Ingram, Bowlers Give South Africa Comfortable Win

Ingram; Bowlers Give South Africa Comfortable Win

Ingram's century was his second against Pakistan and the third of his ODI career.

©REUTERS / Action Images

South Africa 315-4 (Ingram 105no) beat
Pakistan 190 (Kleinveldt 4-22) by 125 runs
First One-Day International, Bloemfontein
Scorecard

South Africa put the disappointment of the Twenty20 defeat behind them with a resounding win in the opening One-Day International against Pakistan in Bloemfontein. Colin Ingram and AB de Villiers built on a solid start given to them by Hashim Amla and Graeme Smith to take the home side to 315 for four from their 50 overs.

Rory Kleinveldt and Ryan McLaren then helped South Africa bounce back from the good start that Pakistan’s openers had given them. McLaren took three for 19 and Kleinveldt four for 22 as the tourists lost regular wickets throughout and were eventually all out for 190 after just 36.2 overs.

It was Ingram’s third ODI century that dominated South Africa’s innings after they had surprisingly been inserted by Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq, who had chosen to pick four spinners in his eleven. However, Ingram was quick to pay tribute to the role that Smith and Amla had played when interviewed after the match. Those two dealt with a seaming ball and a good pair of opening spells from Pakistan’s brace of seam bowlers, Junaid Khan and Umar Gul. Amla, in particular, rode his luck during his innings of 43, but together he and Smith added 72 inside 14 overs.

They both fell in relatively quick succession to Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez and it was then over to Ingram and AB de Villiers. Pakistan would have been hoping that their spin quartet would tie the home side’s middle-order down, but they rotated the strike well, making the most of the big playing area at Chevrolet Park and some occasionally slapdash Pakistan fielding.

The partnership had reached 120 before it was ended by de Villiers trying to loft a ball over the infield on the off-side - a shot that had proved productive during his innings - only to be caught, this time, by Younus Khan at cover. Faf du Plessis joined Ingram for a while, but it was Farhaan Behardien who provided the unexpected icing on the South African cake. He came in in the 47th over and smashed 34 off only 14 balls, partnering Ingram to his century, which came in the final over of the innings off 101 balls.

Pakistan began boldly as they had to, with Mohammad Hafeez and Nasir Jamshed adding 42 in seven overs. Unfortunately for Pakistan, Kleinveldt accounted or both. Jamshed guided a ball into Smith’s hands at slip, and then got a fingertip on a straight drive from Younus Khan which clattered into the stumps at the non-strikers’ end to run out Hafeez who was backing up too far.

Asad Shafiq came and went and it was over to Misbah and Younus to attempt the rebuild. Both usually take a while to get going and that proved to be the case on this occasion. The required rate climbed as Younus, in particular, struggled to rotate the strike. He eventually began to show some fluency but was dismissed, at just the wrong time, by Kyle Abbott, who returned after an indifferent opening spell. Misbah was also out, not long afterwards, and at 135 for five in the 29th over, the game was as good as over.

Shahid Afridi entertained briefly, making up for his lacklustre showing with the ball to hit 34 off 16 balls, but he was last man out, giving Kleinveldt his fourth wicket.

© Cricket World 2013