Sri Lanka, South Africa lock horns with series on the line
Overview
SL vs SA, third ODI
R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
September 7, 14:30 pm local
After a brilliant all-round performance in the opening match, the Sri Lankans struggled to replicate it in the second ODI. Early wickets meant that they were always on the backfoot in Colombo and will now have to return to the drawing board in order to seal a victory on home turf.
The Proteas were given a momentum boost with the players delivering the goods with both the bat and the ball. While Janneman Malan scored big, Tabraiz Shamsi worked his magic with his left-arm wrist spin, notching up figures of 5/49.
With only two points separating the sides on the CWCSL table, plenty will be at stake during the series decider in Colombo.
Remember the last time
Riding on the back of Malan's brilliant 121, the visitors posted a total of 283/6 on the board in their 47 overs.
South Africa level the series 1-1!
— ICC (@ICC) September 4, 2021
Tabraiz Shamsi stars with the ball, as the Proteas beat Sri Lanka by 67 runs (DLS method) in Colombo. #SLvSA | https://t.co/uVE6CBuXTb pic.twitter.com/7QtX2bGdVJ
Sri Lanka never found any sort of momentum in their chase, losing wickets regularly as the Proteas bowled them out for 197, sealing a 67-run victory (DLS method) and drawing the series level at 1-1.
Shamsi was the star of the show with the ball, with his five-wicket haul making all the difference.
What they said
Dasun Shanaka (Sri Lanka captain): "We started really well. The partnership between Janneman and Reeza took the game away from us. Death bowling also has been a cause of concern for us. The total was a chaseable one. The rain interruption also cost us a bit. We have to give more chances to fast bowlers. Last few series, the fast bowlers have been outstanding barring this series."
Keshav Maharaj (South Africa stand-in captain): "My job was made easier by the team. We bowled well up first and pushed the Lankans on the back foot. I think the boys put in more energy behind the ball today. We talked about it. You should also play to the conditions. The coaches backed us and it paid dividends. We didn't have much of a practice after the last game. We shot ourselves on the foot while chasing in the last game. Tried to work on that."