Malan, Shamsi script easy Proteas win to level series
Malan was fully in control during his knock of 121
Adominant South African batting performance allowed them to level the series 1-1 with Sri Lanka with a crushing 67-run win on DL method, in a rain curtailed second ODI played at the R Premadasa Stadium last night.
After Thursday’s 14-run win over South Africa in the series opener, the hosts were hoping to wrap up the series before the final ODI on Tuesday but the tourists came up with a brilliant allround show to deny Sri Lanka a victory.
The writing was on the wall for Sri Lanka when they lost three quick wickets early in the chase and were eventually bowled out for 197 runs chasing 265 to win in 41 overs in a rain-shortened game. The match was delayed by early afternoon rains and was reduced to 47-overs per-side but another light shower half way through the run chase saw Sri Lanka’s innings reduced to 41 overs.
Avishka Fernando, who scored a masterful ton in the series opener, could managed only eight runs while his opening partner Minod Bhanuka (7) too perished cheaply after one-drop Bhanuka Rajpakasa collected his second successive duck in the series.
Kagiso Rabada removed both Fernando and Rajapaksa in his third over while Wiaan Mulder had Bhanuka edging to the keeper as Sri Lanka slipped to 19 for 3 in the sixth over.
Charith Asalanka and skipper Dasun Shanaka (30) kept Sri Lanka in the hunt briefly and were 114 for 4 in the 25th over when rain stopped play. When the play was resumed, the target was revised to 265 in 41 overs, an uphill task for the inexperienced Lankan batters. Asalanka continued his good form with the bat scoring a career-best 77 runs–his third half century but that wasn’t enough to take Sri Lanka over the line.
After Asalanka departed Chamika Karunaratne made an entertaining 36 off 23 balls towards the later part of the innings but by then SA were well in place for a crushing win.
Tabraiz Shamsi was the pick of the bowler taking his maiden 5 wicket haul for 49 runs to leave Sri Lanka reeling.
The South African victory came on the back of Janneman Malan’s third ODI century in as many as nine games and were well supported by Reeza Hendricks and Heinrich Klaasen who shared imposing partnerships with Malan to set Sri Lanka a tough chase. Malan who has been in excellent form since making his international debut against Australia last year was the chief architecture of their victory as he played magnificently for his 121.
The right-hander first shared 96 runs for the second wicket with Hendricks who replaced injured Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma in the playing XI. After in-form Aiden Markram was dismissed for 21, adding 43 for the first wicket, Hendricks added 96 runs with Malan to lift the score to 140 before Hendricks threw his wicket away, attempting to attack off-spinner Dhananjaya de Silva.
Hendricks came charging down the ground to go inside out over cover two balls after he reached his third career fifty but had his stump rattled when he missed it completely. By then they had already laid a solid foundation for a formidable total, scoring over five runs an over.
What they did well during this imposing stand was to rotate the strike regularly while sending anything loose to the ropes frustrating the Sri Lankan bowlers. Malan and Rassie van der Dussen then shared 33 runs for the third wicket before van der Dussen was cleverly stumped by Minod Bhanuka off Wanindu Hasaranga when the right-hander attempted to sweep.
But Malan was undeterred as he went about his business. Playing only his ninth international match, he anchored the innings, scoring his third ODI century.
In slow batting conditions, Malan was cautious as he built his innings meticulously picking ones and twos rather than going for big hits. He reached his century in 126 balls and by the time he departed attempting a reverse-paddle off Dushmantha Chameera he has scored 121 off 135 balls. His innings was decorated with nine boundaries and a six and also shared a brisk 86 run stand for the fourth wicket with Heinrich Klaasen who batted brilliantly for his 43 off 27 balls. George Linde who made his international debut remained unbeaten on 9 while Wiaan Mulder was unbeaten on 5 when their innings came to an end on 283 for 6.
Sri Lanka, eyeing their first series win over South Africa in eight years, cannot be too proud of their performance with the ball as South Africa negated the spin threat well. Chamika Karunaratne was the pick of the bowler for Sri Lanka, having bowled economically and picking two wickets but Hasaranga and Akila Dhananjaya, the two strike bowlers, had an off day with runs being scored at will off of them. Chameera picked up two wickets but again was on the expensive side conceding 52 runs off his seven overs.
| Scoreboard | |
| South Africa Janneman Malan lbw b Chameera 121 Aiden Markram c Bhanuka b Karunaratne 21 Reeza Hendricks b D de Silva 51 Rassie van der Dussen st Bhanuka b Hasaranga 16 Heinrich Klaasen c Shanaka b Chameera 43 Andile Phehlukwayo c and b Karunaratne 4 Wiaan Mulder not out 5 George Linde not out 9 Extras (b1, nb1, w11) 13 Total (6 wickets: 47 overs) 283 Did not bat: Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi Fall-of-wickets: 1-43 (Markram, 8.5), 2-139 (Hendricks, 27.3), 3-177 (Dussen, 35.5), 4-263 (Klaasen, 44.5), 5-263 (Malan, 44.6), 6-269 (Phehlukwayo, 45.6) Bowling: Dushmantha Chameera 7-0-52-2, Praveen Jayawickrama 8-0-46-0, Akila Dananjaya 7-0-46-0, Chamika Karunaratne 5-0-24-2, Wanindu Hasaranga 10-0-63-2, Dasun Shanaka 3-0-21-0, Dhananjaya de Silva 7-0-30-1 Sri Lanka Avishka Fernando c Hendricks b Rabada 8 Minod Bhanuka c Klaasen b Mulder 7 Bhanuka Rajapaksa c Klaasen b Mulder 0 Dhananjaya de Silva c Klaasen b Shamsi 12 Charith Asalanka c Verreynne b Shamsi 77 Dasun Shanaka c Linde b Shamsi 30 Wanindu Hasaranga c and b Linde 3 Chamika Karunaratne b Maharaj 36 Dushmantha Chameera b Shamsi 11 Akila Dananjaya c Markram b Shamsi 3 Praveen Jayawickrama not out 1 Extras (lb2, w7) 9 Total (all out: 36.4 overs) 197 Fall–of-wickets: 1-18 (Fernando, 4.3), 2-18 (Rajapaksa, 4.6), 3-19 (Bhanuka, 5.1), 4-61 (D. de Silva, 14.1), 5-125 (Shanaka, 26.1), 6-141 (Hasaranga, 27.5), 7-147 (Asalanka, 28.4), 8-192 (Karunaratne, 35.3), 9-194 (Chameera, 36.1), 10-197 (Dananjaya, 36.4) Bowling: Kagiso Rabada 6-0-16-2, Wiaan Malan 5-0-30-1, Keshav Maharaj 8-0-32-1, Tabraiz Shamsi 7.4-0-49-5, Andile Phehlukwayo 5-0-28-0, Geirge Linde 5-0-40-1 |