections behind square, and compact drives down the ground. His first eight balls yielded three fours, but he got only one more - a fortuitous inside edge to fine leg off ten Doeschate - on his way to a vital half-century.

As he had done against West Indies, de Villiers checked in with a surge of immaculate boundaries, flicking and cutting ten Doeschate for fours in the 18th over. They were shots of intent that changed the complexion of the game, ending a period of nearly ten overs in which South Africa's only boundary was Amla's edge to fine leg. de Villiers then went on to expose Netherlands' limitations, leaving the accumulation to Amla and throwing punches in all directions. He looted boundaries in all but two of the overs between 27 and 35, pinging boundaries in a comprehensive arc from third man to midwicket, with shots ranging from the revers- sweep to the slapped flick. While his improvisation was top class, the hallmark of his innings remained the trademark crunched cover-drives whenever the bowlers over-pitched.

Netherlands enjoyed a boundary-drought between overs 36 and 41, but it was clearly a case of the batsmen calibrating their guns for a final assault. Amla strolled to one of his quieter hundreds in the 40th over, and South Africa took the batting Powerplay soon after. de Villiers began the carnage by lapping Pieter Seelar for the first six of the innings, before reaching his century off 88 balls. His next ten deliveries brought him 34 runs, as he smashed Loots for three successive sixes and then ten Doeschate for a hat-trick of fours. Netherlands managed to dismiss both batsmen in quick succession, but it was scarce solace as the Powerplay went for 69. The fields fell back for the last four overs, but that did not seem to affect Duminy, who kept getting under length deliveries to swing four gleeful sixes. Netherlands must have known they were out of the game once South Africa finished with 351. Unfortunately, they did not have Kevin O'Brien in their ranks.

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Sleepless Night Urged Imran Tahir To His Best

AB de Villiers even offered to give the Proteas’ new spin star half his ‘man of the match’ award after what he described as a fantastically “composed” performance in the biggest game of Tahir’s career so far.

But Tahir said he wasn’t all that calm after all.

He said he couldn’t get any sleep on Wednesday night after learning he would play his first competitive match for his adopted country the next day.

And the former Pakistan ‘A’ bowler said it was nervous energy, instead, that carried him to figures of 4-41 to lead South Africa’s bowling effort in its seven-wicket win over West Indies in Group B.

“It’s been a great day,” Tahir said. “They told me that I’m playing today, yesterday, we had a meeting. I think that was the worse thing because I didn’t sleep the whole night, even in the morning.

“But I think I had energy and I was just praying that I would have a good day … I was very excited.”
Tahir’s was the standout bowling performance from South Africa and was good enough to be noticed by De Villiers, whose unbeaten century carried South Africa to an opening win along with Tahir’s bowling.

“He’s an amazing talent and it’s great to have him in the side,” De Villiers said of the 31-year-old who was born in Lahore and only qualified to play for the Proteas on Dec. 31.

“It’s amazing to see how composed and calm he was today for a debutant, in a World Cup game… He can have half the man of the match medal,” De Villiers added.

Tahir captured the crucial wickets of the experienced Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul among his four scalps, and said he had enjoyed his debut. “I had a good day,” he said.

Proteas’ skipper Graeme Smith also said it was a strong start from his new spinner, who is also playing in India for the first time in his career.

“He bowled really well,” Smith said. “I tried to use him in short spells and tried to get the timing right to use him and obviously that was good today.

“He responded superbly well. He picked up key wickets for us, every time he came on he made an impact for us.”

Tahir is making the most of his late chance at international cricket having played in Pakistan, England and South Africa, and finally settling in the South African coastal city of Durban after marrying a local woman.

“Everything came out from my hand very nicely,” he said of his promising start at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground on Thursday.

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Tahir And De Villiers Star In Seven Wicket Win

AB de Villiers showed his pedigree with his second World Cup hundred, his 10th in all one-day internationals, and the fastest by a South African in a World Cup as South Africa chased down 223 at a canter at the Feroz Shah Kotla, the result sealed in the 43rd over for the loss of only three wickets.

De Villiers, who was named ODI Player of the Year for 2010, barely put a foot wrong in his knock, ticking along at better than a-run-a-ball from the start and sounding an ominous warning for South Africa's opponents in this tournament. He shared in a decisive 119-run stand for the third wicket with Graeme Smith and shut down the game by adding a further 84 in JP Duminy's company.

South Africa's batsmen built upon the good work of their bowlers as Imran Tahir had a debut to remember, picking up four wickets and striking at crucial moments to peg West Indies back on a pitch that displayed none of the demons that led to the abandonment of the last international game at this ground in December 2009.

A new-look South African bowling unit kept a lid on a combustible West Indies, the spinners bowling a combined 29 overs for just 138 runs as West Indies imploded to be all out for 222 when, at one stage, 270 had seemed more likely. After the spinners had kept South Africa in control for much of the game, Dale Steyn returned at the death to ensure there would be no late fightback.

South Africa were in dire need of a counterpunch when de Villiers entered at the end of the fifth over with West Indies' new-ball bowlers in the midst of an inspired opening spell. Hashim Amla, whose 1,322 runs in the year leading up to this World Cup has made him one of the vital cogs in South Africa's one-day line-up, and Jacques Kallis both fell to sharp catches behind the wicket as Kemar Roach bowled with real pace and, continuing the trend already being set by other teams in this competition, left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn shared the new ball with success.

South Africa were 20 for 2 with that dismissal but, defying West Indies' attempts to keep the pressure on, de Villiers appeared totally in control from the start of his innings. Threading the gap between cover and point on multiple occasions, he sprinted into the 20s at better than a-run-a-ball and South Africa were soon trundling along at well above the asking rate.

West Indies desperately needed another breakthrough and the talismanic Dwayne Bravo might have been just the man to provide it but in his third over a painful knee injury put an end to his contribution to his team's defence. Attempting to change direction mid-follow through and cut off a drive from Smith, Bravo swivelled awkwardly and immediately fell to the ground, clutching his knee. The physiotherapist was called for and Bravo was helped from the field and taken to hospital for scans. The extent of the damage will not be known until the results of those tests are in.

South Africa marched confidently on in his absence, de Villiers bringing up a 54-ball fifty with a massive blow over wide long-on in the 22nd over and Smith providing steady support until he missed a straight one from Kieron Pollard and had his middle stump flattened five runs short of a half-century of his own. His departure sparked wild celebrations, and at 139 for 3 in the 29th over there was still a chance the chase could get tricky. There was barely a hint of nerves from Duminy and de Villiers, however, and after a short break for rain they eased South Africa home with minimum fuss, de Villiers reaching his ton from just 97 balls.

The chase might have been rather more challenging had West Indies' batsmen been able to make more of the solid platform laid by Darren Bravo and Dwayne Smith, who helped their team weather the early departure of Chris Gayle with a 111-run partnership. Dwayne Bravo and Shivnarine Chanderpaul showed some fight with a 58-run stand of their own but there was precious little support from the rest of the line-up.

Smart Stats After Darren Bravo fell for 73 off 82 balls with the score on 113 for 2, West Indies lost the next eight wickets for just 89 runs. AB de Villiers' century is his second consecutive hundred against West Indies in World Cups after his 146 in the World Cup 2007. It is also his tenth century overall in ODIs. In 39 matches since the beginning of 2009, de Villiers has scored 1947 runs at an average of 62.80 and strike rate of 97.88 with seven centuries and 11 fifties. The 119-run partnership between Graeme Smith and de Villiers is the second highest for the third wicket for South Africa in World Cup matches behind the 145-run stand between Daryll Cullinan and Gary Kirsten against UAE in 1996. Imran Tahir's spell of 4 for 41 is the third-best by a bowler making his ODI debut in a World Cup game. The best bowling performance belongs to Canada's Austin Codrington who picked up 5 for 27 against Kenya in 2003.

The thoroughness of South Africa's gameplans and their willingness to utilise unorthodox tactics was in evidence first in their decision to include no less than three frontline spinners in Johan Botha, Tahir and Robin Peterson and then when, for the first time in his career, Botha opened the bowling and soon snared Gayle with an edge to slip.

Bravo set the early tone with a couple of deftly glanced boundaries off Steyn and brought up a 55-ball 50 in the 16th over, his third in ODIs, and celebrating the milestone with a remarkable one-handed smite over long-on off Tahir. The century stand was brought up off 117 deliveries in the 20th over, and with West Indies starting to seize the initiative Smith turned to Botha.

Again the offspinner provided the breakthrough, slipping one past an uncertain flick to pin Bravo in front of middle and dismiss him for 73 despite a slightly desperate referral from the batsman. Tahir then took centre stage, holding a a simple caught-and-bowled chance off Smith for his first international wicket and removing Ramnaresh Sarwan before he had time to settle

Just as the elder Bravo and Chanderpaul were starting to flow a brainless piece of running put paid to their fightback. A reverse-sweep from Chanderpaul went straight to the man at short third man but inexplicably a run was called for and Bravo was easily run out for 40, the score 178 for 5 in the 38th over.

West Indies unravelled with alarming speed thereafter, their innings sliding swiftly into mediocrity after Chanderpaul, who had upped the tempo with a couple of thumping strikes, chipped Tahir straight to Peterson at long-off. Kieron Pollard's arrival at the crease caused an immediate ripple of excitement among a decent crowd of spectators, but Steyn returned to dismiss him for a golden duck with a skidding inswinger that struck the pad in front of middle and leg. Tahir had his fourth wicket when a wild swipe from wicketkeeper Devon Thomas ended up in JP Duminy's hands, running back from extra cover, and the tail proved no match for Steyn's pace and accuracy as the innings was wrapped up soon afterwards.

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Duminy Ready To Lead South Africa Middle Order

JP Duminy is ready to marshal the South African middle order, especially the lower half, which is inexperienced and unsettled ahead of the World Cup. "There's a little bit more responsibility on my shoulders and it's something I am looking forward to," he said in Bangalore.

Duminy is only 26 years and 71 ODIs old but he is the senior batsman from positions five to seven in the South African order and the only one who can be certain of his place. Colin Ingram, Faf du Plessis, Johan Botha, Robin Peterson and Morne van Wyk are likely to be rotated in the other two places. Any combination of those players, although solid on paper, lacks a certain degree of firepower, so Duminy will have the dual role of anchoring and adding impetus.

The middle order has been untested in the two warm-up games so far with only Duminy getting significant time at the crease in his unbeaten 47 against Australia on Tuesday. "I had decent time out in the middle in the previous game so I am not really worried," Duminy said. It was an innings that started off sluggishly while both he and du Plessis struggled to settle down. The benefit of that knock is that it gave Duminy time to get his eye in and by the end of it, he was looking as classy as always.

Although the warm-ups served the purpose of giving the top order a good run, it means the rest of the batsmen will have to "work behind the scenes and get ready for the first match." Their main concern will be avoiding mini-collapses like the ones they suffered at the hands of India in the recently completed ODI series and forming the powerful finishing force that they were once renowned for. "Hopefully� the middle order can carry us through towards the back end of the innings."

It's as unfamiliar to see a South African side struggling with impactful hitters down their order as it is to see them bring so many spinners on tour. Although they have three frontline and two part-time spinners in the 15-man squad, Duminy said the essential tenet of their bowling philosophy has not changed. "We rely on our pace attack to do the bulk of the work." Morne Morkel was the danger man in the first warm-up against Zimbabwe while Dale Steyn was the spearhead against Australia.

Quick bowlers have traditionally formed the base of the South African attack but they realised they'll have to change their approach in the subcontinent. It has paid off as Peterson and Imran Tahir have taken nine wickets between them in the two practice matches. "Coming into these conditions we are going to need a couple of spinning options," Duminy said.

He is part of the slower bowling clutch that will hope to be the difference between this World Cup squad and those of tournaments past. "We'll rely on the seam attack to strike upfront but hopefully our spinners can do the job in the middle as well." Duminy said that the quicker and slower balls will have to combine well in order to make the most out of pitches that will offer something for one or the other of them. "It's going to be a mixture of the two [seam and spin]. The pitch here at Bangalore was more seamer friendly, but in the others we've seen, especially when India have played, have had their spinners doing the work. It's going to be a balance for us."

The equilibrium for South Africa has to be reached early, because the bowling is not the only thing they are juggling. They have more youth than experience, which is why Duminy will have to assume one of the senior roles, and getting the balance between the youth and the more seasoned players will be crucial. "It's a young-looking side but it's not necessarily a bad thing."

One of the advantages of having so many players making their World Cup debut is that they can remove themselves from the chokers label that has been attached to South African teams in previous tournaments. "We know that tag hunts us quite a bit but there are a lot of new faces in the team. Hopefully that tag won't bother us too much in going all the way in this tournament.

Duminy is one of the rookies who has not been tainted by disappointments of previous World Cup failings. He and the eleven other tournament debutants bring with them a hunger to wipe out the mistakes of the past and start rewriting the legacy South Africa leave behind. It will be a massive achievement, considering the unconventional approach from South Africa. "We've been putting building blocks in place before the first game and we are looking forward to the challenge." 

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