SOUTHAMPTON (England), July 10: Makhaya Ntini took four wickets, including three with his first 10 balls, as South Africa crushed Zimbabwe by seven wickets in the final league game of the one-day triangular series on Thursday.

Zimbabwe made 173 for eight, then hit back through seamer Douglas Hondo, who removed Herschelle Gibbs, playing on, and Martin van Jaarsveld, well snaffled by diving wicket-keeper Tatenda Taibu, with just eight runs on the board.

But Graeme Smith and fellow left-hander Jacques Rudolph, who put on 137 for the third wicket, quickly underlined the gulf in class as they scored at will against a pop-gun attack.

The more textbook Rudolph was happy to rotate the strike before reaching his third half-century, ending on 69 not out. Mark Boucher ended the match 14.4 overs early with a lofted drive for four off spinner Raymond Price.

For Zimbabwe — already deprived of a place in Saturday’s final at Lord’s and who only managed one win, against England, in six matches — there was little to celebrate apart from an obdurate 50 not out from skipper Heath Streak.

Scoreboard

ZIMBABWE:

G.W. Flower c Boucher b Ntini 1

D.D. Ebrahim c Boucher b Nel 27

T.J. Friend c van Jaarsveld b Ntini 4

T. Taibu b Ntini 0

S.M. Ervine c Pollock b Ntini 17

S. Matsikenyeri c Boucher b Nel 7

R.W. Sims c Boucher b Pollock 24

H.H. Streak not out 50

A.M. Blignaut b Adams 1

R.W. Price not out 17

EXTRAS (W-22, NB-3) 25

TOTAL (for eight wkts, 50 overs) 173

FALL OF WKTS: 1-11, 2-18, 3-18, 4-49, 5-68, 6-74, 7-128, 8-129.

DID NOT BAT: D.T. Hondo.

BOWLING: Pollock 10-0-40-1 (3nb); Ntini 10-1-45-4 (6w); Nel 10-3-33-2 (1w); Hall 10-2-25-0 (5w); Adams 10-1-30-1 (2w).

SOUTH AFRICA:

G.C. Smith c Ebrahim b Friend 69

H.H. Gibbs b Hondo 2

M. van Jaarsveld c Taibu b Hondo 5

J.A. Rudolph not out 69

M.V. Boucher not out 13

EXTRAS (B-3, LB-4, W-6, NB-3) 16

TOTAL (for three wkts, 35.2 overs) 174

FALL OF WKTS: 1-2, 2-8, 3-145.

DID NOT BAT: H.H. Dippenaar, S.M. Pollock, A.J. Hall, P.R. Adams, A. Nel, M. Ntini.

BOWLING: Streak 7-1-27-0 (1w); Hondo 7-2-25-2 (1w); Blignaut 6-0-31-0 (2nb, 2w); Price 7.2-0-33-0; Sims 3-0-18-0; Friend 5-0-33-1 (1nb, 2w).

UMPIRES: D.R. Shepherd (England) and B.F. Bowden (New Zealand).

TV UMPIRE: N.A. Mallender (England).

MATCH REFEREE: C.H. Lloyd (West Indies).

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Makhaya Ntini.

FINAL: England v South Africa at Lord’s on Saturday.—Reuters