The Proteas got off to a good start to their tour, as the registered an easy 73 run victory against the Sri Lanka Cricket Board President’s XI at the Colts Cricket Ground today.
It was important for South Africa to get off to a good start to their tour, and find some rhythm in Sri Lankan conditions. For the President’s XI, it was a chance to attract the selectors’ attention and vie for a spot in the national squad. It was also a test of Dinesh Chandimal’s captaincy and a chance to see if he was fit to lead in the first two ODI’s in Mathews’ absence.
The Proteas won the toss and opted to bat first, getting off to a sedate start. There was some seam movement early on, and the openers Amla and Peterson played and missed on a number of occasions. The run rate was below three an over in the first ten overs, before Amla started to get into his stride, hitting a couple of boundaries through cover. His innings was brought to a halt however, when he was run out due to a good piece of fielding by Thisara Perera.
His dismissal brought on JP Duminy, and it was he who was largely responsible for anchoring the South African innings and pushing them towards a good score, as he hit a 100 ball knock of 92 runs.
Captain Chandimal -whose leadership must have been under scrutiny- persisted with the two spinners Jehan Mubarak and Chaturanga De Silva in the middle overs, although Duminy and the rest of the South African batsmen seemed to be countering them with ease. This was further underscored in the last ten overs, which the Proteas went into only three wickets down, but only managed a further 81 runs for the loss of 3 wickets, as they seemed to struggle with their timing against the seam bowlers. They finally ended up with 271 for 6 in their 50 overs.
The President’s XI reply was disappointing, as they were bundled out for 198 by the 45th over. Chandimal and Kusal Perera did themselves no favours, as both go out after making starts. Angelo Perera and Jehan Mubarak helped their chances of selection by hitting scores above 40, while Thisara Perera is unlikely to make a comeback after being dismissed for 19. None of the other batsmen made any significant contributions and the South Africans wrapped up the match with relative ease.
The South African quick were threatening and hostile up front, before the two spinners took a grip of the match. The Proteas faced a setback however, when Morne Morkel walked off the field after bowling just 3 overs, due to a tightness in his left quad. It is uncertain if he will be fit for the first ODI.
South Africans 271 for 6 (Duminy 92, Thisara Perera 2-49) beat Sri Lanka Cricket Board President’s XI 198 (Morris 3-27, Peterson 3-37) by 73 runs
