Sri Lanka muscle past South Africa

Sri Lanka 277 for 5 (Tharanga 117) beat South Africa 248 (Mahroof 120) by 29 runs

Sri Lanka blew Super League Group 1 wide open, as they defeated South Africa by 29 runs at Fatullah. For Sri Lanka, it was an essential victory after their 19-run loss to West Indies on Sunday, while for South Africa, it was a disappointing follow-up to their thrilling three-run win against India.

Sri Lanka won the toss and, for the first time in the tournament, they chose to bat first and their batsmen finally find found their best form. Upul Tharanga dominated from the start to make 117, Sri Lanka's first century of the tournament, and was well-supported by Nadeera Nawala (56) and Gihan de Silva (42).

South Africa's bowlers failed to find the tight lines that had served them so well against India, and when Chamith Kulasekara thumped 32 from 14 balls in the final overs, Sri Lanka had posted an impressive 277 for 5 in their 50 overs.

South Africa made a stuttering reply, as Sri Lanka's captain Farveez Mahroof and Manoj Chanaka each picked up a wicket in the opening five overs. But Jaco Booysen lead a spirited fightback and South Africa reached 200 in 39.4 overs, with Booysen closing in on the second century of the match.

The equation had boiled down to 78 from 10 overs with five wickets in hand, but Mahroof and Chanaka returned to the attack and the tide turned back towards Sri Lanka. Booysen was the eighth man out, bowled by Mahroof for 120 from 114 balls, and the resistance finally ended in the 49th over.

South Africa's coach Russell Domingo felt his side had lost the match in the first innings. "The Sri Lankans played very well in that they did the basics well," he said. "The same could not be said for us. We conceded 24 extras to their seven and dropped a couple of crucial chances."

"It was our batting that won us the match today," said Sri Lanka's coach DS de Silva. "We made a big score for the first time and we will now look to be positive in the group decider against India. We are still confident we can make it through to the semi-finals."