South Africa thrash India in first ODI in Durban

First one-day international, Kingsmead, Durban:
South Africa 289-9 (50 overs) bt India 154 (35.4 overs) by 135 runs
Match scorecard

De Villiers hit seven fours and a six in a stylish innings

South Africa made a fine start to the five-match one-day series with India, winning by 135 runs in Durban.
After Hashim Amla hit eight fours in 50 from 36 balls, AB De Villiers (76) and JP Duminy (73) put on 131 inside 22 overs as South Africa made 289-9.
India lost both openers within the first four overs and Morne Morkel (2-12) later struck twice in one over.
Virat Kohli hit his 11th ODI fifty but India were all out for 154, as left-arm seamer Lonwabo Tsotsobe claimed 4-31.
India were missing their regular opening pair, Gautam Gambhir and the cavalier Virender Sehwag, through injury, but welcomed back record Test and one-day international run-scorer Sachin Tendulkar for his first ODI since February 2010.
But their reply began terribly as Murali Vijay was lbw to the fourth ball of the innings after being beaten for pace by Dale Steyn, while Tendulkar top-edged to fine-leg where Steyn took a fine catch high above his head.
The bowling powerplay was taken immediately and it proved a fruitful decision as Morkel, from wide of the crease, got one to straighten and appear to catch the edge of Rohit Sharma's bat, although replays suggested there might have been no contact and that the noise was bat hitting pad.
From the final ball of the over dangerman Yuvraj Singh poked at one wide of off-stump and edged to Graeme Smith at first slip to leave India on 43-4.
After 10 overs without a boundary 22-year-old Kohli and skipper Mahendra Dhoni hit spinner Johan Botha for a six and two fours in four balls.
However their partnership of 52 ended in cruel fashion in the 23rd over when Kohli hit a sweet straight drive which bowler Wayne Parnell touched on to the stumps, leaving Dhoni short of his ground, run-out for 25.

606: DEBATE
Discuss the match
India took the batting powerplay for the start of the 30th over but Smith brought back Steyn and he had Kohli caught at mid-wicket with the third ball of his new spell, with Harbhajan Singh falling for a duck in the next over, edging Parnell into his stumps.
Suresh Raina had smeared Botha for a six, but after flicking Tsotsobe for his second four he cut the next ball straight to point and departed for 32.
The burly left-armer Tsotsobe then bowled Ashish Nehra with a delightful slower ball and finished the match two balls later as Duminy took a fine diving catch running back at cover.
South Africa built their innings steadily after Smith came down the wicket to Ashish Nehra and skied the ball to Rohit Sharma running back from first slip, with Amla and Colin Ingram compiling a half-century stand from 47 balls.
That ended when Ingram, who hit two centuries in his first four one-day innings, pulled Munaf Patel straight to mid-wicket and Amla departed soon afterwards when Harbhajan ran back from mid-on to pouch his lofted stroke off Patel.
De Villiers and Duminy soon led the recovery though and put on 50 in 72 balls, De Villiers reaching his 25th ODI fifty in 48 deliveries.
The century partnership came up in the 32nd over as De Villiers took three successive fours off Nehra, while Duminy reached his 10th half century in the next, from 61 balls.
Occasional spinner Sharma removed them both, De Villiers caught at deep mid-wicket and Duminy lbw but the home side were still able to post a strong total that proved too much for India.
The series continues in Johannesburg on Saturday.




_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
LED sign
search engine optimisation company

mobile marketing
Deutsch Englisch Uebersetzung
This game was always going to be a very different test to the clash with the Spaniards, especially since Gunners boss Arsene Wenger picked a very different team, making 10 changes.
Alex Song was the only survivor of that victory in the starting XI at Brisbane Road but a side containing Rosicky, Andrey Arshavin and Marouane Chamakh should still have seen off Orient with ease.

But they did not, mainly because of a lack of urgency in the final third, and some poor finishing when they did turn their vastly superior possession into chances.