SA take winning lead

South Africa, fuelled by robust innings from Graeme Smith and Herschelle Gibbs, cruised to the easiest of victories at the Harare Sports Club yesterday and with it took an unassailable 2-0 series lead.
Smith fell for 96 but Gibbs clobbered the bowling for his 17th one-day international hundred, a 100-ball 111 with 16 fours and a pair of sixes.
Tatenda Taibu, Sean Williams and Stuart Matsikenyeri were the architects of Zimbabwe's much-improved total of 247, but the bowlers failed to produce even a fraction of their innovativeness as the tourists cantered home by eight wickets.
Smith and Gibbs enjoyed their batting practice and didn't break a sweat as they led South Africa's pursuit. Neither batsman appeared in any hurry initially yet still found the boundary ropes. Smith was fluent off the pads, flicking and pulling boundaries whenever the bowlers erred, but left alone outside off regularly.
Gibbs, who opened in the absence of a hospitalised Loots Bosman, played second fiddle initially but toyed with the bowling after crossing fifty. He raised the team's 50 in the 10th over with a powerful back-foot cut through the covers but the first aggressive shot was a dismissive front-foot smash over midwicket for four soon after.
Utseya, Zimbabwe's captain, brought himself on for some spin in the 16th over. Gibbs liked what he saw, and pulled the second ball to the boundary. Keith Dabengwa, who replaced Timycen Maruma from the first match, was easily picked for runs as well. Gibbs needed 58 balls for his fifty and hit three back-to-back fours in the 25th over.
Earlier South Africa's bowlers were far from penetrative after Smith elected to field, allowing Zimbabwe to turn in a much better performance and set a competitive total for the tourists. Taibu injected some much-needed oomph into what had been a lacklustre start with a 39-ball 43 and Williams and Matsikenyeri added 84 in 12.5 overs.