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Another triumph over S. Africa
To experience loss after loss on an overseas tour is absolute trauma. It is somewhat different for the home team because they can move around with family and friends between games and get the mind off the job. The visitors are confined a great deal to their hotel and most of the time its your team mates whom you have for company.

However positive and cheerful and optimistic an individual is, personal and team failure for a cricketer is hard to swallow. Outwardly the wounds appear to heal but deep within the pain remains. The South Africans must feel that hopelessness right now. They lost the test series and after three games of one day cricket they have lost and in the process lost that series too.

Sri Lanka have played better cricket when it mattered. The South Africans on the other hand have not even got the basics right at crucial times. In a nutshell that has been the difference and it has been the deciding factor in both forms of the game. Although Sri Lanka has gone through - nil up in the one dayers the games have been closely contested. In each of the games the visitors have been in with a chance, but have blown it up. The opening game at the R. Premadasa Stadium was a nail-biter. It was contested evenly from start to finish. Although one day cricket is meant to provide entertainment and excitement, the close finishes are witnessed often. Attacking strokeplay, miserly bowling, brilliant fielding, spectacular running between the wickets is all part of the shortened version of the game but to see it go to the wire is rare.

South Africa did not capitalize on getting first lease of the pitch. A number of batsmen got starts but did not go on, falling to poor strokes. Even at international level players forget that runs can be scored quickly playing proper cricket shots. That to slog and play unorthodox strokes is not necessary.

Another fifteen runs would have meant the visitors would have been one-nil up and not one-nil down, after the game. To Sri Lanka's credit it must be said that they did not panic. The run rate was always ticking and the innings was well paced out. It was a great game of cricket and those who savored the atmosphere on the grounds got their money's worth.

The Proteas had the opportunity of drawing level again on day two. In the first game their batsmen did a reasonable job, here they failed, after having restricted Sri Lanka's total to a getable one. This is a team who play their cricket on quick, bouncy pitches at home. Playing pace should be their strength.

Playing the giant Nuwan Zoysa was just what the best of South African batsmen could not do. On a batsmen friendly (for playing pace) surface it was a poor display, as Zoysa claimed the top half of the order and deservingly the man-of-the-match award too. It was not the ideal surface for one day cricket as the tour rolled on to Dambulla for game number three. Graeme Smith's men did not score sufficient runs, as Sri Lanka's spinners dominated. Mavan Atapattu was brilliant, he took the game and series away from the South Africans.

Now the question is, will they suffer the humiliation of a 5-0 whitewash? Should Sri Lanka field their best team to the end, I reckon they will!

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