Amla, Prince enjoy run feast

South Africa welcome back skipper Smith following hamstring injury

Last updated: 5th July 2008

Hashim Amla South Africa v Middlesex day 1 Jul 08

Amla: in prime form

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Tour Match
Uxbridge
South Africa 339-4 (H M Amla 161, A G Prince 104 no) v Middlesex

South Africa's batsmen warmed up for the first Test by reaching 339-4 on the opening day of the tour match against Middlesex.

Hashim Amla and Ashwell Prince both notched centuries to ensure the Proteas' top-order go into the series-opener at Lord's on July 10 full of confidence.

Amla continued his red-hot start to the tour, following up a knock of 172 against Somerset by batting for most of the day at Uxbridge for 161.

The number three had joined his fit-again captain Graeme Smith in the middle after the early loss of Smith's opening partner Neil McKenzie (11), who mis-hooked to fine-leg to become David Burton's (1-97) maiden first-class victim.

Proteas skipper Smith returned to action for the first time since damaging his hamstring while playing for the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League.

After winning the toss and choosing to bat, he spent the majority of it watching Amla and Prince take advantage of the benign conditions against an unremarkable Middlesex attack.

Smith struggles

During his own innings, Smith had employed a low-risk policy but mustered just 35 runs - contributing only 29 to a second-wicket stand of 106 with Amla - before flailing a catch behind from Alan Richardson's loosener straight after lunch, an anti-climactic end to a laboured 77-ball stay.

Amla found his fluency in the afternoon and, on his way to a 119-ball hundred, hit three leg-side sixes in one Mark Lawson (0-83) over, the Yorkshire leg-spinner on loan after finding limited opportunities at Headingley this season.

Jacques Kallis (2) did not hang around for long, his 16-ball stay in the middle was terminated by an edge behind off Richardson (2-34), who was playing for the first time this summer following an ankle injury.

But Prince did not miss out, helping himself to a 167-ball hundred in a stand of 190 with Amla, which lasted until after the second new ball had been taken.

Amla finally went late in the day to an edged drive off Danny Evans (1-46), while Prince remained unbeaten on 104 in the company of AB de Villiers (3no) at the close.