Earlier, Graeme Smith, who was batting on 49 at the end of the half-way stage, took just three more balls to bring up his sixth ODI fifty. The South African opener went on to make 63 off 79 (six fours), before an arm-ball from off-spinner John Davison castled him. The Smith-Dippenaar third wicket partnership realised 109 runs.

Dippenaar and Mark Boucher then began forging another useful partnership for the fourth wicket.

Dippenaar, the most impressive South African batsman on the day, raised his 15th ODI fifty off 72 balls when he paddled a single.

The duo put on 42 runs before Boucher, who played a sedate knock, was dismissed for 21, dragging a delivery from medium-pacer Nicholas de Groot onto the stumps.

Shaun Pollock walked out to join Dippenaar at this stage. Disciplined bowling from the Canadians ensured that the pressure began to pile on the two men, as the overs began to go by without too many runs being scored.

Dippenaar eventually succumbed, failing in his attempt to make room for himself and clear the short fine-leg fieldsman. The middle-order bat made 80 off 118 balls, including seven fours.

More than two more overs went by without any boundaries being scored before Pollock decided to take matters into his own hands.

In the 48th over bowled by de Groot, the South African skipper drove two huge sixes into the stands beyond the long-on fence. His big-hitting ensured that 19 runs were scored off the over.

Pollock was dismissed off the first ball of the next over, but Andrew Hall, who had come in after Dippenaar's dismissal, ensured that the tempo was maintained by pulling a six to mid-wicket off the very next ball.

Makhaya Ntini, who had joined Hall after Pollock's dismissal, also joined the party hitting a four and a six - a huge hit that sailed out of the ground - on his way to an 14 off 9 balls.

It was , though, left to Hall (22* off 11 balls) to round off things which he did by hitting an along-the-carpet four off the last ball, bowled by Ashish Patel.

The recovery came after a woeful start that saw the hosts lose three early wickets.

The first to go was Herschelle Gibbs, who played a casual flick to a ball going down leg-side and was neatly pouched by wicket-keeper Ashish Bagai. The wicket-taker was debutant new-ball bowler Ashish Bagai, who along with his partner Davis Joseph bowled with great discipline. South Africa were, then, 19/1 in 5.2 overs.

Next man Gary Kirsten was to last only five balls, dismissed an over later for a duck, when he nicked an away-going ball from Joseph into the waiting gloves of Bagai.

Kallis, who came in needing just 52 runs to complete 6,000 ODI runs, was also to fail on the day, out for one when he played a short ball straight into the hands of Nicholas Ifill at mid-on.

With the South African score reading 23/3 in 7.2 overs, opener Graeme Smith, who had hung on at the other end while all this was happening, was joined by Boeta Dippenaar.

The latter had an early let-off when Canadian skipper Joe Harris, standing at first slip, dropped Dippenaar (12) off Davis.

But after that Dippenaar flowered, playing some attractive drives on both sides of the wicket, while making his way to 45* off 58 balls.

Smith, who was also beginning to hit his stride after a watchful start, was batting on 49 off 66 balls.

Young and talented opener Graeme Smith was included in place of Lance Klusener in the only other change made by the the hosts, who are looking at the match as their last opportunity to experiment before the big game against Sri Lanka on Monday.

Canada, for their part, brought in debutant new-ball bowler Ashish Patel in place of Austin Codrington, the first Canadian to claim a five-for in ODIs. Their skipper Joe Harris, after winning the toss, put the South Africans in on a pitch that is expected to get slower and lower as play progresses.

Teams:

South Africa: Graeme Smith, Herschelle Gibbs, Boeta Dippenaar, Jacques Kallis, Gary Kirsten, +Mark Boucher, Shaun Pollock (captain), Andrew Hall, Allan Donald, Makhaya Ntini, Monde Zondeki

Canada: Ishwar Maraj, John Davison, Desmond Chumney, Ian Billcliff, Joe Harris (captain), Nicholas de Groot, Nicholas Ifill, +Ashish Bagai, Davis Joseph, Barry Seebaran, Ashish Patel