A partnership of 30 followed between Khaled Mashud and Khaled Mahmud with the latter deciding to take Kallis on once too often to be well caught by Donald lunging to his right at mid on. Five boundaries in his total of 24 in 18 balls pushed the score to 73 when the seventh wicket fell in the 24th over.

With Klusener and Ontong bowling in tandem Mashud and Tapash Baisya worked well together and seemed to be far more comfortable against the two bowlers. Mashud who had played a very patient innings came out of his shell and played some delicate shots to all areas of the ground.

The return of Ntini once again dried up the runs. It is evident that the Bangladesh players are quite competent in playing the medium paced and spin bowlers. Any sign of pace and they get themselves into trouble.

The pair however survived well and set a new 8th wicket partnership record for Bangladesh.

After 40 overs Bangladesh were still holding on at 129/7 with Mashud on 33 and Baisya on 24.

Looking comfortable against the pace, or lack of it from Pollock, they could not do anything against his good line and length.

Makhaya Ntini however was causing problems with his pace and bounce. Moving the ball both ways off the seam he was soon in the wickets. Pollock dropped Sarkar at third slip, before Ntini got his man, caught by Kallis for two and the first wicket down on eight.

A over later Ntini saw the end of AL Saharian for one. Ducking for a short ball he left the bat exposed, to be well caught by Kallis running back from second slip taking a one handed diving catch.

Tushar Imran could also not keep Ntini out, cutting straight at point, Gibbs took the catch and Bagladesh was 12/3 and Imran out for one.

Two balls later Javed Omar was called for a single to mid wicket. Justin Ontong was in quick and the direct hit had him well short and run out for 8. At 12/4 after 10 overs Bangladesh was in big trouble of being bowled out very cheaply.

Donald got in on the act when he had Sanwar Hossain caught at third slip for four and Bangladesh 26/5 after 15 overs.

Once Gibbs passed the 100 he threw the bat at everything, hitting three towering sixes. Being dropped on the long on boundary for 118 did not deter him, going on to make his highest career One-Day score of 151. He was involved in a partnership of 81 with Boeta Dippenaar who scored 26 of them.

When Gibbs left at 267/4, Dippenaar took over upping his rate. With wickets falling around him, Benkenstein for two and Ontong for two, Dippenaar was eventually caught for 41 off 49 before a flurry from Klusener, nine off nine balls, took the score to 301/8.

Once the opening bowlers had come off Gibbs and Kallis set about the bowling with Gibbs driving and timing the ball very well and going to his 50 in 83 minutes off 49 balls including 9 boundaries.

Kallis was no slouch either, although fed with a few long hops by Alok Kapali, working the leg side well and quickly the 100 partnership came up in 90 balls. Kallis kept the ball on the ground for most of his innings but in trying to go to his 50 in spectacular form, got under one to be caught at long off for 47 from 51 balls including 5 boundaries. South Africa now 186/3 after 32 overs.

Gibbs’s 100, his third in as many matches, was scored in 96 balls underlying his excellent form at the moment. He joins Zaheer Abbas and Saeed Anwar as the only players to have scored three One-Day International hundreds in a row.

Herschelle Gibbs and Graeme Smith opened the innings and as predicted found it difficult to get to grips with the line and length of Manjural Islam and Tapash Baisya.

It was not until the sixth over when Gibbs started to improvise and work the first boundary to the on side. Smith forcing and not timing the ball at all managed to get two boundaries off the eight over, one to the leg side and one a good clean cover drive. This seemed to upset the bowlers line and took the pressure off the South Africans.

Manjural Islam came off after ten overs and was replaced by Talha Jubair who bowled too many down the leg side, paying for it with 11 runs coming off his first over. In his next over, as good as the first was bad, Smith was dropped at square leg by Hannan Sarkar and then two balls later got his wicket with Smith forcing and caught at mid on for 28 and South Africa 63/1.

Pollock after a short stay became Jubair’s second victim caught at slip for five and South Africa 79/2 in the 15th over.

Bangladesh may face an uphill struggle against the loaded South African pace attack on the quick North West pitch. Shaun Pollock, Allan Donald, Jacques Kallis, Makhaya Ntini and Lance Klusener are all experienced campaigners and will not be handing out many full pitched deliveries. A Bangladesh total of anything near 200 will be most surprising.

Hannan Sarkar and Tushar Imran both good players who get into line well might cause the South Africans bowlers some irritation. Sanwar Hossain, who looks to be better suited to the five-day version, will not give his wicket away cheaply.

The South African top order will find early opposition from the opening Bangladesh attack. Left hander Manjural Islam and Tapash Baisya make up for their lack in pace with consistent line and length. The leg spinner, Alok Kapali, who does not turn the ball much, does vary his flight and line very well. Bangladesh may however be in trouble with their remaining bowlers.

South Africa won the toss and decided to bat.

South Africa team: HH Gibbs, GC Smith, JH Kallis, HH Dippenaar, L Klusener, SM Pollock, AA Donald, M Ntini, JL Ontong, DM Benkenstein, ELR Stewart.

Bangladesh team: Hannan Sarkar, Al Sahariar, Tushar Imran, Alok Kapali, *+Khaled Mashud, Khaled Mahmud, Tapash Baisya, Manjural Islam, Javed Omar, and Talha Jubair.