Sri Lanka’s hopes of making it to the semifinals turned gloomy on an otherwise sunny day as it went down to South Africa by nine wickets at the Emirates Riverside on Friday.
After falling prey to seamer Dwaine Pretorius, who came in for Lungi Ngidi, Sri Lanka failed to restrict the opposition as an unbeaten 175-run stand between Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis secured South Africa a second win and some pride.
At a venue hosting its first World Cup match, the modest target of 204 could have been tricky after Lasith Malinga removed Quinton de Kock early.
However, Amla (80) and du Plessis (96), playing with the luxury of chasing a small total, got into their groove and ensured an easy win.
Fears come true
Sri Lankan coach Chandika Hathurusingha’s fear of a South Africa “fightback” came true as Sri Lanka lost its captain Dimuth Karunaratne for a duck.
Kusal Perera (30) and Avishka Fernando (30) offered some stability as the Lankans scored at more than run-a-ball (67) in the first 10 overs before Pretorius removed both. He found support from Chris Morris (three for 46) and Kagiso Rabada (two for 36).
Angelo Mathews, who made an unbeaten 85 against England, failed to click, scoring just 11.
Bee attack
During the match, the umpires and players had to duck for cover as a huge swarm of bees passed through the ground. It brought back memories of February 2017 when a bee invasion happened during the ODI at the Wanderers.
