India bat first against South Africa On the hottest day of the tournament, with the temperature in the middle reaching the mid-40s (Celcius), Indian captain Sourav Ganguly unhesitatingly opted to bat first. The pitch, surprisingly, had some live grass and was expected to assist the seamers early on before settling down. India left out Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer Khan, Ganguly stating that they still had not reached match fitness. Harbhajan Singh returned to the side after missing a match, replacing leg-spinner Amit Mishra. South Africa went in with the same team that beat Bangladesh yesterday. It’s the second time that South Africa are playing back-to-back matches in this tournament - a fate that India have escaped, thanks to the skewed itinerary. With Bangladesh already eliminated from this competition, this game will, in all probability, be used as a dress rehearsal for the final on Sunday, when the same two teams meet to fight it out for the TVS Cup.

Give the team some time - Smith Graeme Smith and Shaun Pollock, the current and deposed captains of South Africa, have both asked for more time to mould the team into a top-class unit. "We are a young side and need time to settle down," said Smith. "One should not expect clinical performances from us like that of a top professional side, as it is a transitional period for us." Pollock echoed those views. "It takes time for young players to step into senior players' shoes. There is a lot of talent and ability in our team but it is not fair to compare a newcomer with someone who has played over 100 one-dayers." Smith was especially positive about the performance of his bowlers at Dhaka, singling out Allan Dawson for special praise. "I think our bowlers are adapting quickly. Dawson is bowling particularly well and is probably our best bowler after Shaun." Pollock, who captained South Africa in 26 Tests and 90 one-day internationals, said that he was trying to get used to being just another player. "It takes time to adjust because you are used to marching the troops around and then suddenly realise you have to more or less stick to your fielding position. But I also have the responsibility of helping the youngsters develop, pass on my experience to them." About his own aspirations to captaincy prior to Smith's appointment, wicketkeeper Mark Boucher said: "It takes a special person to be captain of an international side. I would not have been comfortable worrying about bowling changes and field placements while keeping wicket, though I would always like to chip in with suggestions. The wicketkeeper is in the best position to make certain judgments as he has a better idea of the movement of the ball and what the batsman is trying to do, but it is not necessary that he leads."

Bangladesh slump to big loss against South Africa South Africa got in yet another comfortably dominating performance against Bangladesh ahead of the final, using it to get more of its batsmen in form. Graeme Smith struck 67, but it was Jacques Rudolph who top-scored, making 81. They were painstaking runs, Rudolph initially not at all comfortable against Bangladesh's spinners. But he hung in there, and his knock formed the spin of a final total of 261 for five. Bangladesh were up against it right then, and as with their previous game against South Africa, they prolonged their innings for most of their allotted overs. Alok Kapali occupied the crease for 101 balls in making 71, and Bangladesh were bowled out with the last ball of the penultimate over for 168.

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