South Africa had no chance of making the knockouts after the loss against Pakistan, and the lack of pressure showed today. They took a wicket off the first ball, suffered an assault from Fernando and Kusal Perera, and then had the Sri Lanka by the scruff of their neck. The bowlers did the job in the first innings and Faf and Amla did it in the second.
The chase started well for South Africa, with Amla and de Kock scoring at 7 an over at one point before Malinga dismissed de Kock with a yorker. However, that proved to be the last bit of joy the Lankans had on the field. Du Plessis joined Amla at the crease and frustrated the bowlers no end. The duo took their time to get settled, hit the odd boundaries, put the bad balls away and coasted along to a comfortable victory.
The only bad part was that the SA skipper missed out on a hundred, as he was stranded on 96. It could have been achieved with some better communication with Amla, but he will be more than satisfied with getting the victory. So Sri Lanka have a very slim chance now of making the semis, they have to depend on other results really.
There is a double header tomorrow- Pakistan face Afghanistan, and then there is the trans-Tasman rivalry later as New Zealand and Australia face off in a crucial game for the former. Do join us for both of them. See you tomorrow then!
Thisara Perera to concede the winning runs?
37.1 T Perera to Amla, 1 run, worked away to square leg
37.2 T Perera to du Plessis, FOUR, he is stranded on 96! This is a full toss down leg, and is glanced away past the keeper. The Proteas finally win!
36.1 Udana to Amla, 2 runs, guides it past backward point, and he comes back for the second! Why would you do that Hash, your skipper wants a century!
36.2 Udana to Amla, 2 runs, two more. Faf has accepted his fate maybe
36.3 Udana to Amla, DOT, plays this to point
36.4 Udana to Amla, DOT, full ball, punched to mid off
36.5 Udana to Amla, 1 run, length wide of off, punched to deep cover
36.6 Udana to du Plessis, DOT.
35.1 Malinga to Amla, 1 run, yorker tailing in on leg, flicked to deep backward square
35.2 Malinga to du Plessis, DOT, driven to mid on. No prizes for guessing the length
35.3 Malinga to du Plessis, FOUR, yorker on off, Faf drives dead straight down the ground. Moves to 92 with SA needing 8 runs!
35.4 Malinga to du Plessis, DOT, drives straight to extra cover and he lets out a grunt because he did not place it well
35.5 Malinga to du Plessis, DOT, yorker (sigh), dug out with an open face
35.6 Malinga to du Plessis, DOT.