In a rain-interrupted run chase, the Proteas overpowered Sri Lanka to win the third ODI at Kingsmead by 71 runs on the DLS method to claim a 3-0 series win. SIMON LEWIS reports.
In reply to South Africa’s brilliant score of 331-5 off their 50 overs, Sri Lanka started slowly and were 35-2 in the eighth over after early strikes by Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi.
Oshada Fernando and Kusal Mendis pushed the score along to 75-2 after 16 overs, when the rain started to fall. After a frustrating period of watching the rain stopping and starting, the covers came off after 6pm, and play resumed with Sri Lanka set a challenging 118 runs off 48 balls with 8 wickets in hand.
HIGHLIGHTS: SA vs Sri Lanka, 2nd ODI
Tabraiz Shamsi bowled a wide first ball after the break, but followed up the next ball with a wicket as Oshada Fernando (25 off 44 balls, 3×4) edged him behind, where Quinton de Kock held a good catch.
Mendis hit two sixes off Shamsi’s next over, but was caught and bowled by Imran Tahir after scoring 41 off 31 balls (4×4, 2×6, S/R 132.25). Tahir followed up the next over by removing Thisara Perera, caught superbly at deep extra cover by a diving Rassie van der Dussen, for 12.
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Needing 75 to win off the last 12 balls, the contest was effectively over and the Sri Lankans blocked out the last two overs grimly, ending on 121-5 off their 24 overs.
Tahir ended with figures of 2-19 from his five overs (econ 3.80), with Rabada (1-18, econ 3.00), Ngidi (1-25, econ 5.00) and Shamsi (1-29, econ 7.25) also getting among the wickets.
Photo: Lee Warren/Gallo Images/Getty Images
