SA secure series win
by Jason Humphries 17 January 2012, 23:00
Faf du Plessis constructed a superb fifty to help South Africa to a four-run victory on the Duckworth/Lewis method and a series win in the third Sunfoil one-day international against Sri Lanka at Chevrolet Park in Bloemfontein on Tuesday.
Full Scoring
South Africa, chasing Sri Lanka’s 266 for nine, reached 179 for five after 34 overs before rain began falling.
When rain began falling the hosts held a four-run lead on the Duckworth /Lewis method, enough for them to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series when the match was finally called off an hour and 20 minutes later
South Africa had Du Plessis and his high-class knock of 72 off 74 balls with seven fours to thank for winning the game after they had slipped to 52 for three with Graeme Smith (2), Colin Ingram (13) and Alviro Petersen (17) all departing cheaply.
But Du Plessis, together with JP Duminy (25), steadied the innings with a fourth-wicket stand of 61 with Du Plessis bringing up his third ODI fifty off 55 deliveries.
The duo took the score to 113 before Duminy was controversially run out at the non-striker’s end by Nuwan Kulasekara. Replays seemed to be inconclusive but the third umpire Billy Doctrove felt that Duminy was out to the visible dismay of the Proteas’ changeroom.
Du Plessis, who battled cramps during his innings, was also run out as he failed to beat Angelo Mathews’ throw from the covers to keeper Kumar Sangakkara but Du Plessis had provided the platform for AB de Villiers (39 not out) and Albie Morkel (7 not out) to see their team over the line.
Paceman Lasith Malinga was the stand out performer with the ball for Sri Lanka as he ended with 2-20 off five overs.
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THARANGA ENTERTAINS
Upul Tharanga had earlier compiled his second fifty of the series to help the tourists to their final total.
Opening batsman Tharanga followed up his 66 in the second match of the series with an entertaining 58 off 65 deliveries with five fours and two sixes.
Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan (33) gave their team an excellent start after Dilshan had won the toss and elected to bat on a good batting wicket.
The pair put on 94 runs off 111 balls for the first wicket with Dilshan playing an unusually restrained innings as he only struck his first boundary after facing 42 deliveries.
The opening stand was dominated by the left-handed Tharanga wand he lit up the contest with two huge leg side sixes off the bowling of off-spinner Duminy.
Tharanga and Dilshan had looked relatively untroubled before Tharanga top-edged an attempted sweep shot off the bowling of left-arm spinner Robin Peterson to be caught at short fine leg.
Dilshan departed eight runs alter when he also top-edged a sweep, off the bowling of Duminy, to be well caught by Dale Steyn at deep backward square leg.
Kumar Sangakkara (38) and Dinesh Chandimal (36) steadied the innings with a third-wicket partnership of 52 before Sangakkara was superbly run out by Du Plessis at backward point who dived full length to his left before collecting the ball and scoring a direct hit at the keeper’s end.
Mahela Jayawardene (15) was also run out after a direct hit from Ingram at mid-off while Chandimal was caught at mid-off off the bowling of paceman Morne Morkel as the tourists slipped to 192 for five.
Mathews (15) was well caught by a tumbling Alviro Petersen at long-off before Nuwan Kulasekara added some late impetus to the innings with a brisk innings of 40 off 38 balls before he was yorked by Morne Morkel.
Morne Morkel captured two wickets but he was a touch on the expensive side as he conceded 65 runs off his nine overs.
The fourth match of the series takes place in Kimberly on Friday.
Teams
South Africa - Graeme Smith, Alviro Petersen, Colin Ingram, AB de Villiers (capt, wk), JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Albie Morkel, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.
Sri Lanka - Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), Upul Tharanga, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Dinesh Chandimal, Mahela Jayawardene, Angelo Mathews, Kosala Kulasekara, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Dhammika Prasad, Rangana Herath.