PORT OF SPAIN, April 17: Boeta Dippenaar struck an unbeaten century to guide South Africa to a commanding score on the first day of a two-day tour match against a University of West Indies Vice-Chancellor’s XI at St Augustine on Saturday.
Dippenaar was 167 not out when South Africa reached the close on 349 for three. Mark Boucher was 53 not out in an unbroken fourth-wicket partnership of 120.
Dippenaar, who could replace the injured Jacques Rudolph in the third Test which starts in Bridgetown on Thursday, faced 252 balls hitting 20 fours and two sixes.
Rudolph was a late withdrawal from the South African team with of a back injury.
Dippenaar opened the batting with AB de Villiers and they had shared 51 for the first wicket when De Villiers was bowled by left-arm spinner Dave Mohammed for 12.
Ashwell Prince joined Dippenaar to add 55 for the second wicket before Prince, who scored 32, edged a hook to Marlon Samuels at first slip off fast bowler Tino Best.
Dippenaar and Herschelle Gibbs (80) put on 123 for
the third wicket, a partnership that was ended with the sixth ball after tea when Mohammed had an advancing Gibbs stumped by wicket-keeper Ridley Jacobs.
| Scoreboard SOUTH AFRICA (1st Innings): |
| A.B. de Villiers b Mohammed 12 |
| H.H. Dippenaar not out 167 |
| A.G. Prince c Samuels b Best 32 |
| H.H. Gibbs st Jacobs b Mohammed 80 |
| M.V. Boucher not out 53 |
| EXTRAS (B-2, W-1, NB-1) 5 |
| TOTAL (for three wkts, 90 overs) 349 |
| FALL OF WKTS: 1-51, 2-106, 3-229. |
| TO BAT: J.H. Kallis, A.J. Hall, N. Boje, M. Zondeki, M. Ntini, C.K. Langeveldt. |
| BOWLING: Edwards 10-3-38-0 (1w); Best 9-1-39-1 (1nb); Mohammed 22-3-93-2; Brown 12-2-47-0; Samuels 9-1-24-0; Dhawan 11-0-36-0; Clarke 17-0-70-0. |
| UWI VICE-CHANCELLOR’S XI: Habibul Bashar, S. Dhawan, R. Ramdass, M.N. Samuels, T. Maraj, R.D. Jacobs, P.R. Brown, S.M. Clarke, T.L. Best, F.H. Edwards, D. Mohammed. |
| UMPIRES: T. Birbal and H. Rajkumar. |
—Agencies