Hendricks, Rossouw deliver third place for SA A

A powerful performance from South Africa A's top order made short work of National Performance Squad (NPS) total of 252 in the third-place playoff of the Quadrangular Series in Darwin. The visitors' top three - Reeza Hendricks, Rilee Rossouw and Cody Chetty - made half-centuries to complete the chase with 69 balls to spare.

After winning the toss, NPS relied on fifties from opener Alex Keath and No. 4 Travis Head to set up their score. Keath made 55 of 96 balls, while Head's 60 came off 61. Seven of the other nine batsmen made it into double figures, but Sean Abbott's 24 was the highest. NPS slipped from 2 for 130, when Keath was dismissed, to 8 for 218 and did not have the propulsion they needed at the finish. South Africa's quicks - Marchant de Lange, Beuran Hendricks and Hardus Viljoen took eight wickets between them.

Chasing 253, South Africa made a cracking start with the openers added 138 in quick time. Rossouw's 69 took only 53 balls and Hendricks' 90 came off 75. They were dismissed by Mark Steketee and Keath respectively, but Chetty made brisk, unbeaten 55 at No. 3 to see the chase through to the finish. It was done in 39.3 overs.