Cricket: Kallis inspires South Africa

West Indies 245 South Africa 248-6 South Africa win by 4 wickets

JACQUES KALLIS took five wickets and Hansie Cronje played the captain's role with 61 runs as South Africa won the Wills International Cup with a four-wicket victory over the West Indies in yesterday's final in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka.

Kallis, who collected the man of the match award, plunged West Indies from 180 for 3 to 245 all out in 49.3 of their 50 overs by taking 5 for 30, and he chipped in with 37 runs as South Africa swept to victory with three overs to spare.

South Africa's triumph in the mini-World Cup contested by the nine Test- playing teams came less than two months after they won the cricket gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur.

Kallis turned the tide after West Indies had been given a solid start by Philo Wallace, who scored his maiden one-day international century. He ripped out the West Indies middle order and tail in a spell of 7.3 overs, in which he had Carl Hooper and Phil Simmons caught by Jonty Rhodes, and trapped Ridley Jacobs, Rawl Lewis and Reon King leg before. He missed the chance of a hat-trick after he removed Hooper and Lewis in consecutive balls in the 46th over.

The West Indies took 25 overs to reach 100, as the spinners Pat Symcox and Nicky Boje did an effective containing job, but Wallace subsequently lifted the tempo. Once he reached his half-century off 72 balls, he tore into the South African attack, adding his second 50 in just 26 balls. His innings of 103 off 102 balls, including five sixes and 11 fours, was ended when he was stumped off Cronje's gentle medium pace.

South Africa were always above the run rate required after the openers, Mike Rindel and Daryll Cullinan, scored 50 off the first six overs. Three quick wickets went down for 19 runs in the middle of the innings, but then Cronje saw his side home.

South Africa won toss

WEST INDIES

P A Wallace st Boucher b Cronje 103

C B Lambert c Symcox b Elworthy 7

S Chanderpaul lbw b Boje 27

*B C Lara b Crookes 11

C L Hooper c Rhodes b Kallis 49

K J Arthurton lbw b Kallis 8

P V Simmons c Rhodes b Kallis 8

R D Jacobs c Rhodes b Cronje 14

R N Lewis lbw b Kallis 0

R D King lbw b Kallis 7

M Dillon not out 0

Extras (lb4 w7) 11

Total (49.3 overs) 245

Fall: 1-18 2-94 3-125 4-180 5-193 6-213 7-232 8-232 9-243.

Bowling: Symcox 10-0-29-0; Elworthy 7-0-48-1 (w1); Boje 10-1-44-1 (w2); Rindel 2-0-13-0; Crookes 3-0-33-1 (w2); Cronje 10-0-44-2 (w1); Kallis 7.3-0-30-5 (w1).

SOUTH AFRICA

M J R Rindel run out (Arthurton) 49

D J Cullinan run out (Arthurton) 21

M V Boucher st Jacobs b Hooper 4

J H Kallis c & b Simmons 37

*W J Cronje not out 61

J N Rhodes c Jacobs b Simmons 3

D M Benkenstein c Hooper b Dillon 27

D N Crookes not out 24

Extras (b3 lb3 w13 nb3) 22

Total (for 6, 47 overs) 248

Fall: 1-54 2-60 3-118 4-134 5-137 6-211

Did not bat: P L Symcox, N Boje, S Elworthy

Bowling: Dillon 10-0-53-1 (w4); King 10-0-42-0 (w2); Hooper 10-1-45-1 (w2); Simmons 8-0-45-2 (w5 nb1); Lewis 9-0-57-0 (nb2).