South Africa’s top four batsmen showed their class with a half-century apiece against India A here on Sunday in what was the Proteas’ last match before next week’s first Test against England.
At stumps on the second day of their three-day tour match, South Africa were 342 for five, a first innings lead of 23, in reply to India A’s 319.
But although all the quartet made it to 75 not one of them made a hundred.
Jacques Rudolph came closest with 83. But with two overs left in the day he edged paceman Aavishkar Salvi through to Test wicket-keeper Parthiv Patel. Rudolph faced 138 balls including 12 fours.
And three balls later Salvi struck again, clean bowling wicket-keeper Mark Boucher for nought.
Salvi, who persevered well, finished the day with two for 55 from 18 overs.
Earlier Rudolph and fellow left-hander Gary Kirsten (75) put on 171 for the third wicket.
They carried on from where openers Graeme Smith and Herschelle Gibbs (both 79), who shared a 150 first-wicket partnership, left off on a placid pitch.
Kirsten batted without concern until he inexplicably set off for an impossible single, hesitated and was comfortably run out by Irfan Pathan junior’s direct underarm hit from mid-off.
His dismissal was the start of a mini-collapse that saw South Africa 335 for two at one stage lose their next three wickets for six runs.
But more important for South Africa was the return to form of 29-year-old right-hander Gibbs ahead of Thursday’s opening Test in a five match series at Edgbaston.
In the triangular one-day series Gibbs managed just one double-figure score and in South Africa’s opening first-class match, against Somerset which finished on Friday, he was dismissed for four and 17.
But Gibbs unfurled his full repertoire of shots against both India A’s fast-medium seamers and spinners. Gibbs was particulary severe on first change Murali Kartik,
demonstrating excellent footwork to loft the left-arm spinner for two sixes in three balls over long-off and long-on.
But Kartik had his revenge when he had Gibbs, 61 not out at lunch, well caught down the legside by Patel.
Gibbs faced 123 balls including two sixes and nine fours.
Together with Western Province team-mate Smith he put on 150 in 41.1 overs.
It was Gibbs’ best tour score since he made 93 not out in the triangular series match against Zimbabwe at Cardiff on July 5.
And 14 runs later South Africa lost their second wicket when Smith was lbw after being hit on the foot by India A left-arm quick Pathan’s inswinger.
Pathan bowled at a lively pace throughout on an unresponsive surface and deserved his economical figures of one for 55 in 18 overs.
Left-hander Smith batted for one minute over three hours, facing 128 balls with two sixes and eight fours. – Sapa-AFP