South Africa beat Jamaica in one-day warm-up

South Africa made short work of Jamaica as they warmed up in professional style for the one-day series against the West Indies which begins at Sabina Park on Saturday. In a game designed to give them a work-out in the shorter version of the game, the South Africans ran out easy winners by six wickets as they chased Jamaica's modest 185 all out.

Although Gary Kirsten (9) is still in search of his next big innings and Boeta Dippenaar played a loose shot to depart for 13, a half-century from Herschelle Gibbs and 49 from Jonty Rhodes made sure there were no major hiccups along the way.

Gibbs struck six superb boundaries in his 80-ball stay before mis-timing a pull to mid-on and Rhodes was given out leg-before as he looked to shepherd South Africa home. Lance Klusener confirmed his return to form with the bat, finishing unbeaten on 42. Justin Ontong ended the match with a straight driven six off Leon Garrick's highly occasional off-spinners.

Earlier Jamaica struggled after being put into bat by South African captain Shaun Pollock. The start was decent enough as openers Garrick (20) and 20 year-old David Bernard Jnr (59) added 35 for the first wicket in the teeth of some fine bowling from Roger Telemachus in particular, but once the tourists made the first breakthrough, they turned the screw extremely effectively.

Klusener picked up 5-23 from ten overs as he generated substantial swing, three times hitting the stumps as the batsmen played and missed. Ontong, playing in his first match in full South African colours, bowled a tidy ten overs and finished with 2-37.

Ricardo Powell provided the entertainment for a sparse crowd, smashing left-arm spinner Paul Adams for three enormous sixes, two of them clearing the Kingston Cricket Club pavilion on the square-leg boundary.

Powell was last out for 52, run out after a mix-up with number eleven Ryan Cunningham. He faced 60 balls and as well as the three sixes, he struck one four.