by WAYNE HOLDER

SOUTH AFRICA took advantage of a laid-back approach by England to clinch the remaining place in the final of the CLOBI International Masters Cup Competition at Kensington Oval on Friday night.

The Proteas, needing a victory over the previously unbeaten Englishmen who went into the match already assured of a spot in last night's grand finale of the week-long tournament, made light of a challenging target of 149 to get home with eight wickets and one over to spare.

Man Of The Match Dave Callaghan hammered ten fours and three sixes to forge the highest individual score of the tournament as he and Lance Klusener, promoted up the order, joined in an unbroken third-wicket stand of 93 in 10.2 overs.

Earlier the pair of all-rounders had reduced England to 81 for six after South Africa chose to field first.

England, with the prospect of playing on three consecutive days, took the opportunity to rest their leading run-getter Graeme Hick and injured captain Daren Gough, giving manager/player Gladstone Small the opposrtunity to have his first run in the middle.

All-rounder Philip DeFreitas was given the role of pinch-hitter as he joined Craig White at the top of the order but both were back in the pavilion by the fourth over, falling to catches in the deep off Klusener's bowling.

Stand-in skipper Mark Ramprakash and Mark Alleyne brought about some repair to the innings with Alleyne getting his first runs of the tournament and going on to a topscore of 64 from 49 balls.

Alleyne and 57-year-old former Test off-spinner John Emburey pushed the total to a measure of respectability in a feisty seventh-wicket stand after Callaghan's (3 for 37) and Klusener's (2 for 21) early demolition.

Former express paceman Devon Malcolm brightened England's prospects, bowling Neil Johnson in the first over, but let in Callaghan who immediately stamped his presence at the crease.

He and burly opener Steve Jack enjoyed an entertaining partnership of 57 in less than eight overs until Small got the latter to sky a catch to Malcolm on the long on boundary.

Once again Callaghan and Klusener combined to inflict further torture on the English, peppering the boundaries with clean strikes to all parts of the ground before the modest gathering.

For once the normally belligerent Klusener (31 off 26 balls) was made to play second fiddle as Callaghan, whose knock spanned just 62 balls, took full toll on the leisurely England approach.

Scoreboards:

CLOBI Cup

England v South Africa

(at Kensington Oval)

Toss: South Africa; Pitch: hard; Weather: cloudy; Outfield: moderate

ENGLAND

P. DeFreitas c Jack b Klusener 9

C. White c Dawson b Klusener 6

*M. Ramprakash b Callaghan 21

M. Alleyne b Dawson 64

+P. Nixon b Callaghan 2

G. Thorpe c Jack b Henderson 1

D. Cork c Klusener b Callaghan 2

J. Emburey run out 18

D. Malcolm not out 5

D. Headley not out 1

Extras (lb7, nb5, w7) 19

TOTAL (8 wkts - 20 overs) 148

Wkts fell at: 10,16, 62, 71, 74, 81, 134, 144.

Did not bat: G. Small.

Bowling: Dawson 4-0-32-1, Klusener 4-0-21-2, DeVilliers 2-0-15-0, Jack 2-0-17-0, Callaghan 4-0-37-3, Jack Henderson 4-1-19-1.

SOUTH AFRICA

N. Johnson b Malcolm 1

S. Jack c Malcolm b Small 22

D. Callaghan not out 92

L. Klusener not out 31

Extras ( lb2, w6) 8

TOTAL (2 wkts - 19 overs) 154

Wkts fell at: 4, 61.

Did not bat: *D. Benkinstein, A. Kuiper, P. Symcox, C. Henderson, A. Dawson, P. Strydom, F. De Viliers.

Bowling: Malcolm 2-0-12-1, Cork 2-0-8-0, Alleyne 4-0-38-0, Headley 4-0-33-0, Emburey 3-0-31-0, Small 2-0-12-1, Defreitas 2-0-18-0.

Result: South Africa won by eight wickets

Man Of The Match: Dave Callaghan.

Adjudicator: Alvin Greenidge.

Umpires: John Holder, Vincent Bullen. Reserve: Patrick Grazette.

Match referee: Carleon Brome.

Test match

MUMBAI - Scoreboard on the fourth day of the third and final test between India and Sri Lanka at the Brabourne Stadium yesterday:

SRI LANKA 1st Innings 393

INDIA 1st Innings 726-9

SRI LANKA 2nd Innings

(11-0 overnight)

T. Paranavitana lbw b Sreesanth 54

T. Dilshan lbw b Harbhajan 16

K. Sangakkara not out 133

M. Jayawardene c Dhoni b Zaheer 12

T. Samaraweera c Laxman b Zaheer 0

A. Mathews c Dhoni b Ojha 5

P. Jayawardene lbw b Ojha 32

N. Kulasekara not out 9

Extras (b8, lb1, w1, nb3) 13

TOTAL (6 wkts, 93 overs) 274

Fall of wickets: 1-29 2-119 3-135 4-137 5-144 6-208

Bowling: Harbhajan 31-5-70-1, Ojha 23-4-84-2, Zaheer 17-4-51-2 (nb-1), Sreesanth 13-4-36-1 (nb-2, w-1), Sehwag 9-2-24-0.

Position: Sri Lanka trail by 59 runs with four second innings wickets in hand. (AP)