Vernon Philander picked up a couple of wickets as two of the big guns recorded wins on the second day of the ICC Cricket World Cup.
South Africa’s Philander will play for Nottinghamshire in the first half of the forthcoming domestic season and he played his part as Pool B got under way on Sunday.
Philander took 2-30 as his side downed Zimbabwe by 62 runs in Hamilton. The day’s other match took place at the Adelaide Oval where a crowd of 41,587 saw India begin the defence of their crown with a 76-run victory over Pakistan.
Zimbabwe threatened to produce a major shock when they reduced the South Africans to 83-4 with Amla, de Kock, du Plessis and de Villiers all out but those hopes were dashed by a record partnership.
David Miller and JP Duminy joined forces in the 21st over and will still together at the end of the innings having added an unbroken 256 together, from 178 balls, a fifth wicket best in ODI cricket.
Miller, who won the man of the match award, made 138 not out, hitting 9 sixes and 7 fours in his 92-ball exhibition.
Duminy was undefeated on 115, made from 100 balls, with 9 fours and 3 sixes.
Even so, it was the timing of their assault that catapulted the final score to an impregnable 339-4. Between the 45th and 48th overs the brutality of their hitting added 80 runs with Miller taking a liking to the bowling of Solomon Mire in particular.
The 48th over went for 30 runs as Miller plundered 6-4-4-6-4-6 from the right-arm medium-pacer.
Philander picked up an early wicket in Zimbabwe’s reply, clean-bowling Sikandar Raza. There was brief hope as Masakadza and Chibhabha added 105 for the second wicket but once they’d departed South Africa were always in control.
Imran Tahir took 3-36 and Philander returned to have Mire caught in the deep as Zimbabwe folded for 277 after 48.2 overs.
South Africa would have expected to win their match, whereas India’s match against Pakistan looked a little trickier to call at the outset.
Virat Kohli made 107, his 22nd ODI century, and was backed up by half centuries from Dhawan and Raina as India reached 300-7.
Sohail Khan followed Steven Finn and Mitchell Marsh by picking up a 5-wicket haul as he collected 5-55.
An indifferent chase from Pakistan was handicapped by the regular loss of key wickets. Former Notts player Younis Khan only made 6 after being elevated to the opening position and the innings had subsided to 149-6 when the dangerous Shahid Afridi was dismissed.
Misbah-ul-Haq tried to keep his side in contention, making 76 from 84 balls but the captain received little in the way of support and Pakistan still had three overs unused when they lost their final wicket for 224.
In a match that could go some way to deciding the eventual outcome of Pool B South Africa meet India in their next match, next Sunday in Melbourne.
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