South Africa comfortably defeats Sri Lanka
March 18, 2015 02:33 pm
South Africa recorded a nine-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the first quarterfinal at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Wednesday.
Earlier, JP Duminy took a hat-trick as South Africa’s bowlers left their side on the brink of the World Cup semifinals after dismissing Sri Lanka for just 133.
South Africa were 40 for one off 6.4 overs at the dinner break, needing a further 94 runs to reach the World Cup semifinals.
Hashim Amla was out for 16 off the last ball before the interval, with Quinton de Kock unbeaten on 22.
The Proteas have never won a knockout match at the World Cup but a failure to do so now would count as their greatest ‘choke’ of all.
After South Africa’s pacemen reduced Sri Lanka, who won the toss, to four for two, legspinner Imran Tahir (four for 26 in 8.2 overs) and offspinner Duminy (three for 29 in seven) made sure the innings never got out of first gear.
Sri Lanka great Kumar Sangakkara, in what could be his last one-day international appearance before retirement, top-scored with 45 as his record-breaking run of four successive ODI hundreds came to an end.
Together with Lahiru Thirimanne (41) he put on 65 for the third wicket.
But otherwise there was little batting resistance on a good SCG pitch, with Sri Lanka – the 1996 champions and beaten finalists at the last two World Cups – losing four wickets for two runs in nine balls as they slumped to 116 for eight.
