South Africa roar past Lions

Herschelle Gibbs racked up a half century as South Africa strolled to victory

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Herschelle Gibbs looked in ominous form ahead of the forthcoming NatWest Series when he hammered 81 in South Africa's comfortable four-wicket victory against England Lions.

After the toothless Lions tamely surrendered for 184 all out, Gibbs anchored the tourists' reply with a well-paced knock which was full of excellent running and trademark cover drives.

Patient until he got to fifty, Gibbs took the handbrake off after raising his bat with a huge six off Ravi Bopara, which landed close to The Cricketers pub, the highlight.

When he was finally out after hitting six fours and a six, South Africa needed just 31 runs which they duly knocked off with 11.2 overs to spare.

After Wednesday's deluge left puddles on the Grace Road outfield, both sets of players would have been surprised to find Leicestershire's ground bathed in warm sunshine.

Winning the toss and electing to bowl first, South Africa welcomed back Dale Steyn from injury and the pace bowler proved he has made a complete recovery from a broken thumb which kept him out of the last two Test matches.

Miserly accurate, he gave England openers Joe Denly and Owais Shah a thorough examination and would have dismissed the Kent batsman were in not for Vernon Philander dropping a straight-forward chance at second slip.

Shah also enjoyed a reprieve off Makhaya Ntini although JP Duminy's diving effort at square-leg would have been an extraordinary grab.

Having waited patiently for a boundary, the spectators were treated to two in the sixth over when Denly clubbed Ntini straight down the ground then Shah leaned into a classical cover drive.

Ntini leaked runs during his opening spell which was in stark contrast to the impressive Steyn who fully deserved his first wicket, clean bowling Denly who loosely attempted to drive.

Perhaps sensing the wayward Ntini was their best chance of scoring runs, Shah and captain Robert Key tucked into the tenth over with relish.

Joe Denly is clean bowled by Dale Steyn for just 12

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Shah pierced the field with another sweetly timed drive before handing the baton to Key who twice clipped over square leg, the second of which sent spectators diving for cover.

Philander replaced Ntini but received similar punishment and another boundary from Key took the Lions past the 50 mark.

With the Key-Shah partnership seemingly well set, Philander induced the Middlesex man to cut straight to Albie Morkel at point with 58 runs on the board.

Morkel did not show such a clean pair of hands when trying to catch new batsman Bopara's attempt to run the ball down to third man when on just five.

On the ground where he made a double century in the Friends Provident Trophy, Bopara looked happy to be back on familiar territory as he drove Philander beautifully through the covers.

But he threw it away on 23 when he was run out by Duminy attempting a suicidal single, the short fine-leg picking up after Key dug out a yorker from Johan Botha and underarming straight into the stumps.

That dismissal signalled a disastrous passage for the Lions who lost three wickets for just one run, slipping to 108 for five.

Matthew Prior was the next to go, trapped leg before by Andre Nel who unleashed a trademark yell when the umpire's finger went up, soon followed by Samit Patel who hit the only ball he faced straight to Duminy lurking in the covers.

After an encouraging start, Ravi Bopara is run out

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Key and Luke Wright staged a counter-attack, the Kent batter kept the scoreboard ticking over while his partner used his feet well, but the Lions soon suffered a further set-back when the skipper, after a well-constructed 51 that came from 62 balls, chopped on off the returning Ntini.

Wright responded by punching Ntini over the covers and hitting Steyn for two more boundaries in quick succession. The bowler got his revenge at the end of the over when Wright, on 29, glanced fine only for AB de Villiers to take a superb one-handed catch down the leg side.

It was soon 174 for eight when Kabir Ali dragged a horribly wide ball from Ntini back onto his stumps.

The same bowler made a mess of Chris Tremlett's stumps and the Lions were eventually dismissed when Steyn mopped up Steve Kirby for a duck. Both bowlers finished with three wickets.

South Africa's reply was aided by a wayward first over from Ali but Gibbs was soon in his stride, driving Kirby straight down the ground for four.

Amla clipped Kirby off his legs for a boundary in the sixth over but perished next ball as he slashed straight to Bopara at point who took a fine diving catch.

Kirby thought he was celebrating a double success in the same over after Gibbs hit a full-toss straight to Key at short midwicket only to be frustrated by umpire Richard Kettleborough calling a no-ball.

Gibbs rubbed salt in the wound by smashing the next ball over mid-on for four.

Ali, having finally adjusted his radar, pinned Justin Ontong dead in front to leave South Africa 39 for two.

AB de Villiers provided Gibbs with valuable support

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Having missed out in the Test series, Gibbs set about finding some form ahead of the five one-day matches, feasting on anything over-pitched. De Villiers also looked in decent nick, particularly when driving, but he clipped Bopara straight into the hands of Key at short midwicket having made 24.

Gibbs continued on his merry way, tucking Bopara behind square leg for two to reach a patient half-century in the 24th over before launching his slower ball over long-on for six.

He went after Tredwell's off-spin in the next over, coming down the wicket to hit inside-out over the covers for another boundary as South Africa cruised to 125 for three.

Key employed spin at both ends with Patel, no doubt desperate to put his first ball duck behind him, replacing Bopara. Gibbs and Dominy were untroubled though, nudging the ball into the gaps with the former occasionally giving way to temptation with an attempted club into the deep.

Gibbs eventually fell to the Sussex connection, caught by Prior off Wright, while Wright and Kirby bowled the highly-regarded Dominy and the exciting Morkel respectively to add some respectability to the scorecard.

But the Lions needed a miracle by then.