AB's blast and a good-luck message

Highlight of the day: Abraham Benjamin de Villiers was such a talented athlete in his teens that he could have made it as a rugby player, a golfer or a tennis pro if he hadn't turned his attention to cricket. On Sunday, in front of his home crowd, and promoted to open the innings, he produced his best one-day innings to date. Two fifties in his previous 25 games didn't do justice to his immense ability, but having been granted a reprieve by Mohammad Kaif when he had made just nine, he exacted full toll on a listless Indian bowling line-up to race to 92 from just 98 balls.

Shot of the day: Having been a rabbit under the floodlights when confronted by Zaheer Khan in earlier games, Graeme Smith exorcised a few ghosts with a magnificent six over long-on with victory well within sights. For such a big man, he showed some nifty footwork to saunter down the track and give the ball an almighty clump.

Lowlight of the day: India's batting in the early part of their innings was as somnolent as it gets. It's just as well that the crowd were in holiday mood, otherwise some of the plastic beer cups might have found their way onto the field after 25 overs produced just 74 runs and incredibly torpid cricket.

Catch of the day: Andre Nel didn't get the better of Mahendra Singh Dhoni with the ball, but he more than made up with a sensational catch on the run from long-on. He didn't quite reach it, but dived forward to grab it inches off the ground in a manner reminiscent of Glenn McGrath's blinder at Adelaide during the last Ashes tour.

Message of the day: The giant screen at SuperSport Park flashed a good-luck message for Smith from the boys at King Edward School in Johannesburg. Having struggled to get bat on ball in previous innings, he needed it too. On the day, the best wishes of his alma mater worked like a lucky charm.

Rumour of the day: One of the high-profile members of the South African one-day squad is on the verge of signing a Kolpak contract. The rumours have been circulating for weeks, but sources close to the South African team suggest that the bad news will be confirmed soon, with more than 100,000 pounds on the table. We can only tell you that if he makes the move, he'll be one of the stars of the county scene.