December 19, 2002	Thursday	Shawwal 14, 1423

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CAPE TOWN, Dec 18: Boeta Dippenaar and Jonty Rhodes steered South Africa to an impressive 265 for eight from 50 overs in the fifth and final One-day International against Pakistan on Wednesday.

Dippenaar, who scored 93, recorded his highest score at this level of the game to put South Africa in a strong position to take a 4-1 series victory, having clinched the series in Paarl on Monday.

Rhodes and Dippenaar shared a 134 run partnership for the fourth wicket, which came from 163 balls and included nine boundaries.

They came together with the score at 61 for three in the 16th over at a stage when it looked like South Africa would struggle to score 220 having won the toss and elected to bat.

Rhodes scored 81 by playing with his usual urgency to help Dippenaar emerge from his shell after Herschelle Gibbs, Gary Kirsten and Jacques Kallis fell cheaply.

Rhodes’ enjoyable innings ended in typical fashion when he was bowled as he tried to reverse sweep off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq only to be deceived by the flight and turn. His runs came off 95 balls and included eight fours.

Dippenaar, who scored his runs off 126 balls with seven fours, played with circumspection early on having come to the crease in the first over with the dismissal of Gibbs for a duck, caught at slip by Younis Khan off the bowling of Waqar Younis.

Kirsten scored 12 before being bowled by Waqar bringing the out of form Kallis to the crease. The all-rounder scored only eight, to end the five-match series with a batting average of eight.

Wicket-keeper Mark Boucher joined the action after the dismissal of Robin Peterson and treated the crowd to a delightful cameo, scoring 34 from only 16 balls which included four sixes.

Pakistan’s bowlers, Waqar excluded, failed to gain any ascendancy over the batsmen and never looked particularly dangerous on a pitch that gave little assistance to the bowlers.