Close South Africa 160 for 3 (J Kallis 54, N McKenzie 49*) beat Kenya 159 for 7 (S Tikolo 68*) by seven wickets A superior allround performance by South Africa saw them defeat Kenya by seven wickets, and record their second straight win in the Standard Bank Summer Spice triangular one-day series. And by sweeping past their 160-run target in only 33.4 overs, at better than 1.25 times Kenya's run rate, they even managed a bonus point to go with the four that are routinely awarded for a victory.

Gary Kirsten and Herschelle Gibbs made a brisk start, and then Jacques Kallis's refined 54 and a bright innings from Neil McKenzie took South Africa home.

Kenya were always unlikely to win after posting a total of 159. They only reached that many because of Steve Tikolo's 68 not out, off only 83 balls; an innings that was both brave and attractive. But his was a one-man show against tight, mostly back-of-a-length seam bowling. Kenya got off to the worst possible start when Kennedy Otieno, who smacked 156 not out in a warm-up match last week, was caught behind off the first legal ball of the match, from Shaun Pollock.

Ravindu Shah and David Otieno defended rather too stoutly, then were out within eight runs of one another. Shah (8) trod on his stumps while driving Makhaya Ntini down the ground, and Otieno (17) mistimed a lofted drive off Kallis to Andre Nel at cover. Kenya were floundering at 35 for 3 in 18.4 overs.

But Tikolo and Maurice Odumbe, the captain, briefly revived the innings with an enterprising 55-run stand. Tikolo kick-started the partnership with consecutive fours off Kallis, then Odumbe joined in with some powerful cuts, and a cheeky reverse-sweep off Claude Henderson. The go-slow by the top three had almost been cancelled out, but with the total on 90, and his own score 24, Odumbe fell to a loose stroke. He tried to loft Lance Klusener to leg, but didn't middle it and was comfortably caught by Herschelle Gibbs at midwicket.

Wickets fell regularly thereafter, and though Tikolo batted through till the end, he couldn't raise the total beyond 159. Pollock was the best bowler, and finished with 2 for 19 off 10 tight overs.

Kenya's opening bowlers needed to start well, but instead served up a procession of inviting long-hops to speed South Africa on their way. Kirsten got things moving when he slammed consecutive cover-driven fours in Thomas Odoyo's first over. By the time he had reached 17 at a run a ball, Odoyo had lulled him into such complacency that he tried to pull a ball that wasn't short enough and, not for the first time in his career, dragged it onto his stumps.

Gibbs had collected most of his runs on the leg side, including an arrogant flick off an Odoyo no-ball and an imperious pull off Martin Suji, but he balanced the books somewhat by smashing Peter Ochieng over point for six. At 20, he gave Odoyo his second wicket when he attempted an ambitious pull that hit the thigh-guard and tickled the glove before ballooning up to Steve Tikolo in the gully.

Kallis and McKenzie settled down into a sensible stand that was evetntually worth 89, and lifted South Africa to within 20 runs of victory. But soon after he brought up his fifty, Kallis was caught behind off a Collins Otieno legbreak that drew him forward and grazed the edge. McKenzie, who started tentatively, opened his shoulders towards the end and finished with 49 not out, as South Africa cantered home.

Rahul Bhattacharya is a staff writer with Wisden.com India.

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