Match reports

VB Series, 2005-06

VB Series, 2005-06

Daniel Brettig
15-Apr-2007
At Brisbane, January 17, 2006 (day/night). Sri Lanka won by 94 runs. Sri Lanka 5 pts. Toss: South Africa.
Sri Lanka defied premature obituaries by cantering to a surprisingly comprehensive win. As expected, Smith chose to field, but there was little of the early deviation that assisted bowlers two days before. Mubarak gave a decent impression of Jayasuriya in coshing nine boundaries, and Sangakkara was his usual self in compiling a feisty 88. The South Africans helped out by dropping several catches, although the innings stagnated somewhat after reaching 172 for two in the 31st over. The Sri Lankans, though, were happy with runs to defend, and a couple of nonsensical runouts scotched the South Africans' hopes of gaining momentum. Bandara bewitched the middle order and Muralitharan the tail to give Sri Lanka a bonus point.
Man of the Match: K. C. Sangakkara. Attendance: 9,388.