Consolation win for Sri Lanka at Kimberley

Consolation win for Sri Lanka at Kimberley

Powered by a blistering knock of 69 runs from Thisara Parera, Sri Lanka were able to overhaul the big target of 300 set by South Africa in the fourth ODI at Kimberly. Although, the hosts had already clinched the series, a much-improved batting display reduced the margin to 3-1 with one more match left.

In absence of Dale Steyn who was rested for the game, Sri Lanka were able to race out of the blocks. And, the man to do it was Tillakaratne Dilshan. From the very start, he played his natural game. Despite losing his opening partner Upul Tharanga early, he played with aggression to keep Sri Lanka on track. After cracking successive boundaries off Morne Morkel, Dilshan brought out his trademark scoop shot against Vernon Philander, the contact was sweet as the ball soared over the fine-leg boundary for a six.

Kumara Sangakkara got into the act by launching a Tsotsobe slower one into the stands. With Dilshan going great guns, the visitors were ahead of the asking rate by the time the blowing powerplay was taken. Dilshan hit a boundary in the sixteenth over to take his side into three figures but Alviro Petersen took a blinder at cow-corner boundary in the next over to send back Sangakkara for a breezy 32.

Dinesh Chandimal announced his arrival with a big six off the second ball he faced but soon settled down to assist his skipper. The stand was worth 68 when Dilshan was caught in the circle off Tsotsobe. Nevertheless, the Sri Lankan skipper had played his part with a fine knock of 87. Although, Chandimal took the ones and twos, the boundaries dried up after Dilshan and when Lahiru Thirimanne was removed by Philander in the 35th over, Sri Lanka were in a spot of bother as the asking rate headed northwards.

In came, Thisara Parera, promoted above Angelo Mathews to do some pinch-hitting. He started with a monstrous hit off spinner Robin Peterson, followed that with another swipe over midwicket. A horrible mix-up could have resulted in a run-out at either end but lazy fielding from South Africans allowed both batsmen to scamper home.

Shortly afterwards, Chandimal’s dismissal after he had scored yet another fifty, gave the hosts advantage. However, Parera ensured that the good work by his team mates did not go waste and was duly helped by some lax fielding by the hosts, the worse was a dropped chance by Morkel when 26 were needed. Fittingly, Parera took his side over the line with a six, he hit five in a match-wining knock of 69 from 44 deliveries.

Earlier, South Africa looked like getting to a 350 plus total after AB de Villiers’ had blazed his way to a 31-ball fifty but Sri Lanka fought well in second half of the innings to limit the hosts to 299 for 7. While the Lankan bowlers struggled to stem the flow of runs when de Villiers was at the crease, they pulled back things a little by conceding only 52 runs in the last ten overs.

On a flat deck, an out-of-form Graeme Smith was given another chance to regain his touch after South Africa elected to bat first. In his last sixteen innings, the former skipper had scored only one fifty and his place in the team was under the scanner. But, his life was made easier by a wayward Sri Lankan bowling with the new balls. Two Lasith Malinga freebies in the third over were dispatched without much of a fuss as Smith eased into double figures.

Alviro Petersen deposited debutant spinner Sachithra Senanayake into the stands inside the powerplay to start the phase of domination by South African batsmen. Although, he perished in the deep trying to repeat the same stroke against Rangana Herath but the 84-run opening partnership provided the Proteas a decent beginning.

With Smith accumulating runs quietly, de Villiers pressed the accelerator by smashing Senanayake for three boundaries in the nineteenth over. The South African skipper then demonstrated how to use feet against a left armer, Herath could only see the ball disappear over long-on. The dose was repeated on Dilshan in the next over. South Africa added 61 runs in five overs before Smith fell on 68.

Colin Ingram’s wicket soon after gave Sri Lanka some breathing space as JP Duminy took time to settle down. Moreover, the boundaries didn’t come at the same rate for the South African batsmen and as a result, the scoring slowed a bit.

Meanwhile, de Villiers was just one stroke away from what would have been a high-class century when Thisara Parera bowled him with a slower delivery for 96. That proved to be the turning point of the innings. Faf du Plessis was caught behind off Herath as South Africa had two new batsmen in the death overs. With some sensible bowling towards the end, Sri Lanka were able to keep the target down to exactly run-a-ball.