The Proteas remain committed to finishing the ODI series against Sri Lanka on a high ahead of the fifth match on Sunday.
Sri Lanka bounced back with a thrilling three-run victory on Wednesday under the D/L Method and the hosts will be aiming for a second comeback to salvage some pride at the 35 000 capacity R. Premadasa Stadium.
JP Duminy, who will lead the squad for the one-off T20 International on Tuesday, says that finishing the tour off on a winning note will be a quiet justice after the disappointing Test series loss.
‘Even though the series has been won, we are still representing our country, we still want to win the game,’ he said in Colombo on Saturday. ‘There is no doubt that we are going to give our best effort in the field. Our momentum is good, and we also want to try and win the one-off T20 game that follows. Coming off the Test series that we have had, it is important for us to end the tour well. I am confident that everyone is motivated to end the tour well, even though we have a few days left.
‘Our expectations were always going to be that Sri Lanka was going to fight back in the last two games,’ he said. ‘We dominated in the first three matches, we played really good cricket. I don’t think we were too far under par in the fourth game, we were in positions to win the game but Sri Lanka bowled quite well. The learning we take out of the game is that we could have been a lot smarter but we were creating opportunities which is what we want.’
Duminy is the leading run-scorer in the ODI series, with 215 runs at an average of 72, and has made an impact in all four matches in the series. His attacking and positive mindset has also ignited the Proteas’ middle-order, which continues to be tested and redefined with each match.
‘Holistically as a team, we have changed our style of play a bit,’ he explained. ‘We have taken a bit more on, we have a more aggressive mindset. The key for us is understanding how we get consistent with that. We can get a few things wrong, as we saw in the last match, but the beauty for us is that we have the opportunity to learn.’
The match is scheduled to start at 11am SAST.
Photo: Tharaka Basnayaka/NurPhoto via Getty Images
