Gibbs century leads SA to easy win

Herschelle Gibbs scored his third consecutive century to lead South Africa to an emphatic win over Bangladesh in the first one-day international in Potchefstroom on Thursday.

South Africa won by 168 runs after scoring 301 for eight, of which Gibbs made 153, and dismissing Bangladesh for 133 in 41.5 overs.

Opener Gibbs, who made 116 against Kenya and 116 retired against India in the Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka, scored his runs off 130 balls with 17 fours and three sixes to become only the third player after Pakistan's Zaheer Abbas and Saeed Anwar to achieve a hat-trick of one-day hundreds.

It was Gibbs's tenth limited overs century and his career best one-day score. The only blemish in an innings of impressive power and attacking strokeplay came after Gibbs had reached 118, when he was dropped at deep mid-wicket by Hannan Sarkar off the bowling of medium pacer Khaled Mahmud.

Seamer Tapas Baishya claimed Gibbs's wicket in the 45th over, when Gibbs slogged a delivery to Al-Shariar on the backward square leg boundary.

Gibbs and Graham Smith began their opening partnership cautiously, with the centurion hitting the first boundary of the match in the sixth over.

But they batted steadily and shared 63 runs before Smith, on 28, slapped a delivery from medium pacer Talha Jubair to Javed Omar at mid-on.

Gibbs and Jacques Kallis added 107 runs off 104 balls for the third wicket, a stand ended in the 32nd over when Kallis heaved Mahmud to Manjural Islam at long-on after scoring 47.

Any chance Bangladesh had of staying in the match disappeared when they slumped to 26 for five in the 15th over, with all five batsmen failing to reach double figures.

BLISTERING SPELL

Fast bowler Makhaya Ntini was the key with a blistering opening spell of seven overs in which he took three for 12 on his way to final figures of three for 18 off 10 overs.

Alok Kapali showed composure for his 25, while Mahmud hit five fours in his 24. However, the visitors' heroes were captain Khaled Mashud and Tapas Baishya, whose partnership of 60 was a Bangladesh record for the eighth wicket.

Mashud was 34 not out, and Tapas Baishya scored 24.

Fast bowler Kallis wrapped up the match by taking the last three wickets with five deliveries to finish with four for 33.

Mail Cricket Editor