Home Cricket National Cricket SL Emerging team win a nail-biter in South Africa

SL Emerging team win a nail-biter in South Africa

SL-E team tour of South Africa 2019 | One Day Tri-Series – Match 3

1254

The third game of the One Day Tri-Series of the Sri Lanka Emerging tour of South Africa concluded in a thrilling manner as the Lankans got the better of the University Sports South Africa (USSA) team at Pretoria.

The toss went in favour of the South Africans who decided to accumulate runs first only to see their skipper, Neil Brand, back in the hut after just the second ball of the game. He departed without scoring, being trapped in front of the stumps by the speedster Asitha Fernando. 

Fernando, who delivers a heavy ball, used the seamer friendly conditions very well to put pressure on the hosts right from ball one. Fernando followed up his impressive performance in the first game, where he picked up 3 wickets for 33 runs, with another 3 wickets early in the game to give Sri Lanka the kind of start they required. 

Next to fall prey to Fernando’s pace was Lesego Senokwane who nicked it to the keeper. He was followed by Kabelo Sekhukhune who failed to bring his bat down in time and ended being LBW. 

USSA’s top-order struggled to rotate the strike and failed to make notable contributions as they only managed 41 runs losing three wickets in the first powerplay. The Lankans managed to tie the batsmen up at their ends for long periods as 12 overs of the first 18 were made up of dot balls. 

Read More : Sammu Ashan & Ashen Bandara rescue SL Emerging team

It was in the 18th over that Isma-eel Gafieldien met Delano Potgieter at the centre to save the hosts from embarrassment. The pair put on a fantastic 163-run partnership, putting some smiles on the faces of their bowlers. 

Gafieldien ended his innings with a valuable 55 coming in at No. 7 and Potgieter made a classy ton and remained unbeaten on 124 off just 111 deliveries. He batted with so much of freedom where it looked as if the top-order as given him a flying start to take over. He opened his account with a four through long-on and added 9 more boundaries to it. He also brought up the first six of the innings USSA and struck 6 sixes in the innings. 

Thanks to a strong tail, USSA ended at 268 for the loss of 6 wickets in 50 overs.

Fernando remained the pick of the bowling with figures of 3 for 51 while Chamika Karunaratne picked up 2 wickets including Gafieldien, which was vital breakthrough.

The Sri Lankan openers, Sandun Weerakkody and Sangeeth Cooray, started off slower than their counterparts scoring only 37 runs in the first 10 overs to see through the new ball. It only suggested how good the surface was for the new ball and the lions negotiated it sensibly. But soon they caught up with the rate and gave Sri Lanka a 74-run opening stand. Ruan de Swardt got one through the gates of Cooray to dismiss him for 36 runs. 

Just as Weerakkody was starting to look threatening, the left-arm spin of Siya Simetu was introduced to the attack by Brand. He was rewarded almost immediately as Weerakkody started struggling against spin and lost his wicket in the last ball of the over. Simetu found himself on a hat-trick as he struck again with the first ball of his next over. Minod Bhanuka departed for 18 runs leaving Sri Lanka a little worried at 116 for 3. 

Then the SSC duo, Sammu Ashan and Charith Asalanka, came together and put up a 49-run partnership between the two of them. Just as things started to look one-sided, USSA pulled the game back by getting rid of both set batsmen within the space of 20 runs.

The equation was 83 runs to get from 60 balls and Sri Lanka had their youngest pair in the middle. Kamindu Mendis and Ashen Bandara gave visible rise to the rate. But, both the pocket-rockets departed in the same over making the equation an exciting 33 off 19. 

In came a look-alike pair of busy all-rounders, Lahiru Madushanka and Chamika Karunaratne. Madushanka exploded from ball one as he started scoring with a six and made the equation 21 off 12. 

Another six from Madushanka and another from Karunaratne spoilt the day for Potgieter, who had 2 wickets to his name following his ton, taking him for 15 runs in the penultimate over. Still, Potgieter managed to get rid of Madushanka in his final delivery of the game but it was too late by then. 

It was 6 off 6 and Karunaratne ended things in style with a boundary to win the game with 2 balls remaining. 

>>>Click here for more cricket news<<<

Result


Sri Lanka Emerging Team
271/8 (49.4)

University Sports South Africa XI
268/6 (50)

Batsmen R B 4s 6s SR
Neil Brand lbw b Asitha Fernando 0 2 0 0 0.00
Kabelo Sekhukhune lbw b Asitha Fernando 17 25 4 0 68.00
Lesego Senokwane c Minod Bhanuka b Asitha Fernando 9 14 2 0 64.29
Hanno Kotze lbw b Amila Aponso 16 26 2 0 61.54
Rubin Hermann b Chamika Karunarathne 14 33 1 0 42.42
Delano Potgieter not out 124 111 10 6 111.71
Isma-eel Gafieldien c Asitha Fernando b Chamika Karunarathne 55 78 4 0 70.51
Ruan de Swardt not out 22 12 2 1 183.33


Extras 11 (b 5 , lb 2 , nb 1, w 3, pen 0)
Total 268/6 (50 Overs, RR: 5.36)
Fall of Wickets 1-0 (0.2) Neil Brand, 2-22 (4.2) Lesego Senokwane, 3-31 (8.1) Kabelo Sekhukhune, 4-52 (13.3) Hanno Kotze, 5-66 (18.2) Rubin Hermann, 6-229 (46.3) Isma-eel Gafieldien,

Bowling O M R W Econ
Asitha Fernando 10 1 51 3 5.10
Lahiru Madushanka 10 1 49 0 4.90
Amila Aponso 10 1 53 1 5.30
Chamika Karunarathne 10 1 59 2 5.90
Kamindu Mendis 3 0 18 0 6.00
Charith Asalanka 7 0 33 0 4.71


Batsmen R B 4s 6s SR
Sangeeth Cooray b Ruan de Swardt 45 57 4 0 78.95
Sandun Weerakkody c Beyers Swanepoel b Siya Simetu 36 62 5 0 58.06
Minod Bhanuka c Beyers Swanepoel b Siya Simetu 18 24 2 0 75.00
Charith Asalanka c Beyers Swanepoel b Ruan de Swardt 36 51 2 0 70.59
Sammu Ashan c & b Neil Brand 22 31 0 1 70.97
Kamindu Mendis c Ruan de Swardt b Delano Potgieter 35 37 2 1 94.59
Ashen Bandara c Neil Brand b Delano Potgieter 24 22 0 0 109.09
Lahiru Madushanka lbw b Delano Potgieter 14 6 0 2 233.33
Chamika Karunarathne not out 19 10 1 1 190.00
Amila Aponso not out 1 1 0 0 100.00


Extras 21 (b 5 , lb 8 , nb 3, w 5, pen 0)
Total 271/8 (49.4 Overs, RR: 5.46)
Fall of Wickets 1-74 (16.1) Sangeeth Cooray, 2-113 (22.6) Sandun Weerakkody, 3-116 (24.1) Minod Bhanuka, 4-165 (34.2) Sammu Ashan, 5-185 (39.5) Charith Asalanka, 6-234 (46.2) Kamindu Mendis, 7-236 (46.5) Ashen Bandara, 8-263 (48.6) Lahiru Madushanka,

Bowling O M R W Econ
Gideon Peters 9.4 0 60 0 6.38
Beyers Swanepoel 10 0 38 0 3.80
Ruan de Swardt 9 0 57 1 6.33
Delano Potgieter 10 0 56 3 5.60
Siya Simetu 4 0 13 2 3.25
Neil Brand 5 0 23 1 4.60
Lesego Senokwane 2 0 13 0 6.50