Even Zulu can't work miracles at all times

Lance Klusener came to the crease at Newlands on Monday night with the equation perfectly set for one of his famous onslaughts: 79 needed off 52 balls with four wickets in hand.

To add spice to the occasion one of the bowlers facing him was Graeme Smith, as Western Province opted for a dual spin attack in an attempt to draw the sting of South Africa's most celebrated pinch hitter.

As his partner Klusener had another big hitter in Robin Peterson but it was not to be quite their night as Western Province won by 16 runs to extend their unbeaten limited overs run to six matches in the Sports Trust Challenge Cup match at the expense of the Rest of South Africa.

Western Province did open up the game for Klusener by bowling two overs of seam that set up the potential for an exciting finish after the Natalian had been largely responsible for Roger Telemachus conceding 16 runs in over. He also hit some savage blows off Alan Dawson that the latter did well to survive.

But it was back to spin at the finish which allowed Neil Johnson to lean over the boundary and catch one-handed what will surely go down as the catch of the season.

In the end Klusener needed 18 off the last over from Dawson. It took three balls to get him on strike and that was not enough.

Klusener was no doubt reasonably happy with his 40 off 28 balls with three fours and three sixes.

The match was spoiled as a spectacle by the unseasonal weather that saw two major interruptions in play.

The first occurred after Western Province had won the toss but a ball had not been bowled and resulted in the game being reduced to 35 overs per side.

Western Province reached 155 for five in 30 overs before the elements intervened again, leaving the Rest of South Africa with a target of 149 in 24 overs.

If the match did prove anything, it was that the South African top order is looking match fit and ready to take on the best that the West Indies bowlers have to offer and that Roger Telemachus is making a serious bid to get his place back in the national one-day side. The latter had a remarkable spell for very instant cricket of two for seven in three overs, getting rid of Jacques Rudolph and Boeta Dippenaar in the space of five deliveries for a double wicket maiden!

On the batting front Smith and Jacques Kallis set up Western Province's total with a second-wicket partnership of 84 off 93 balls. Both are clearly in superbly confident mood and, with Herschelle Gibbs also having scored big runs at the weekend - he was out first ball on Monday night - there should not be too many worries about where the major runs are going to come from when the Test series starts on Friday.

The national selectors must also have been interested to see both Monde Zondeki and Andre Nel bowling in the high 140s although Makhaya Ntini, who took three wickets, was consistently quicker than the other two.

Nevertheless, there is at least some encouragement that there is some genuine pace around.