A combination of superb batting by centurion Janneman Malan and exceptional bowling by Kagiso Rabada and Tabraiz Shamsi inspired SA to a 67 runs (DLS method) victory over Sri Lanka in their rain-affected second ODI in Colombo yesterday.
The Proteas have earned a significant 10 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Super League points with this victory that has left this three-match series tied 1-1 with the decider on Tuesday.
The Proteas, who lost the opening match on Thursday, have moved from 11th to eighth on the Super League standings and their mission to qualify for the 2023 Cricket World Cup has been revived.
Rain delayed proceedings before Keshav Maharaj, captain in the absence of injured Temba Bavuma, won the toss and elected to bat with SA posting 283/6 in their 47 overs.
In their reply, Sri Lanka were bowled out for 197 in the chase of their readjusted target of 265 in 41 overs after rain interrupted their innings.
Reeza Hendricks, Wiaan Mulder and debutant George Linde started in the places of Bavuma, Kyle Verreynne and Anrich Nortje, leaving Kagiso Rabada as the only recognised frontline seamer.
The omission of Nortje saw the Proteas play three spinners in Maharaj, Shamsi and Linde and it paid off as they rattled Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka went with the same team that won the first match earlier in the week but they may be forced to make changes after this uninspiring performance.
The Proteas have earned a significant 10 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Super League points with this victory
For SA it was a good team performance but the star of the show was Malan who sparkled with a match-winning knock of 121 off 135 and he was part of solid partnerships of 98 and 86 with Hendricks and Heinrich Klaasen respectively.
It was not all about Malan with the bat as Hendricks contributed 51 off 54, Klaasen chipped in with 43 off 27 while Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen added 21 and 16 and Andile Phehlukwayo, Mulder and Linde ended on single figures.
Malan was dropped by Wanindu Hasaranga on a Nelson and his third ODI century included nine boundaries and one maximum. The other notable contributor for SA was Tabraiz Shamsi who ended with 5/49.
Sri Lanka attacked with four frontline spinners in Hasaranga, Praveen Jayawickrama, Akila Dananjaya and Dhananjaya de Silva but they only got two wickets between them in 32 overs.
Hasaranga de Silva and Dhananjaya claimed one apiece and they were outdone by the fast bowlers Dushmantha Chameera and Chamika Karunaratne, who returned with two scalps each.
Sri Lanka started their chase poorly as they lost four top-order batsmen inside 15 overs for 61 with Rabada accounting for Avishka Fernando (8) and Bhanuka Rajapaksa (0), Mulder for Minod Bhanuka (7) and Tabraiz Shamsi removing Dhananjaya de Silva (12).
Wickets continued to fall with Shamsi removing Dasun Shanaka (30), Charith Asalanka (77), Dushmantha Chameera (11) and Akila Dananjaya (3), Linde accounting for Hasaranga, and Maharaj getting Chamika Karunaratne (36).
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