‘Catches win matches’ – Lankans prove the old adage
Another brilliant Malinga final over and a concerted effort by the Lankans saw them beating strong South Africa by five runs in their ICC T-20 2014 World Championship opener at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium (ZACS) In Chittagong, here today.
With fifteen runs to score in the final over, Malinga bowled within himself directing the ball to the right zones thus preventing hard hitting David Miller from freeing his arms. Result – Dale Steyn backing up and sent back being run out. In the next ball Miller looking for an impossible second run was run out at the batting end, thus giving the Lankans the chance to pull off the win that they promised right through the game.
South Africa wicket keeper Quinton de Kock (L) watches as Sri Lanka batsman Kusal Perera plays a shot during the ICC World Twenty20 tournament cricket match between South Africa and Sri Lanka at The Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong on March 22, 2014. AFP
What brought the Lankans their win was the precise catching display, especially in the deep. Whenever the Protea batsmen mistimed or fell short of the boundary while looking for big hits, the Lankan fielders were there to say thank you.
Besides Malinga, the other impressive bowler was young Sachitra Senanayake who finished his four overs only at a cost of twenty two runs, in spite of being invited to deliver his first over during the power play.
The disappointments for the day were mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis of whom the Lankans kept such a lot of faith in. Knowing that he was the danger man, the South African batsmen targeted him and the bowler lost his bearings. He went for 44 runs in his four overs. The other was the opening batsman T.M. Dilshan who once again made a brief visit to the crease in the first over.
Opening the big time action in Chittagong, Lankan skipper Dinesh Chandimal called the toss right and elected to bat first on a wicket that had a hint of green, but promised no initial lateral movement.
The Lankans left out in-form batsman Lahiru Thirimanne and their most experienced spinner Rangana Herart and Suranga Lakmal which meant that they were looking at experienced campaigner T.M. Dilshan to trundle a few overs.
Left hander Kusal Perera vindicated Chandimal’s decision to bat and began the innings in startling fashion hitting the South African spearhead Steyn for two fours and a six and a single in one over, but the aging T.M. Dilshan who is now making the selectors’ job that much harder was bowled in the first ball that he faced. Styen’s first over cost him 17 runs, but had the honour of buying a Lankan wicket cheap.
Then the other two experienced batsmen – Mahela Jayawardena and Kumar Sangakkara also could not dig themselves meaningfully and that put pressure on the little left-hander Perera, yet, he ran to his half century in only 29 balls.
Sri Lanka bowler Lasith Malinga (2R) celebrates the wicket of unseen South Africa batsman Quinton de Kock with teammates during the ICC World Twenty20 tournament cricket match between South Africa and Sri Lanka at The Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong on March 22, 2014. - AFP
However eleven runs later Kusal Perera’s enterprising innings came to an end when he skied to extra cover where he was held by the South African skipper de Villiers off leg spinner Imran Thahir – giving the bowler his second wicket of the innings.
Meanwhile Angelo Mathews who walked in at number five ahead of the Lankan captain Dinesh Chandimal held the Lankan innings together with a thirty ball 43 that had only three hits to the fence and that saw the Lankans who had fourteen fours and four sixes in their inning make their respectable final score.
The South Africans making full use of the placid wicket treated the Lankan seamers with little respect. Especially opener Quinton de Kock making an eighteen ball 25. He was bowled by Lasith Malinga who came in at second change, in his third ball of the innings.
Jean-Paul Duminy then joining surviving opener Hashim Amla settled in after watching the ball for while and pushed on with the target at hand.
Amla was the next to go. He was caught off Senanayake by T.M. Dilshan at short cover for 23.
Skipper de Villiers also used the long handle effectively for the 24 runs in just sixteen balls to be caught behind by Sangakkara off Mathews and the third Proteas wicket fell at the score of one hundred and ten.
However the Lankans got the break that were looking for when J.P. Duminy, who was looking the pivot, was caught brilliantly by T.M. Dilshan for 39 inches off the boundary line off Senanayake who finished with figures of 2 for 22 off his four overs.
| ScoreboardSri Lanka Kusal Perera c de Villiers b Tahir 61 (Googly, batsman tries to hammer over mid on but gets a top edge and is caught at mid off) TM Dilshan b Steyn 00 (Quick and full delivery lands on the off, tries to play across the line and misses) Mahela Jayawrdene c Steyn b M Morkel 09 (Extra bounce, tries to lift it over the bowler but finds the fielder at mid on) Kumar Sangakkara c Tsotsobe b Tahir 14 (Tries to hammer a full, wide delivery, which falls on the off, finds the top edge and reaches third man) Angelo Mathews b Steyn 43 (Full delivery, mistimes, edges the bat and redirects on to the stumps) Dinesh Chandimal st de Kock b Tahir 12 (Attempts to charge out, misses the slog across the line) Thisara Perera b M Morkel 08 (Aims a huge six over square leg, but misses completely as the ball hits the off stump) Nuwan Kulasekara not out 07 Sachithra Senanayake not out 01 Extras (lb3, w7) 10 Total (7 wickets; 20 overs) 165 Did not bat: Ajantha Mendis, Lasith Malinga Fall of wickets: 1-17 (Dilshan), 2-42 (Jayawardene), 3-83 (Sangakkara), 4-106 (K Perera), 5-137 (Chandimal), 6-152 (T Perera), 7-160 (Mathews) Bowling: Dale Steyn 4-0-37-2 (2w), Lonwabo Tsotsobe 4-0-31-0 (1w), Morne Morkel 4-0-31-2 (1w), JP Duminy 2-0-13-0 (1w), Albie Morkel 2-0-24-0 (2w), Imran Tahir 4-0-26-3 South Africa Quinton de Kock b Malinga 25 (Yorker, batsman tries to play towards mid on, but is beaten totally) Hashim Amla c Dilshan b Senanayake 23 (Attempts to hit over long off, but lacks power. Caught at short cover) JP Duminy c Dilshan b Senanayake 39 (Slog-sweeps a flatter delivery, hits it to straight to the man near the boundary) AB de Villiers c Sangakkara b Mathews 24 (Comes down the track to a slow delivery, finds a top edge to the keeper) David Miller run out 19 (A Malinga yorker, hits it to long on, takes the first run but Thissara Perera shoots the ball back to the keeper) Albie Morkel c Chandimal b Mendis 12 (Low full toss, hits it to long on, brilliantly caught at long on) Farhaan Behardien c Jayawardene b Kulasekara 05 (Slower ball, lands on the off, batsman slogs but fails to time, caught at long on) Dale Steyn run out 00 (His partner Miller attempts to take a quick run and Malinga is quicker) Morne Morkel not out 00 Imran Tahir not out 08 Extras lb3, w2) 05 Total (8 wickets; 20 overs) 160 Did not bat: Lonwabo Tsotsobe Fall-of-wickets: 1-32 (de Kock), 2-82 (Amla), 3-110 (de Villiers), 4-119 (Duminy), 5-133 (A Morkel), 6-148 (Behardien), 7-151 (Steyn), 8-152 (Miller) Bowling: Nuwan Kulasekara 3-0-23-1, Angelo Mathews 3-0-21-1 (1w), Sachithra Senanayake 4-0-22-2, Lasith Malinga 4-0-29-1 (1w), Thissara Perera 2-0-18-0, Ajantha Mendis 4-0-44-1 |