CHANDIGARH, India CMC – Hundreds from A.B. de Villiers and Hashim Amla helped South Africa batter the Netherlands, and paved the way for a 231-run victory in the World Cup yesterday. de Villiers smote 13 fours and four sixes in the top score of 134 – his second hundred of the tournament – from 98 balls, and Amla smoked eight boundaries in 113 from 130 balls, as South Africa, choosing to bat, reached 351 for five from their allocation of 50 overs, in their Group-B match at the PCA Stadium.
Leg-spinner Imran Tahir then snared three wickets for 19 runs from 6.5 overs, while Jacques Kallis and left-arm spinner Robin Peterson took two wickets apiece, as the South Africans successfully defended the highest total at the ground, and ensured they did not suffer a seismic stumble like England the previous day against Ireland.
The result meant that South Africa now top the group with four points from two games. India and England have three points, while West Indies, Ireland, and Bangladesh each have two points from two matches.
The South Africans started slowly, and stumbled to 58 for two in the 16th over, before de Villiers joined Amla, and they posted 221 for the third wicket to lay the foundation for South Africa’s intimidating total.
The wickets of Amla, caught at point off Ryan ten Doeschate, and de Villiers, run-out, in the space of five balls in the closing stages slowed South Africa, but Jean-Paul Duminy smashed two fours and four sixes in 40 from 15 balls to give the Proteas a late boost.
South Africa’s new-ball pair of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel failed to make the early breakthroughs.
But the Netherlands limped to 100 for five in the 28th over before Tahir worked his way through their lower-order, as the Dutch lost their last five wickets for 11 runs in 20 balls.
South Africa face England in their next match on Sunday at the Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, and the Netherlands meet India next Wednesday at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in New Delhi.
The World Cup continues today, when New Zealand play Zimbabwe at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad, and Bangladesh host West Indies at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Mirpur.     
SCORECARD
SOUTH AFRICA innings
H. Amla c Cooper b ten Doeschate    113
G. Smith b Loots    20
J. Kallis c wkp. Barresi b ten Doeschate    2
AB de Villiers run-out    134
F. du Plessis not out    18
J. Duminy c Borren b ten Doeschate    40
M. van Wyk not out    0
Extras: (b-2, lb-5, w-16, nb-1)    24
Total: (5 wkts, 50 overs)    351
Fall of wickets: 1-51, 2-58, 3-279, 4-283, 5-349.
Bowling: Mudassar Bukhari 10-0-44-0 (w-2), Westdijk 9-0-76-0 (w-4), ten Doeschate 10-0-72-3 (w-1), Loots 9-0-60-1 (nb-1), Seelaar 10-0-74-0, Cooper 2-0-18-0
NETHERLANDS innings (target: 352 off 50 overs)
A. Kervezee c and b Kallis    10
W. Barresi st van Wyk b Duminy    44
T. Cooper c Steyn b Kallis    9
B. Zuiderent lbw b Peterson    15
R. ten Doeschate lbw b Steyn    11
T. de Grooth run-out    12
P. Borren lbw b Peterson    3
M. Bukhari b Tahir    0
P. Seelaar not out    2
B. Loots lbw b Tahir    6
B. Westdijk lbw b Tahir 0
Extras: (w-8)    8
Total: (all out, 34.5 overs)    120
Fall of wickets: 1-26, 2-46, 3-81, 4-83, 5-100, 6-109, 7-109, 8-110, 9-120.
Bowling: Steyn 6-1-26-1 (w-3), Morkel 5-0-18-0 (w-1), Kallis 6-0-19-2, Imran Tahir 6.5-0-19-3 (w-2), Peterson 5-0-22-2 (w-1), Duminy 6-0-16-1 (w-1).
Points: South Africa 2, Netherlands 0
Man-of-the-Match: A. de Villiers (South Africa)