Associated Press

Johannesburg, February 26:

Chasing South Africa’s impressive 301, Zimbabwe tumbled to 136 and a record 165-run defeat in the first of three one-day match.

South Africa’s bowlers Andrew Hall and Albie Morkel took five wickets between them for 52 runs as the visitors were unable to mount any kind of serious assault on their target. Zimbabwe captain Tatenda Taibu was the top scorer with 28, and his team slumped to its biggest-ever defeat.

Ntini and Hall took three wickets each. Earlier, Mark Boucher hit a whirlwind 49 off 29 balls as South Africa’s batsmen raced to 301 for seven wickets.

As South Africa’s leading batsmen struggled to push on to really big scores on an uncharacteristically slow pitch, Boucher hit three sixes and four fours to lift his team to a better score when it looked as if 260 might be all South Africa would achieve.

Smith, Adam Bacher and No 3 Jacques Rudolph all reached their half-centuries before perishing in pursuit of some big hitting — but the foundation was laid.