WORLD CUP SUPER 8, GUYANA:
South Africa 165-3 bt Ireland 152-8 by seven wickets (D/L)
| By Sam Lyon |
Jacques Kallis continued his fine form at the World Cup with a half-century to lead South Africa to a seven-wicket Super 8 victory over Ireland in Guyana. 
With the match shortened to 35 overs a side due to a series of rain delays, Ireland posted a respectable 152-8.
Andrew White (30) top-scored but Shaun Pollock's 2-17 kept the Proteas on top.
Despite Boyd Rankin's 2-26, Kallis (66no) and Ashwell Prince (47no) guided South Africa home after 31.3 overs under the Duckworth-Lewis method.
The two sides had met in a warm-up game before the tournament, the Proteas eking out a nervy 35-run defeat, but little went Ireland's way all afternoon in Guyana, starting with the toss, which saw them asked to bat with the ball swinging and seaming.
Two maidens in the first two overs, in which Makhaya Ntini beat the bat on numerous occasions, laid the platform for the first wicket - Pollock trapping Jeremy Bray plumb in front for a duck.
Will Porterfield and Eoin Morgan negotiated the next few overs before the rain came to halt play for nearly two hours.
With the game curtailed, Ireland were forced to change their tactics, with aggression the order of the day.
Even after Porterfield, who had just flicked a fine boundary off his legs, was caught at extra cover by Kallis off Pollock, they tried to attack.
But the South African bowling was disciplined and their fielding immaculate, and Morgan and Niall O'Brien were restricted to just two fours apiece in seven overs before the former succumbed to a fine Andrew Hall bouncer.
Andrew White was then fortunate to survive a strong lbw shout to Langeveldt when on nought, but the seamer soon got his reward, O'Brien dollying a slower ball to Herschelle Gibbs at mid-wicket.
White remained, though, and he looked to make the most of his reprieve with five boundaries all around the wicket.
However, a full toss from Proteas skipper Graeme Smith did for the batsman, White toe-ending the ball straight to Gibbs at mid-off to fall for a run-a-ball 30.
Andre Botha (14) was next to fall, holing out to cover off Hall's first ball on his return to the attack, before Kyle McCallan edged Langeveldt behind for three.
Paul Mooney, on his World Cup debut, then gloved a leg-side bouncer behind for a golden duck but Dave Langford-Smith (17no) and Trent Johnston (13no) hit out late on, sharing 28 off 20 balls to take Ireland past 150.
It was an admirable effort, and their hopes of an unlikely win were boosted in the first over when Rankin again displayed his fine promise, having AB de Villiers caught by Porterfield at backward point in the first over.
However, with Smith settling after a nervy opening and Kallis enjoying some luck as the pitch settled, South Africa soon assumed control.
Ireland's cause was not helped by the fact Mooney was enduring a nightmare debut, his first two overs going for 23, but Smith's fluent 45-ball knock was brought to an end by Johnston's stunning return catch.
It ended a 70-run stand between the skipper and Kallis, and when Gibbs shot straight at Andrew White at midwicket off Rankin to fall for six, South Africa were wobbling a touch.
It was almost even worse for the Proteas when Kallis offered a return catch to Rankin, but the paceman missed the chance to cap a fine display as he put it down.
Kallis also offered a difficult diving chance to Johnston when he top-edged a sweep, but he was otherwise at his dogged best.
He and Prince dug in before hitting out late on in an unbeaten 80-run stand, and Prince sealed the win in style with a a six.
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