Smith makes confident comeback

Graeme Smith's right ankle showed no signs of discomfort during his innings of 73 in a warm-up match against a local team in New Delhi ahead of the Champions Trophy.

This was Smith's first match since he recovered from an ankle injury that sidelined him for two months, forcing him to miss the tour of Sri Lanka in August and the one-day series against Zimbabwe that followed.

"He [Smith] was comfortable on Sunday and active in the nets on Monday," said Gordon Templeton, South Africa's media manager. "All the players proved their fitness and now the preparation for the tournament can start in earnest. It was a good trial run on a typical subcontinent pitch."

AB de Villiers contributed 55 and Shaun Pollock scored an unbeaten 53 as the South Africans piled up 307 for 9 against the local side. The completed a clinical performance by dismissing their opponents for 198.

South Africa have a couple of warm-up games before they kick off their Champions Trophy campaign against New Zealand in Mumbai on October 16.