ICC Champions Trophy, Highlights: Amla, Tahir help South Africa rout Sri Lanka by 96 runs
South Africa rode on Hashim Amla’s 25th ODI ton and Imran Tahir’s 4/27 to thrash Sri Lanka by 96 runs in the third game of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 at The Oval. Catch full cricket score of Sri Lanka vs South Africa here
South Africa beat Sri Lanka by 96 runs in their first game of the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy at The Oval. Hashim Amla, who scored 103, became the first South African to slam 25 ODI centuries. Imran Tahir, who missed two of three ODIs against England last month due to injury, took four wickets. AB de Villiers’ men will now face Pakistan on June 7 while Sri Lanka will take on Virat Kohli-led India on June 8. Catch full cricket score of Sri Lanka vs South Africa here. (SCORECARD | STREAMING INFO)
23:15 hrs IST: That’s it. Thank you for joining us. Until next time, it’s goodbye. Cheers!
Tahir (Man of the Match): “Been working really hard. Really enjoying. Hope it carries on through the tournament. I think [AB] knew the situation, I was always ready to bowl. The openers batted really well, but we stuck to our plans and came back strongly. I wasn’t expecting any spin, watching the England-Bangladesh game the other day, but it helped my variations a little.”
De Villiers: “It wasn’t as true a wicket as the England-Bangladesh game. It was possible for them to chase it down, but we needed a few early wickets, which we got. It was important to assess in the first 10-15 overs. They bowled exceptionally well, and credit to our openers for seeing it out. It’s scary, the amount of runs Hashim has piled on in his short career, hopefully many more to come.”
Tharanga: “At the start we bowled well, even after the Hashim-Faf partnership, we came back well. Keeping them under 300 was a good effort. We couldn’t get any wicket in the middle period. We had Lakshan Sandakan - we could include him in the next game.”
22:51 hrs IST: WICKET! And that’s it. South Africa thrash Sri Lanka by 96 runs to clinch their first win in ICC Champions Trophy 2017.
22:43 hrs IST: Parnell, who conceded 45 runs in his first five overs, gave away just nine runs in his next five.
22:36 hrs IST: Two wickets in three balls for South Africa. It’s all but over for the Lankan Lions.
22:30 hrs IST: WICKET! Prasanna LBW Morris 13(20). Sri Lanka need 109 off 76
22:26 hrs IST: Four runs off Rabada’s sixth. Sri Lanka need 109 off 78.
22:20 hrs IST: SIX! Back of a length from Morris and Prasanna whips it over mid-wicket for a maximum.
22:18 hrs IST: Rare off day for Rabada (5-0-33-0). Sri Lanka need 124 off 90.
22:13 hrs IST: Seems too difficult for Sri Lanka now. Perera might not be able to do much without a reliable partner at the other end.
22:07 hrs IST: Stupendous over from Parnell. Only one run from it. Sri Lanka need 134 off 102.
22:01 hrs IST: Sri Lanka require 142 off 114. Perera 17*, Prasanna 1*
21:54 hrs IST: Prasanna is in at No. 8
21:52 hrs IST: WICKET! Tahir on fire. Gets his third scalp. Gunaratne goes cheaply. Sri Lanka need 145 off 124.
21:48 hrs IST: Sri Lanka’s 3,4,5 (Mendis, Chandimal, Kapugedera) added just 23 runs.
21:44 hrs IST: Great over from Parnell. Just two runs off it. Sri Lanka need 151 off 138.
21:38 hrs IST: WICKET! And it’s that celebration again from Tahir. Big wicket for South Africa. Tharanga departs for 57(69).
21:35 hrs IST: Sri Lanka are 145/4 after 25 overs. Tharanga 57*, Perera 10*
21:29 hrs IST: FOUR! Too short from Tahir, Tharanga rocks back and hits it in the air over mid-wicket.
21:27 hrs IST: Double and that’s fifty for Tharanga, 32nd in ODIs. The skipper holds the key here.
21:24 hrs IST: Tidy over from Duminy. Sri Lanka are 127/4 after 21 overs.
STAT ATTACK - The last time South Africa failed to defend a target of 300 or more in ODIs was in 2012.
21:15 hrs IST: Sri Lanka 124-4 after 19 overs. Tharanga 46*, Perera 1*
21:09 hrs IST: ANOTHER WICKET! Imran Tahir traps Kapugedera for a golden duck. Sri Lanka 117-4 after 18 overs.
21:04 hrs IST: WICKET! Chandimal run-out after smart work in the field from De Villiers. Sri Lanka 116-3 after 17.2 overs.
21:03 hrs IST: Leggie Tahir comes into the attack for the first time. He missed two of the three ODI’s against England due to injury.
21:02 hrs IST: Another tidy over for Sri Lanka sees them end the 17th at 116/2.
20:56 hrs IST: Morris with a ball that just missed Tharanga’s edge, nipping off the pitch. Sri Lanka are 111/2 after 16 overs.
20:52 hrs IST: Dot ball to end the over, Sri Lanka are 105/2 after 15 overs.
20:50 hrs IST: FOUR! Short and wide from Morkel, and Chandimal slashes it past the point region for his first boundary.
20:46 hrs IST: Morris follows up with another good over that yields just 3 runs. Sri Lanka are 100/2 after 14 overs, and it’s drinks.
20:42 hrs IST: Good over from Morkel. Just two runs off it. Sri Lanka are 97/2 after 13 overs.
20:38 hrs IST: Chandimal is the next man in.
20:36 hrs IST: WICKET! Mendis c de Villiers b Morris 11(10). Sri Lanka are 94/2 after 11.5 overs.
20:32 hrs IST: Chris Morris now
20:31 hrs IST: Sri Lanka are 91/1 after 11 overs. Tharanga 30*, Mendis 10*
20:27 hrs IST: FOUR! Short and wide from Parnell and Tharanga pulls it in the gap between mid-on and mid-wicket. Sri Lanka are 87/1 after 10 overs.
20:24 hrs IST: FOUR! Half-volley from Parnell and Tharanga hits a front-foot drive through cover. Moves into 20s.
20:21 hrs IST: Two fours in a row by Kusal Mendis off Morkel. Sri Lanka are 77/1 after 9 overs.
20:17 hrs IST: And straightaway the lanky seamer strikes. Gets rid of the dangerous Dickwella 41(33), who looks to launch a length delivery over mid-wicket but instead gets a top edge and Parnell does the rest at the third man region.
20:15 hrs IST: Morne Morkel comes into the attack.
20:12 hrs IST: Skipper Tharanga now joins the party. Consecutive boundaries from him. Moves into double figures.
20:10 hrs IST: South Africa in desperate need of wickets. If Sri Lanka continue to score at this rate, AB de Villiers’ side would be staring at an early elimination.
20:09 hrs IST: Another good over for Sri Lanka. 15 runs off it. They are 58/0 after 7 overs.
20:06 hrs IST: SIX! Length ball from Rabada, Dickwella moves to his leg side and creams it over mid-wicket for a maximum.
20:03 hrs IST: Dot ball to finish off. Sri Lanka are 43/0 after 6 overs.
20:01 hrs IST: FOUR! Touch short from Parnell and it’s enough for Tharanga to pull it to deep mid-wicket boundary.
19:58 hrs IST: Last two overs have yielded 22 runs for Sri Lanka. Need to keep the momentum going.
19:55 hrs IST: FOUR! Length delivery from Rabada and Dickwella hits it in the air over square leg for his 4th boundary.
19:53 hrs IST: Two boundaries for Dickwella. Costly over from Parnell. Twelve runs off it. Sri Lanka are 22/0 after 4 overs.
19:48 hrs IST: Magnificent over from Rabada. Just a run off it. Sri Lanka are 10/0 after 3 overs.
19:44 hrs IST: FOUR! Length ball from Parnell, Dickwella comes down the track and lifts it over cover for his first boundary. Sri Lanka are 9/0 after 2 overs.
19:41 hrs IST: Wayne Parnell to share the new ball with Rabada.
19:40 hrs IST: Tidy start from Rabada. Sri Lanka are 3/0 after first over.
19:36 hrs IST: Dickwella to take strike. Rabada to start the proceedings for South Africa.
19:35 hrs IST: Welcome back!
19:08 hrs IST: And that’s it. Duminy’s unbeaten 38 lifts South Africa to 299/6 at The Oval. We’ll be back in a short while.
19:04 hrs IST: Pradeep to bowl the final six balls.
19:03 hrs IST: Excellent over from Malinga. Just six runs off it. South Africa are 287/6 after 49 overs.
19:00 hrs IST: Only two runs off the first three balls. Parnell should look for lusty blows.
18:58 hrs IST: Malinga to bowl the penultimate over.
18:57 hrs IST: Duminy hits a boundary on the last ball. South Africa are 281/6 after 48 overs.
18:55 hrs IST: WICKET! Morris run out 20 (19). Turning out to be an excellent over for Sri Lanka.
18:53 hrs IST: So far so good from Pradeep. Just three runs off the first three balls.
18:50 hrs IST: Pradeep again
18:49 hrs IST: FOUR! Much-needed boundary for the Proteas and Duminy. South Africa are 273/5 after 47 overs.
18:46 hrs IST: South Africa need to accelerate here. Anything around 330 would be very tough to chase.
18:43 hrs IST: Good over from Lakmal. Just seven runs off it. South Africa are 262/5 after 46 overs. Duminy 15*, Morris 15*
18:37 hrs IST: Single of the last ball for Duminy. Moves into double figures. South Africa are 255/5 after 45 overs.
18:36 hrs IST: FOUR! Yorker length from Malinga, outside off, Duminy uses the pace of the ball and helps it past the wicket-keeper.
18:33 hrs IST: Hashim Amla is only the fourth player (after Sachin Tendulkar, Kumar Sangakkara, Ricky Ponting) to hit 25 or more centuries in both Tests and ODIs.
18:28 hrs IST: South Africa are 234/5 after 43 overs. Duminy 3*, Morris 1*
18:24 hrs IST: WICKET! Amla run out 103 (115b 5x4 2x6). As always, he has done his job nicely!
STAT ATTACK - Amla is now the fastest to 25 centuries in ODIs ( in 151 innings). He has gone past India skipper Virat Kohli, who achieved the same in 162 innings.
18:17 hrs IST: Single and that’s hundred for Amla, his 25th in ODIs. Sheer class! Needs to stay till the end.
18:11 hrs IST: South Africa are 225/3 after 41 overs. Amla 99*, Miller 18*
18:05 hrs IST: Five runs off Gunaratne’s eighth. South Africa are 219/3 after 39 overs. Can they get past 320?
18:00 hrs IST: South Africa are 214/3 after 38 overs. Amla 92*, Miller 14*
17:54 hrs IST: SIX! Tossed up from Prasanna, Miller dances down the tracks and lofts it over mid-off.
17:51 hrs IST: Single and that’s 200 for South Africa. How much more can they get in the last 14 overs?
17:47 hrs IST: FOUR! Too full from Prasanna and Miller drives it past the fielder at mid-off for his first boundary.
17:44 hrs IST: Big wicket for Sri Lanka. Prasanna gets rid of de Villiers 4(4). South Africa 194/3 after 34.4 overs.
17:41 hrs IST: AB de Villiers is the next batsman at No. 4
17:39 hrs IST: OUT! Second wicket for Pradeep. du Plessis departs for a well-made 75(70). South Africa are 189/2 after 33.4 overs.
17:34 hrs IST: Among the current players participating in Champions Trophy, Lasith Malinga has the most wickets in the tournament’s history (22).
17:30 hrs IST: FOUR! Too full from Gunaratne and Amla clips it over square leg for his fifth boundary.
17:28 hrs IST: Fourteen runs off the last 12 balls. South Africa are 171/1 after 31 overs. Amla 77*, du Plessis 66*
17:23 hrs IST: The duo need to keep going!
STAT ATTACK - South Africa have won two of their three Champions Trophy matches against Sri Lanka.
17:15 hrs IST: Twelve runs off the last two overs. South Africa are 157/1 after 29 overs.
17:08 hrs IST: Single and that’s fifty for du Plessis, 28th in ODIs. No wonder why he has been the best ODI batsman in 2017!
17:07 hrs IST: Nine runs off Lakmal’s sixth. South Africa are 145/1 after 27 overs.
17:03 hrs IST: FOUR! Shortish length from Lakmal and du Plessis pulls it in the gap between deep mid-wicket and deep square leg boundary.
17:01 hrs IST: South Africa are 136/1 after 26 overs. Amla 67*, du Plessis 41*
16:56 hrs IST: Five runs off the over. So far so good from Malinga (6-0-27-0). South Africa are 130/1 after 25 overs.
16:52 hrs IST: SIX! Fullish length from Prasanna, Amla steps out and lofts it over mid-wicket. Moves to 63. South Africa are 125/1 after 24 overs.
16:48 hrs IST: Eight runs off Malinga’s fifth over. South Africa are 114/1 after 23 overs.
16:45 hrs IST: Malinga comes back into the attack.
16:43 hrs IST: Single and that’s fifty for Amla. Classy innings! South Africa are 106/1 after 22 overs.
16:40 hrs IST: Seven runs off Gunaratne’s third. South Africa are 97/1 after 21 overs. Amla 42*, du Plessis 28*
16:37 hrs IST: Twenty runs off the last overs for South Africa (90/1).
16:35 hrs IST: FOUR! Flighted delivery from Prasanna and du Plessi sweeps it fine to deep backward square leg boundary.
16:32 hrs IST: Expensive over from Gunaratne. 11 runs off it. South Africa are 81/1 after 19 overs.
16:31 hrs IST: SIX! Slower delivery from Gunaratne, Amla makes slight room and smacks it over long-off for a maximum.
16:28 hrs IST: One of du Plessis or Amla must go for big hits. The Proteas really need a move on here.
16:25 hrs IST: FOUR! First boundary for du Plessis and a much-needed one. South Africa are 67/1 after 17 overs.
16:21 hrs IST: Another good over from Prasanna. Just four runs off it. South Africa are 59/1 after 16 overs.
16:17 hrs IST: South Africa are 55/1 after 15 overs. Amla 22*, du Plessis 6*
DO YOU KNOW - South Africa have won 10 and lost eight of the 18 matches played against Sri Lanka on ‘neutral venues’.
16:11 hrs IST: FOUR! Width on offer, Amla opens the bat face and hits it to deep backward point boundary. South Africa are 51/1 after 14 overs. Time for drinks.
16:09 hrs IST: Spin introduced for the first time. Leggie Seekkuge Prasanna now.
16:07 hrs IST: Great over from Pradeep. Only one run and a wicket. South Africa are 45/1 after 13 overs.
16:04 hrs IST: du Plessis is the next in at No. 3
16:03 hrs IST: WICKET! Beautiful delivery from Pradeep. Nips away a bit, de Kock looks to push it through cover but instead gets a thick edge and Dickwella takes a good catch behind the stumps.
16:01 hrs IST: Single off the last delivery for de Kock. South Africa are 44/0 after 12 overs.
15:58 hrs IST: Asela Gunaratne now
15:57 hrs IST: FOUR! Excellent from de Kock. Overpitched from Pradeep and the southpaw hits it well to wide long-on boundary. South Africa are 39/0 after 11 overs.
15:54 hrs IST: Pradeep to continue
15:53 hrs IST: Lakmal completes his five overs. South Africa are 32/0 after 10 overs.
15:51 hrs IST: FOUR! Length ball from Lakmal, Amla gets into position and flicks it to deep mid-wicket for his first boundary.
15:47 hrs IST: Magnificent start from Pradeep. South Africa are 28/0 after 9 overs. Amla 13*, de Kock 12*
15:44 hrs IST: Here comes the first change in bowling - Nuwan Pradeep.
15:43 hrs IST: Get a feeling it’s advantage South Africa despite the slow start. They are yet to lose a wicket.
15:39 hrs IST: Dot ball to finish off from Malinga. South Africa are 24/0 after 7 overs.
15:36 hrs IST: FOUR! Slower delivery from Malinga, fuller length, de Kock slices it through cover-point for his first boundary.
15:34 hrs IST: Six overs and South Africa (18/0) still searching for their first boundary. The lowest powerplay score in the tournament so far.
DO YOU KNOW - This is the 66th ODI between South Africa and Sri Lanka and fourth in the Champions Trophy.
15:28 hrs IST: And Malinga continues to keep it tight. South Africa are 12/0 after 5 overs. Amla 6*, de Kock 4*
15:26 hrs IST: Malinga relying more on his slow off-cutters. Both batsmen finding it tough to score the big ones.
15:25 hrs IST: Malinga to continue
15:24 hrs IST: Excellent over from Lakmal. Just a run off it. South Africa are 11/0 after 4 overs.
15:21 hrs IST: de Kock helps a length delivery to mid-off for a quick single. Moves to 3 off 15. Struggling to find gaps (as of now).
15:17 hrs IST: Another brilliant over from Malinga. No margin of error. South Africa are 10/0 after 3 overs.
15:14 hrs IST: Fifteen balls and the Proteas are yet to score a boundary.
15:12 hrs IST: Tidy over from Lakmal. Only three runs off it. South Africa are 6/0 after 2 overs.
STAT ATTACK - The last time Sri Lanka beat South Africa in ODIs was on July 9,2014 at Pallekele when they recorded a 87-run victory.
15:08 hrs IST: Suranga Lakmal comes into the attack - from over the wicket.
15:06 hrs IST: Still a decent start from Malinga. South Africa are 3/0 after first over.
15:05 hrs IST: Two wide deliveries from Malinga. Struggling to find his rhythm.
15:03 hrs IST: Amla off the mark. On his pads and the South African works it to long leg for a single.
15:02 hrs IST: Good length delivery to start off from Malinga.
15:00 hrs IST: It’s time for live action. Quinton de Kock and Hashim Amla make their way out in the middle. Malinga to bowl the first over.
14:55 hrs IST: Both teams lineup for the national anthems.
14:45 hrs IST: Here are the playing XIs. Lasith Malinga is back playing an ODI after almost two years. Will he continue to be fit as the tournament progresses?
Sri Lanka: Upul Tharanga(c), Niroshan Dickwella(w), Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Perera, Chamara Kapugedera, Asela Gunaratne, Seekkuge Prasanna, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Lasith Malinga
South Africa: Quinton de Kock(w), Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers(c), David Miller, Jean-Paul Duminy, Chris Morris, Wayne Parnell, Kagiso Rabada, Morne Morkel, Imran Tahir
14:43 hrs IST: This is an interview with a twist. JP Duminy has a fun session with AB de Villiers. You can watch this video here.
14:34 hrs IST: Sri Lanka have won the toss and have chosen to bowl vs South Africa. No Angelo Mathews in the side. Lasith Malinga is back while for South Africa, Morne Morkel retains his place.
14:26 hrs IST: Another tournament, another quest for South Africa to break the hoodoo of an ICC event. Will AB de Villiers win an ICC trophy in his lifetime?
14:19 hrs IST: Sri Lanka have had happy memories of The Oval. They secured their first Test win in England in 1998. Who can forget Muttiah Muralitharan’s 16-wicket magic that bamboozled England? Memories!
14:17 hrs IST: Although South Africa have momentum, they can’t afford to take Sri Lanka lightly. In the 2009 Champions Trophy, Sri Lanka tamed the lion in their own den as they defeated South Africa in a rain-hit encounter in Centurion.
14:12 hrs IST: AB de Villiers’ side have won their last seven ODI encounters against Sri Lanka. This included a 5-0 drubbing in the ODIs in South Africa. Can they sustain their winning momentum today?
14:10 hrs IST: A warm welcome to HT’s live coverage of ICC CT 2017 game between South Africa and Sri Lanka from The Oval. This is the first Group B encounter and heading into this match, the Proteas are clear favourites.
Although they lost an ODI series against England, South Africa head into the contest against Sri Lanka high on confidence. Their recent record against the team has been marvellous, having won their last seven encounters. However, AB de Villiers will not take Sri Lanka lightly, having lost their last Champions Trophy encounter in 2009 in Centurion.
Key players
For South Africa, AB de Villiers is the X-factor in the side. His innovative batting can change the course of the game immediately. Combined with the bowling efficiency of Kagiso Rabada and the guile of Morne Morkel, this team has depth in all departments.
With the absence of Angelo Mathews, Sri Lanka’s hopes rest on Dinesh Chandimal and Kusal Mendis. With Lasith Malinga back in the ODI set-up, the team’s relatively inexperienced bowling has gotten a boost.
Quotes
They have a lot of match winners on their team - South Africa skipper AB de Villiers on why he won’t take Sri Lanka lightly
A lot of his knowledge and what he knows about the South Africans, he shared the information, especially with the bowlers - Sri Lankan batsman Upul Tharanga on Allan Donald as bowling coach.