BBC SPORT | Cricket | South Africa win thriller

ICC Champions Trophy, Colombo:
SA 242-8 (49 ovs) bt West Indies 238-8 (50 ovs) by 2 wickets

South Africa beat the West Indies off the final ball of the match in a thrilling climax to their Champions Trophy match in Colombo.

With one ball to play, the scores were tied at 238-8 - but a four from Alan Dawson secured the match for Shaun Pollock's side.

South Africa's successful run chase was based around a fourth-wicket partnership of 117 between Boeta Dippenaar and Jonty Rhodes.

Both men fell in Carl Hooper's comeback over and then an inspired Merv Dillon grabbed three wickets to haul West Indies back in the match.

View this match in pictures

With the numbers of over available reduced to 49 because of South Africa's slow over rate, it came down to Dawson to keep his head at the death to hit the winning runs.

"The good thing is that we won when we didn't play at their best and if you have to win the title, you have to win from all types of circumstances," Pollock commented.

Gayle force

Earlier, solid batting right down the order enabled the West Indies to post a respectable, if unspectacular total, at the Sinhalese Sports Ground.

Chris Gayle launched the innings with 49 off 55 balls after they had been put in by South African skipper Shaun Pollock and that proved to be the highest score.

Allan Donald dismisses Chris Gayle

Nobody played the sort of major innings which would have given South Africa a daunting target to chase.

West Indies included fast bowler Vasbert Drakes who had been overlooked for seven years because he chose to play cricket overseas in South Africa and England.

Gayle was the first man to fall in the day, when he was caught behind off veteran paceman Allan Donald after hitting a six and eight fours.

Spinner Nicky Boje accounted for Lara and West Indies were in trouble when Shiv Chanderpaul (45) and skipper Hooper (27) both went with the total on 153.

Though Brian Lara had made just 21, Ramnaresh Sarwan (36 off 32 balls) and Ridley Jacobs (25 off 21 balls) at least gave their team a respectable score.

Kallis spell

South Africa's reply got off to a poor start when Dillon beat Herschelle Gibbs for pace to bowl him through the gate for just eight.

Drakes' first over was then immediately effective, with Jacques Kallis edging an innocuous delivery behind to Jacobs to fall for 10.

When Jacobs then reacted quickly to hold a faint edge down the leg-side to catch Graeme Smith for 33 off Hooper it then became 61 for three.

But Rhodes and Dippenaar have combined good hard running with sensible rotation of the strike and the game is well balanced now.

South Africa: H H Gibbs, G C Smith, J H Kallis, H H Dippenaar J N Rhodes, L Klusener, S M Pollock (Capt), M V Boucher (Wkt) N Boje, A C Dawson, A A Donald
West Indies: C H Gayle, S Chanderpaul, B C Lara, C L Hooper (Capt) W W Hinds, R R Sarwan, R D Jacobs (Wkt), V C Drakes, M Dillon M V Nagamootoo, P T Collins


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