Tags:
Journalism of Courage
PAARL (S Africa), January 10: South Africa fought back to beat Sri Lanka by eight wickets with seven balls to spare in their third one-day international on Tuesday.
The hosts rattled up 250 for the loss of only two wickets to take a 3-0 lead in the six-match series after the tourists had reached 247 for four in their 50 overs.South Africa needed seven runs per over with 10 remaining to be bowled, but they paced their run-chase to perfection.
Jacques Kallis anchored the reply with authority, while Jonty Rhodes employed his usual array of reverse sweeps, prods and nudges to breathe life into the innings when the home side looked to have become becalmed.
Man-of-the-match Kallis finished unbeaten on 100, his sixth one-day century and his first in 53 matches. But it was Rhodes who stole the show, also still there at the close on 75, scoring at better than a run-a-ball.
Earlier, the Sri Lankans had posted what looked to be an impressive score on a pitch which is notoriously difficult to run up large totals.
Captain Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana laid the foundations with an opening stand of 110, a Sri Lankan record for the first wicket against South Africa.
Kaluwitharana finished top-scorer with 83 off 117 balls, eventually falling to Shaun Pollock, bowled off a bottom edge. Earlier, Jayasuriya had thrashed his way to 66, with five fours and one massive six over square-leg off the bowling of Alan Dawson.
The innings was held together over the closing overs by Marvan Atapattu who moved to his 26th one-day 50 in the 50th over, with Kumar Sangakkara alongside him on 16.
Despite the application shown by the Sri Lankans, particularly after their humiliation in last week’s second test in Cape Town, it was a sloppy fielding performance from the South Africans, who put down five catches and missed several good run-out chances.
Teams
Sri Lanka:Jayasuriya lbw Boje 66; Kaluwitharana b Pollock 83; Atapattu not out 51; Jayawardene b Boje 22; Vaas c Gibbs b Kallis 3; Sangakkara not out 16; Extras (b1, lb4, w1): 6; Total (for 4 wkts, 50 overs): 247
Fall of wickets: 1-110, 2-184, 3-217, 4-225
Bowling: Pollock 10-0-33-1, Dawson 9-0-58-0, Ntini 8-0-40-0, Kallis 8-0-40-1, Klusener 5-0-32-0, Boje 10-0-39-2
South Africa: Dippenaar c Muralitharan b Weeraratne 65; Gibbs lbw Vaas 1; Kallis not out 100; Rhodes not out 75; Extras (nb7, w2): 9; Total (for 2 wkts, 48.5 overs): 250
Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-116
Bowling: Vaas 9.5-1-37-1, Zoysa 10-0-48-0, Fernando 7-0-54-0, Muralitharan 10-0-39-0, Weeraratne 6-0-30-1, Jayasuriya 5-0-31-0, Arnold 1-0-11-0
Result: S Africa win by 8 wkts to take a 3-0 lead in the six-match series.
