September 15, 2006	Friday	Sha'aban 21, 1427

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BLOEMFONTEIN, Sept 14: Stand-in South Africa captain Jacques Kallis said on Thursday his team was taking their three-match One-day International series against minnow Zimbabwe very seriously ahead of next month's ICC Champions Trophy.

“This series is especially valuable for the players who have not been in action for a while,” said Kallis, promising his players would play as hard as they would if they were facing world champions Australia when the series starts on Friday at Goodyear Park.

While Australia, India and the West Indies are currently contesting a triangular tournament in Malaysia, South Africa are light on recent top-level competition after pulling out of a tri-series in Sri Lanka due to security concerns.

The South Africans were to play India and Sri Lanka in the tournament, but cancelled their participation after security experts deemed it unsafe to stay in Sri Lanka in the face of a series of bomb blasts in the capital Colombo.

Zimbabwe are fresh from a 3-2 series victory over Bangladesh, the weakest Test-playing nation, but was dealt a comprehensive nine-wicket defeat in their tour opener against the Eagles, the South African 20-over series provincial champions.

South Africa coach Mickey Arthur talked up the series after the poor opener.

“They (Zimbabwe) have come off a good win against Bangladesh in the 50-overs version of the game and they are obviously more used to playing the longer form of cricket,” he said. “I expect them to put up a better performance on Friday.”

South Africa's previous one-day match was last March's record-breaking, one-wicket win over Australia at the Wanderers in Johannesburg, when the home team chased down Australia's 434-run total.

That was the template for South Africa's ‘brave cricket’ which they hope will win them next year’s World Cup in the West Indies, and they will try out the flamboyant approach again against the Zimbabweans.

South Africa enter the series as heavy favourites after winning 18 of their 21 meetings against Zimbabwe, with one no-result. Zimbabwe beat South Africa at the 1999 World Cup in England and gained a last-ball victory by two wickets at Durban in February 2000.South Africa have not played a one-day game since making a then-world record total of 438 for nine in beating Australia in Johannesburg in March.

A scheduled triangular series in Sri Lanka against India and the host nation was cancelled last month after the South Africans withdrew following a bomb blast near their hotel in Colombo.

Arthur said the objective in the Zimbabwe series would be to get his team tuned up for the ICC Champions Trophy tournament in India next month.

He said South Africa would be seeking to build on their policy of ‘brave cricket’ in which they are targeting the middle overs of innings to increase their scoring rate.

Zimbabwe are currently not playing in Test cricket following the loss of most of their leading players because of disputes with the country’s board.

Coach Kevin Curran said it was a young team who would be seeking to learn as much as possible against South Africa, who are second in the ICC ODI rankings behind Australia.

The remaining two matches are scheduled for East London on Sunday and Potchefstroom on Wednesday.

Teams (from):

SOUTH AFRICA: Jacques Kallis (captain), Loots Bosman, Mark Boucher, A.B. de Villiers, Boeta Dippenaar, Herschelle Gibbs, Andrew Hall, Justin Kemp, Charl Langeveldt, Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini, Shaun Pollock, Robin Peterson.

ZIMBABWE: Prosper Utseya (captain), Justice Chibhabha, Elton Chigumbura, Terry Duffin, Anthony Ireland, Tafadzwa Kamungozi, Timycen Maruma, Hamilton Masakadza, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Tafadzwa Mufambisi, Tawanda Mupariwa, Ed Rainsford, Piet Rinke, Vusi Sibanda, Greg Strydom, Brendan Taylor.—Agencies