Maartens, Field script emphatic South African win

South Africa have begun their title defence in the best fashion possible, thrashing England by ten wickets in the World Cup opener at the CPT-India Pistons Ground, Chennai on Tuesday.

The architects of the emphatic South African win were openers Adrian Maartens (104*) and captain Rory Field (99*). Dominating the England attack right from ball one, the duo made a mockery of a victory target of 239 off 39 overs.

Maartens smashed nine fours in his 77-ball knock while Field stroked eight boundaries in his 67-ball 99 as their team cantered to 240/0 in 22.5 overs. Field missing a well-deserved ton was, then, the only blot on an otherwise perfect afternoon for the defending champions.

Such an easy win, though, seemed a remote possibility when England got off to a belligerent start.

With Nathan Foy (62 off 44 balls) in rollicking form, the Englishmen rattled up 128-4 by the time Foy was dismissed in the 16th over. But then the wickets began to tumble as Ernst Contradie (2-46) and Johan Schroeder (2-43) led the South African fightback. This ensured that, though, as many as 88 extras were conceded, England were restricted to 238-8. With the openers in blazing form, the South Africans, then, went on to overhaul the total without breaking any sweat and claimed five points, including a bonus point.