Proteas crush Sri Lankans
THERE was a sad irony in the story that, while Russell Domingo’s team was wiping the floor with Sri Lanka at St George’s Park yesterday, the Proteas coach was left pondering his future in the dugout.
South Africa bounced straight back from defeat earlier in the week to seal a crushing eight-wicket victory in the opening one-day international against the tourists yesterday. Back at full strength and in mean mood after having lost the T20 series in Cape Town on Wednesday, South Africa dealt a decisive blow to the tourists by cruising home with all of 94 balls to spare.
But the most telling story of the day was found in the last paragraph of a release sent out by Cricket South Africa at 2.32pm yesterday, two hours before the victory was clinched.
The e-mail pertained to CSA retaining the six-franchise system and the restructuring of senior provincial cricket. But propping the release up at the bottom of the page was one sentence which has placed the future of Domingo as coach of the team in serious doubt.
It read: “The Board of Directors also resolved to commence the recruitment process for the appointment of the Proteas head coach to take charge after the tour to the UK until after the 2019 edition of the ICC World Cup.”
If what captain AB de Villiers had to say after the match is anything to go by, the news had taken the wind out of the Proteas players’ sails.
“It is a tough one for the team and I’m speaking on behalf of the guys. It is a bitter pill to swallow. It’s really difficult for us to take in and there will certainly be a few sad hours in the changing room now,” De Villiers said.
“But at the end of the day it’s out of our hands completely, it’s a board decision and we have got to respect that.
“So, all I can say is that we have come a long way with Russell . . . he’s like family to us. We will be there to try and support him through this tough time and the way I know him he’ll just come out with that smile on his face as always.”
A request to interview Domingo, who has enjoyed months of recent success with the team, was denied by the team’s management.
Chasing a mere 182 for victory, opening pair Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock were under no pressure to go hard from the outset.
They adopted a watchful approach at first in the face of some accurate bowling from Sri Lankan seamers Nuwan Kulasekara and Suranga Lakmal. But once they had settled the duo played some delightful strokes and rushed to 71 in the 14th over before De Kock lost his wicket to Lakshan Sandakan for 34.
Amla went on to register his 31st ODI half-century and then with 51 runs remaining for the win, chipped a delivery back to gentle seamer Asela Gunaratne to be dismissed for 57.
It was then left to skipper De Villiers (30 not out), playing in his first ODI since June last year, and Faf du Plessis, with a fine, unbeaten innings of 55, to drive home the impressive win.
It was a performance reminiscent of how the Proteas dominated the tourists in the test series and Sri Lanka will need to lift their effort considerably for the second match between the sides in Durban on Wednesday.
The tourists stuttered and stumbled to a disappointing 181 all out with only Kusal Mendis standing tall with 62 runs. Imran Tahir and Wayne Parnell both took three wickets, with the legspinner being particularly impressive.