The Proteas hand out a gift
NOT even AB de Villiers’s brilliance upon his return to international cricket could save South Africa from gifting Sri Lanka a T20 series victory in a thrilling finale at Newlands last night.
The visitors benefited from a litany of dropped catches by the hosts to secure victory off the second last ball. Seven catches were dropped on the night – amazingly three off three consecutive Wayne Parnell deliveries – which allowed the Sri Lankans to maintain the momentum through their run chase.
South Africa were also hampered in the field when the star of the first two matches, young fast bowler Lungi Ngidi, could not return to bowl at the death after injuring his hip after just two overs which forced him off the field.
The cause of the defeat was not the absence of Ngidi.
The fielding, particularly the catching, would have earned the anger of a schoolboy coach on the night and Russell Domingo will let his young charges know that this is not the standard required of international cricketers.
Sri Lankan opener Niroshan Dickwella made the most of his good fortune by striking 68 off only 51 balls (10x4, 1x6). Dickwella’s innings, which was part of a 71-run partnership with Dhananjaya de Silva, allowed the visitors to break free from the shackles after the early loss Upul Tharanga and Dinesh Chandimal.
The fact that South Africa actually stretched the game to the penultimate delivery, and in fact were favourites to take the match with four overs still remaining, was only due to Imran Tahir’s heroics with the ball during the middle period.
For all Tahir’s faults in the field – he was the prime dropped catch culprit – he remains a magician with the ball. With his very first ball of his spell, he clean bowled Chandimal before returning to produce a spectacular last over when he claimed both Dickwella and De Silva within three balls of each other.
On any normal evening it would have been enough for South Africa to get over the line, but Seekkuge Prasanna was not going to give up the battle without an almighty fight. And how did he fight. The right-hander struck a few meaty blows towards the backend of the run chase, in addition to the innovation that the Sri Lankans are famed for, to silence a capacity Newlands crowd.
Prasanna could not do it all on his own and found an able partner in Asela Gunaratne with the pair setting off raucous celebrations in the visitors dug out when they managed to get the 11 runs required off debutant Dane Paterson’s final over.
After all the trials and tribulations the Sri Lankans suffered during the Test series, it was well-deserved.
The only consolation for South Africa on a night they would prefer to forget in a hurry was the form De Villiers showed.
The Proteas one-day international captain was not in vintage form in his first international innings since recovering from a long-term elbow injury, but there were sufficient glimpses of the natural talent that warrants his superstar status.
Taking into the account the colossal roar that erupted once he emerged from the dugout on to the lush outfield, it was clear that Newlands had come out in their droves to see De Villiers’ return to international cricket.
And they would have been content with De Villiers’ 63 off 44 balls that gave South Africa a fighting chance of winning the series. Ultimately it was not be, as the two sides head off to Port Elizabeth for the start of the ODI series that suddenly has a great deal more excitement to it now that the Sri Lankans have lifted them off the canvas and are filled with the confidence of having won any form of series in South Africa for the first time.