CRICKET:A sparse crowd was treated to some superb batting by three of the world's best players yesterday as South Africa beat India by four wickets in the first of the three-match Future Cup series in Belfast.
Man of the match Jacques Kallis saw his side home with three balls to spare.
On a day when the air temperature in central Belfast was seven degrees Celsius, Sachin Tendulkar opened the Indian innings swathed in layers of sky blue.
He batted through to the 45th over before being run out one run short of what would have been his 42nd one-day international (ODI) hundred.
He needs 50 more runs to become the first player to score 15,000 runs in one-day international cricket.
High-pitched squeals from a vociferous Indian contingent met every one of his 12 boundaries.
They were silenced, however, when he turned for a second run only to be beaten to wicketkeeper Mark Boucher's end by a fast, flat throw by Morne van Wyk.
It was a disappointing end to an innings of quiet authority that had started slowly and accelerated through the middle overs of the Indian innings. It took him 18 balls to get off the mark, because of the accuracy of Ntini and the moving ball.
When he is in form Tendulkar's bat appears illegally wide, the direction of the blade dictated by subtle flicks of the wrist, enabling him to play late and pick out the gaps in the field.
It was notable how seldom he hit the ball to fielders, an asset that ensures maximum return from attacking shots.
At the other end, skipper Rahul Dravid was doing what he does best: accumulating runs. He matched Tendulkar, contributing 74 of the 158 the pair put on for the third wicket, by far the most significant partnership of the innings.
Dravid went, bowled by the aggressive Andre Nel, and the late innings was given impetus by some clever improvisation by incoming batsmen.
The 48th over, bowled by Charl Langeveldt, went for 18, including a flamboyant six over deep long on by Dinesh Karthik, who finished the stroke pirouetting on one leg.
On a two-paced pitch, 242 was a competitive score. Openers AB de Villiers and Van Wyk put on 56, both showing their familiarity with Irish conditions, having previously played for Carrickfergus and Instonians respectively in the NCU.
De Villiers's exit brought Kallis to the wicket, and while he was there South Africa were favourites. But a flurry of wickets at the other end made the captain's job more taxing than necessary.
Mark Boucher got a shocker of an lbw decision from umpire Mark Benson; the ball from the left-armer Zaheer Khan pitched well outside leg stump and struck the batsman on the thigh pad.
As Boucher walked over the boundary rope he was still shaking his head.
Kallis's innings of 91 was a clinical piece of work from one of the best players in the world. Aided by a technique that has no discernible weakness, he never allowed the required rate to get beyond a run a ball.
It was left to Vernon Philander to hit the winning boundary with three balls to spare.
It is hoped such high-class entertainment will draw a bigger crowd for the remaining two games, starting on Friday.
Scoreboard in SPORTS ROUND-UP