South Africa v Sri Lanka, 2016-17
Wisden's review of the third ODI, South Africa v Sri Lanka, 2016-17
15-Apr-2017
At Johannesburg, February 4, 2017 (day/night). South Africa won by seven wickets. Toss: South Africa. One-day international debuts: C. B. R. L. S. Kumara, L. D. Madushanka.
The game's unlikely hero was Pierre Hefer, who was watching on television at home when a swarm of bees buzzed the Wanderers and refused to budge, halting play midway through the Sri Lankan innings. As Hefer, an amateur bee-keeper, looked on, the groundstaff tried - and failed - to shoo them into a wheelie-bin with fire extinguishers. So Hefer donned his white overalls, gloves and boots, loaded trays of honey and beeswax into his car, and drove the five miles from his home to the ground. Once there, he talked his way in, with neither a ticket nor accreditation. Thanks to his efforts, the delay was limited to just over an hour. The Sri Lankans probably wished Hefer had never turned on his TV.
The game's unlikely hero was Pierre Hefer, who was watching on television at home when a swarm of bees buzzed the Wanderers and refused to budge, halting play midway through the Sri Lankan innings. As Hefer, an amateur bee-keeper, looked on, the groundstaff tried - and failed - to shoo them into a wheelie-bin with fire extinguishers. So Hefer donned his white overalls, gloves and boots, loaded trays of honey and beeswax into his car, and drove the five miles from his home to the ground. Once there, he talked his way in, with neither a ticket nor accreditation. Thanks to his efforts, the delay was limited to just over an hour. The Sri Lankans probably wished Hefer had never turned on his TV.
Put in, they had struggled to come to terms with the bowling, and crashed from 60 without loss to 163 all out; Dickwella's plucky 74 was the only highlight. Dwaine Pretorius, a strapping fast bowler in only his fourth ODI, proved particularly problematic, taking three for 19 from seven overs. With the result never in doubt, South Africa were unfazed by losing de Kock, du Plessis and Amla before reaching 100. De Villiers's steady 60 not out completed the job, taking his ODI average at the Wanderers to 100 from 11 innings, and giving South Africa a 3-0 lead with two to play - their seventh successive one-day series win at home.
Man of the Match: D. Pretorius.
Man of the Match: D. Pretorius.