KUMAR SANGAKKARA took full advantage of the springboard start provided by the opening partnership to score his maiden limited overs century against the Proteas and set up Sri Lanka for a two-wicket victory (with a ball to spare) in the final Sunfoil ODI at the Bidvest Wanderers Stadium on Sunday.
It meant that the visitors had chased down winning targets in excess of 300 in both the final two matches of their tour and enabled them to return home from their South African tour with quite a lot of positives in spite of losing both the Test and ODI series.
The Proteas won the ODI series 3-2 on the back of their victories in the first three matches.
It was a tremendous game of cricket in which both AB de Villiers and Graeme Smith scored centuries for the Proteas after they had been sent into bat. Coincidentally they finished on 125 although De Villiers had a not out next to his name and thus both equalled the record for South Africa’s highest individual ODI score against Sri Lanka held by Boeta Dippenaar.
They also shared a third wicket record partnership of 186 against Sri Lanka which improved the previous mark of 178 established by Jacques Kallis and Herschelle Gibbs in the 2002-03 season.
While the Proteas had only managed to score 33/1 in their first 10 overs their Sri Lankan counterparts – Upul Tharanga and Tillekeratne Dilshan – blazed away to 72 in their first 10 and that proved to be the essential difference in the end.
Thereafter the experienced Sangakkara was able to pace the innings perfectly and stay ahead of the Duckworth/Lewis equation which was vital after an hour’s play had been lost to rain early in their innings and the skies remained threatening for most of the remainder of the day.
Sri Lanka appeared to be cruising home at 274/3 after 44 overs with 39 runs required off the last 36 balls before De Villiers produced some inspired captaincy to back his two spinners at critical stages of the ‘death’ overs. Duminy took 2/13 in 3 overs including the key wicket of Sangakkara and then Robbie Peterson, entrusted with the final over, took 2/1 off four balls before Sachitra Senanayake, playing his first ODI innings, struck the fifth ball for six to win the match.
Sangakkara was named Sunfoil Man of the Match while the Sunfoil Man of the Series award went to De Villiers who scored more than 300 runs in the five-match series.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) CEO Gerald Majola congratulated both teams on the competitive cricket played and the Proteas on their first series win under the captaincy of De Villiers.
“I would like to congratulate AB de Villiers, both for his individual performances and his leadership, in his first series as captain of our Castle Lager ODI squad. To beat Sri Lanka, the beaten finalists in the last two ICC World Cup tournaments, in a series is no mean achievement.
“There is no doubt that the entire Proteas’ squad has been inspired by the joie de vivre he has brought to his leadership role and it has resulted in a true all-round team performance by the squad.
“The combination he has already formed with national coach Gary Kirsten is an impressive one that augurs extremely well for the future. There will be tougher days ahead as the Proteas embark on a succession of overseas tours against high quality opposition but these are all challenges that can be faced with confidence.
“There is a new unpredictable look to our squad’s cricket, both in the tactics employed and the way they are going about their cricket. There is also a rapidly growing confidence that we can develop depth and experience in our squad without compromising the team’s ability to win. This is very much a work in progress and the selectors’ open door policy is to be commended.
“AB has scored more than 300 runs in this series that shows his form is totally unaffected by the demands of leadership. I would also like to commend the character of Graeme Smith who showed a most welcome return to form in the demanding arena of the Bidvest Wanderers Stadium and of Lonwabo Tsotsobe who has bounced back strongly after an injury-ridden start to the summer.
“It has been a great pleasure to welcome Sri Lanka back to our country for a full length tour for the first time in almost a decade. They have been popular visitors and have contributed to the entertainment value of our home international summer. The ODI series was extremely well contested and in an excellent spirit.
“We wish our Sri Lankan friends a safe trip home.”
