Kallis XI fall short despite Butt's century

South Africa XI 258 (Smith 69, Pollock 57, Prince 54) beat Jacques Kallis Invitational XI 255 for 8 (Butt 102) by 3 runs
Scorecard

Salman Butt: a century in a losing cause © Getty Images Enlarge

A fine 102 by Salman Butt wasn't enough to win the game for Jacques Kallis Invitational XI, as they went down by three runs against a South Africa XI at Newlands in Cape Town. Requiring 259 for victory, the Kallis XI made a spirited chase, but despite handy contributions from Lance Klusener (44) and Brian Lara (31), they fell marginally short.

Earlier, the South Africa XI racked up 258 after winning the toss, with half-centuries from Graeme Smith, Ashwell Prince and Shaun Pollock. The Kallis XI also included Mfuneko Ngam, the right-arm fast bowler who is attempting a comeback after repeated stress fractures in the legs for the past four years. Ngam was expensive but polished off the tail to finish with 3 for 57 from 7.1 overs. Allan Donald and Mohammad Sami took two wickets each.

The run-chase began poorly for Kallis XI with AB de Villiers being dismissed for a duck, but Butt anchored the innings with his 144-ball knock which included eight fours and a six. The middle order didn't contribute much, with Kallis himself getting just 10 off 32 balls. Though Klusener threatened a revival with a 38-ball blitz, the target turned out to be just beyond reach.

The second game of the two-match Jacques Kallis benefit series will be held at Centurion on Sunday.