South Africa v Sri Lanka
Wisden's review of South Africa v Sri Lanka
Geoff Lemon
15-Apr-2017
At Delhi, March 28, 2016 (floodlit). South Africa won by eight wickets. Toss: South Africa.
South Africa coped better with the prospect of a dead game, though not before Steyn had taken another pummelling. Chandimal flicked him for four, hooked a six, then bashed him back over his head. But, with Sri Lanka 45 without loss in the fifth over, Phangiso hit the stumps twice in two balls. They remained in the game at 75 for two in the tenth, but the run-out of Siriwardene was the first of eight wickets to tumble for 45 in ten overs, as the leg-breaks and googlies of Imran Tahir and the nibbly seam of Behardien disrupted any fluency; and, following his hamstring injury against England, this time there was no Angelo Mathews to engineer a recovery. De Kock was soon run out, but tension faded as Amla and du Plessis put on an easy 60. Du Plessis, SouthAfrica's captain, was given out leg-before by umpire Ravi after inside-edging an attempted ramp - and was later fined half his match fee for making clear his displeasure - but at least that gave the local de Villiers fanatics a glimpse of their hero. He wowed them with a flat six over midwicket, though Amla did most of the damage. When de Villiers lashed the final full toss between the standsand into the Delhi night, it was less a triumphant finale than an act of frustration with another poor South African tournament - and a symbol of how far Sri Lanka had fallen in the two years since becoming champions.
Man of the Match: A. M. Phangiso.
South Africa coped better with the prospect of a dead game, though not before Steyn had taken another pummelling. Chandimal flicked him for four, hooked a six, then bashed him back over his head. But, with Sri Lanka 45 without loss in the fifth over, Phangiso hit the stumps twice in two balls. They remained in the game at 75 for two in the tenth, but the run-out of Siriwardene was the first of eight wickets to tumble for 45 in ten overs, as the leg-breaks and googlies of Imran Tahir and the nibbly seam of Behardien disrupted any fluency; and, following his hamstring injury against England, this time there was no Angelo Mathews to engineer a recovery. De Kock was soon run out, but tension faded as Amla and du Plessis put on an easy 60. Du Plessis, SouthAfrica's captain, was given out leg-before by umpire Ravi after inside-edging an attempted ramp - and was later fined half his match fee for making clear his displeasure - but at least that gave the local de Villiers fanatics a glimpse of their hero. He wowed them with a flat six over midwicket, though Amla did most of the damage. When de Villiers lashed the final full toss between the standsand into the Delhi night, it was less a triumphant finale than an act of frustration with another poor South African tournament - and a symbol of how far Sri Lanka had fallen in the two years since becoming champions.
Man of the Match: A. M. Phangiso.