|
One good over was all the Sri Lankans needed. But
brilliant bowling in the closing stages of their
innings saw South Africa home and more importantly,
kept them very much alive, and in the reckoning in
the ongoing VB Series.
Very rarely does it happen that a batsman scores an
unbeaten eighty-two and ends up on the losing side.
That is exactly what happened to Tillekeratne
Dilshan, who engineered Sri Lanka's chase of South
Africa's 263-5. Dilshan resurrected the innings in
collaboration with fellow half-centurion Mahela
Jayawardene after Sri Lanka seemed to have lost
their way at 68-3.
An incredible leg-side stumping by Mark Boucher off
Andrew Hall saw Sanath Jayasuriya's exit, as well
as that of his explosive companion Kumara
Sangakkara, who was fooled by a slower delivery by
South Africa's latest find, Johannes van der Wath.
Sri Lanka looked well in sight of victory with six
wickets in hand and less than seventy runs to get
in the last ten overs. But tight bowling from Van
der Wath, including the crucial wicket of
Jayawardene in the forty-seventh over, left the
match hanging on a precarious balance. Sri Lanka
still always looked like reaching home but never
did.
Hall provided excellent 'death bowling assistance'
in removing Russell Arnold and then splendidly
effecting a run-out in the face of a muddled
supersub Malinga Bandara, whose 'blind' running
cost him and Sri Lanka dearly. Perhaps Chaminda
Vaas could have made a difference, but Pollock made
sure that he didn't, and in the end, Sri Lanka
ended up nine runs short of what looked like a
seemingly comfortable victory.
South Africa earlier got off to a good start
despite a diffident approach. Skipper Graeme
Smith's lean trot continued, with his failure to go
past an individual score of 28. But his opening
partner Boeta Dippenaar batted right through the
innings and his pivotal 125 ensured that South
Africa posted a challenging, if not safe total. He
was well supported by the scintillating Herschelle
Gibbs, whose sixty-five ball sixty-eight was a
notable contribution for South Africa.
But the batsmen faltered in the middle overs, and
this is something the Proteas need to rectify.
Dippenaar came to the rescue by getting stuck into
the Sri Lankan bowlers towards the end, with the
last ten overs yielding a whopping ninety-one runs.
The result of the match would please Australia as
Sri Lanka have been on a high ever since their
victory over the hosts. The home team will hope
that this loss would have dented the confidence of
the visitors from the Emerald Isles. Australia
would not want the team from the sub-continent, the
veritable underdogs, to get away from them.
The road has got more arduous for South Africa and
they will really need to pull up their socks if
they are to pose serious competition. It will
require more than just nerve and also, a bonus
point or two.
|