MONDAY, 1.00PM:
SOUTH Africa brushed aside world champions Sri Lanka to win their Standard Bank triangular one-day match by five wickets at Springbok Park in Bloemfontein on Sunday.
The Lankans had to win the match to play in the final of the triangular series against the South Africans, but devastating South African bowling and uninspired batting from the tourists made sure that Pakistan got the spot in the final.
The South Africans bowled extremely well, and Roger Telemachus was particularly effective in containing the Lankan batting. He ended his spell with figures of 2/23 in eight overs to pick up his second man-of-the-match award in the competition.
The Lankan innings never got off the ground and, when Arjuna Ranatunga was dismissed for 13 by Allan Donald, it was all over bar the shouting.
The South Africans were never in a position to lose the match, but the loss of two early wickets made the match a bit more interesting. Gary Kirsten (0) and Herschelle Gibbs (10) were both early victims of Pramodya Wickramasinghe, who was the most impressive Lankan bowler.
Jacques Kallis and Daryll Cullinan then took to the middle, building a 50-run partnership for the third wicket, taking the South Africans within sight of victory.
Jonty Rhodes and Shaun Pollock took the South Africans to the required 106 runs for victory in only 26,3 overs.
Scoreboard:
Sri Lanka innings:
S Jayasuriya c Gibbs b Telemachus 7 (16m 16b 1×4)
R Kaluwitharana c Kirsten b Telemachus 11 (24m 9b 1×4 1×6)
M Atapattu b Pollock 4 (15m 10b 1×4)
A De Silva c Boucher b Pollock 0 (17m 10b)
A Ranatunga c Boucher b Donald 13 (49m 37b 2×4)
R Mahanama c Boucher b Cronje 22 (72m 36b 3×4)
K Dharmasena c Kallis b Pollock 14 (51m 50b 1×4)
U Chandana c Kirsten b Kallis 5 (24m 14b)
C Vaas not out 10 (31m 22b 1×6)
P Wickramasinghe c Cronje b Kallis -0 (18m 8b)
M Muralitharan c Pollock b Symcox 0 (6m 5b)
Extras (8lb 10w 1nb) 19
Total 105 — 36 overs 166 mins.
Fall of wickets: 1/14 2/23 3/23 4/26 5/50 6/71 7/93 8/95 9/104
Bowling: Pollock 8-2-21-3 (1nb), Telemachus 8-1-23-2 (3w), Donald 6-0-12-1 (2w), Cronje 6-1-23-1, Kallis 6-1-16-2 (5w) Symcox 2-0-2-1
South Africa innings:
G Kirsten b Wickramasinghe 0 (8m 5b)
H Gibbs c Kaluwitharana b Wickramasinghe 10 (35m 22b 1×4)
J Kallis c Atapattu b Muralidharan 39 (70m 50b 4×4 1×6)
D Cullinan c and b Dharmasena 18 (67m 43b 1×4)
M Boucher run out (Vaas) 5 (7m 9b 1×4)
J Rhodes not out 23 (26m 24b 1×4)
S Pollock not out 2 (15m 7b)
Extras (2lb 6w 1nb) 9
Total (for 5 wkts) 106 — 26,3 overs 113 mins
Fall of wickets: 1/7 2/24 3/74 4/80 5/91
Bowling: Vaas 5-0-30-0 (5w), Wickramasinghe 8-2-22-2 (1w), Muralitharan 8,3-1-34-1 (1nb), Dharmasena 5-0-18-1
Result: SA win by five wickets.
Man of the match: Roger Telemachus (SA)