Proteas crash to series defeat

The Proteas fell to a disappointing series defeat against Sri Lanka as a disastrous batting performance saw them crash to a poor 78-run defeat in the third and final ODI at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Tuesday.

Sri Lanka won the opening match of the series last week Thursday by 14-runs before the Proteas bounced back to win the second on Saturday by 67 runs on the DLS method, allowing them to head into the deciding match with momentum.

However after the visiting bowlers did well to limit Sri Lanka to just 203 for nine in their 50 overs after an impressive performance from the spinners, the Proteas batsmen were never in the hunt. The entire top six were back in the change room by the 16th over with them 54 for six, before some fight from the tail saw them eventually reach 125 all out.

Sri Lankan debutant Maheesh Theekshana was the star of the show, leading the home side’s bowling effort in picking up 4-37 in his 10 overs, while he was backed up well by Dushmantha Chameera, 2-16, and Wanindu Hasaranga, 2-32.

The Proteas' chase got off to a disastrous start as they slipped to 19 for three in just the fifth over.

First, Praveen Jayawickrama had Aiden Markram (2) caught at first slip by Dhananjaya de Silva in the second over, before Chameera bowled Reeza Hendricks (1) in the third and had Rassie van der Dussen (5) caught by Kamindu Mendis, who produced a superb reflex catch at short midwicket.

Opener Janneman Malan (18) and Heinrich Klaasen (22) tried to steady things with a 26-run stand, before another flurry of wickets saw three more fall for nine runs.

CHASE IN TATTERS

Theekshana, with his first ball in international cricket, had Malan edging to De Silva for his second slip catch of the innings, with a short rain shower then sending the players from the field for 40 minutes.

On their return Wiaan Mulder (2) was bowled by Hasaranga and Klaasen was trapped LBW by Theekshana, leaving the Proteas’ chase in tatters at 54 for six.

The visitors’ best partnership of the innings followed as Andile Phehlukwayo (17) and George Linde (18) shared 37 for the seventh wicket before Phehlukwayo edged Charith Asalanka to keeper Dinesh Chandimal who took a smart catch to leave the Proteas on 90 for seven.

The Proteas managed to reach the hundred-run mark before Kagiso Rabada (8) gave De Silva his third slip catch and Theekshana his third wicket, while Linde perished trying to slog Hasaranga, only to be caught by Mendis in the deep as they tumbled to 102 for nine in the 25th over.

Keshav Maharaj (15) and Tabraiz Shamsi (9no) delayed the inevitable with a 23-run final-wicket stand before Theekshana found the edge of Maharaj’s bat, with Chandimal doing the rest behind the stumps as South Africa slumped to 125 all out having faced just 30 overs.

SUPERB SPINNERS

In the first innings, a superb performance from the Proteas’ spin department restricted Sri Lanka to a below-par 203 for nine in their 50 overs after they had won the toss and elected to bat.

The four Proteas spinners bowled a full complement of 40 overs, with captain Maharaj the pick of the lot picking up 3-38 from his 10, while he was brilliantly backed up by Shamsi, 2-31, Linde, 2-32 and Markram, 1-41, as they claimed eight of the nine wickets to fall.

The Proteas would however have been slightly disappointed to have allowed the hosts to get over 200, having had them on 166 for eight in the 42nd over.

The Sri Lankan batsmen were let down by continuous wickets falling throughout their innings, shown by the 33-run seventh-wicket partnership between top-scorer Asalanka (47) and Chamika Karunaratne (16) being their highest of the innings.

It was the third umpire who had the busiest start to the day as the Proteas got off to a good start reducing Sri Lanka to 33 for two in the seventh over with both decisions overturned having originally been given not out.

First, Avishka Fernando (10) was trapped in front by Maharaj in the fourth over and then fellow opener Chandimal (9) by Linde, with both decisions given not out only for Mahraj to review both, leading to them being overturned with three reds each on the DRS.

QUICK FLURRY

Mendis (16) and De Silva (31) took their side past the 50-run mark and were just getting into their stride with a stand of 31 when Mendis was done by the spin of Linde, popping the ball to his left with Linde taking a good diving catch as they slipped to 64 for three in the 15th over.

De Silva and Asalanka shared 29 for the fourth wicket before a quick flurry saw them slip from 93 for three in the 20th over to 121 for six in the 27th over.

De Silva was the first of the three to depart as he inside-edged a Markram delivery onto his pad, with the ball looking to rebound safely, only for keeper Klaasen to sprint from behind the stumps and take an impressive diving one-handed catch down the pitch.

Sri Lankan captain Dashun Shanaka (12) and Hasaranga (6) both fell to Maharaj playing aggressively, with Shanaka slog-sweeping him to Wiaan Mulder on the boundary at cow corner and Hasaranga driving him in the air to Reeza Hendricks at mid-off leaving them in big trouble.

Asalanka finally found a willing partner in Karunaratne and they took their side past the 150-run mark, before both fell to Shamsi, Karunaratne LBW and Asalanka caught behind by Klaasen off a ball with which he was also stumped, so would have been out either way.

A particularly invaluable 32-run partnership between No 9 Chameera (29) and number 10 Theekshana (10no) followed to get them just short of 200, with Chameera finally pulling Mulder straight to Janneman Malan at deep-midwicket, leaving Theekshana and last man Jayawickrama (2no) to edge them over the important mark.

SRI LANKA: Avishka Fernando, Dinesh Chandimal (wl), Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka (capt), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Kamindu Mendis, Praveen Jayawickrama, Maheesh Theekshana

SOUTH AFRICA: Janneman Malan, Aiden Markram, Reeza Hendricks, Rassie van der Dussen, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Andile Phehlukwayo, Wiaan Mulder, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj (capt), Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi