Sri Lanka recorded their first series victory in South Africa and their first since the World T20 win in 2014 as Niroshan Dickwella and Seekkuge Prasanna propelled Sri Lanka to a five-wicket win in the 3rd T20I on Wednesday night at Newland’s Stadium, Cape Town.
Against all odds, Niroshan Dickwella’s career-best 68 and Seekkuge Prasanna’s unbeaten, blitzkrieg 16-ball 37 overshadowed, AB De Villiers’ comeback knock of 63 as Sri Lanka successfully recorded their best-ever T20I chase after the hosts posted 169 in the series decider.
Chasing 170 runs to win, Dickwella and his fellow club-mate, Upul Tharanga who came in place of injured Angelo Mathews raced to 36 off 4 overs before the latter was deceived by a Wayne Parnell slower delivery for 20.
Stand-in Captain Dinesh Chandimal failed to make an impression with the bat but Dickwella and number four batsman, Dhananjaya De Silva went on to add 71 runs for the 3rd wicket that provided the platform Sri Lanka required.
Right-arm leg-spinner, Imran Tahir dismissed both the set batsmen in the 16th over as the momentum slowly shifted towards the hosts yet again. Sri Lanka needed 52 runs from the final 4 overs but a costly, 17th over by Parnell brought the Islanders back to the game as Prasanna yielded 19 runs hammering two sixes and a four.
Needing 33 runs in 3 overs, Kusal Mendis was run out in a Dane Paterson over that cost just seven as Sri Lanka were running out of options but Prasanna together with his partner-in-crime at Sri Lanka Army SC, Asela Gunaratne collected 15 from the penultimate over bowled by Andile Phehlukwayo, leaving 11 to get from the final over.
The responsibility fell to debutant Paterson, and he looked out of the contest as soon as the first ball was scooped over fine leg for four by Gunaratne. A couple of singles later, Gunaratne swung hard and got a top edge over the keeper for four. He celebrated like a possessed man, only to learn that they need another single and the next ball, he caressed through the covers to score the winning runs.
South Africa dropped at least half-a-dozen catches, including three off successive balls in one over from Parnell and was also hampered by an injury to rookie fast-bowler Lungi Ngidi, who left the field after bowling only two of his potential four overs.
Returning to the international game for the first time since June last year, De Villiers entered the action in just the fifth over after South Africa had won the toss, elected to bat, and seen Jon-Jon Smuts and Reeza Hendricks put on 36 for the first wicket.
After successfully recovering from an elbow injury, De Villiers made a cautious start but he gradually increased his range of strokes, hitting left-arm spinner Lakshan Sandakan for a straight six and pulling a short ball from Asela Gunaratne for another six as he went to his ninth T20I fifty off 35 balls.
Sri Lanka kept the home team in check picking up regular wickets as they picked up 4 wickets for 28 in the space of four overs but wicket-keeper batsman Mangaliso Mosehle smashed 21 runs in the final over including three sixes to help the Proteas’ to a competitive total.
Dickwella was named Man of the Match and Man of the Series for useful contributions in his first visit to South Africa in all three matches.
