A century from Hashim Amla and six early wickets helped South Africa rout Sri Lanka by 258 runs in the first of five one-day internationals (ODIs) against Sri Lanka at Boland Park on Wednesday.
The visitors were all out for 43, their lowest total in one-day cricket.
Set an imposing target of 302 runs for victory, Sri Lanka lost five wickets in the first five overs and left the tail to try to repair the damage.
Morne Morkel and Lonwabo Tsotsobe matched each other wicket for wicket and had the visitors reeling at 13 for six.
Morkel, named man of the match, returned his best ODI figures of 4-10 while Tsotsobe took an impressive 3-19.
Robin Peterson grabbed two while Dale Steyn and Albie Morkel took a wicket each in what looked more like a highlights package than an innings.
Superb catch
Top scorer for the Sri Lankans was Kosala Kulasekara (19), the only batsman to reach double figures.
Earlier, Amla batted flawlessly for 45.3 overs when he surprisingly edged Lasith Malinga to wicket-keeper Kumar Sangakkara after scoring 112 runs off 128 balls, with eight boundaries.
Playing in his 100th ODI, Malinga struck early to dismiss Graeme Smith (6) in the third over.
Smith tried to force a shorter delivery to the off-side but got a thin edge to Sangakkara, who took a superb catch to his left.
Amla and Jacques Kallis set a new record against Sri Lanka for the second-wicket, putting on 144 runs, off 158 balls, including 13 fours and a six.
The previous highest was 111 set by Kallis and Boeta Dippenaar, also in Paarl, in 2000/2001.
The partnership ended when Amla played straight to Mahela Jayawardene in the covers and the fielder threw to Kallis' end and nailed the stumps from an awkward angle.
Making it look easy
Kallis was well short of his crease after making an elegant 72 runs, off 80 balls.
AB de Villiers, in his first match as captain, made batting look easy as he raced to his half-century off 36 balls, smashing a four off a full toss from Tillakaratne Dilshan to bring up his milestone.
Amla reached his ninth ODI century, and first against Sri Lanka, in 114 balls with eight fours.
The pair combined for a run-a-ball 50 and went on to share a 91-run stand off 80 balls before De Villiers (52) was bowled by a yorker from Nuwan Kulasekara.
Albie Morkel, back in the side for the first time this summer, played a cameo 25-run innings, off 17 balls, including one four and two sixes, before Malinga struck again. He was caught at long-on by Angelo Mathews, going for a big one.
The highest ODI wicket-taker in 2011 (48 wickets), Malinga completed his 10 overs with great finesse and took his fifth five-wicket haul conceding 54 runs. -- Sapa
Source: Mail and Guardian Online
