The Proteas fought bravely to chase down a record score against Sri Lanka in the first ODI at the R.Premadasa Stadium last night, but it wasn’t to be in the end.
Trying their best to hunt down 301 for victory – what would have been a record chase at the ground – South Africa eventually fell 14 runs short.
This, despite the best efforts of opener Aiden Markram, who scored 96 runs, and a super 59 by Rassie van der Dussen.
While Markram fell four runs short of a century in his innings, the hosts’ opener Avishka Fernando went all the way to score 118 runs after they won the toss and decided to bat first.
Fernando and middle-order batsmen Dhananjaya de Silva (44) and Charith Asalanka (71) laid the platform for Sri Lanka’s big score, before two runouts in the final over brought some respectability, from a SA point of view, to the 300/9 total.
The Proteas needed a solid start and they got it, with Markram and Janneman Malan (23) putting on 49 before the latter fell leg before to a Wanindu Hasaranga googly.
Markram and his skipper Temba Bavuma then took the fight forward, before Bavuma (38) retired hurt after being struck on his finger.
Not long after Bavuma left the field, Markram was caught by a diving Hasaranga off the bowling of Praveen Jayawickrama for 96.
With two new batsmen in Van der Dussen and Kyle Verreynne at the crease and the scoreboard reading 166/2, effectively three with Bavuma out injured, in the 30th over, it was anyone’s game.
At 209/2 and with 10.3 overs left, Verreynne (12) was caught leg before and it was advantage to the hosts.
But Van der Dussen stood strong before being clean bowled by Akila Dananjaya trying to play a reverse sweep – 260/4 with four overs to play.
SA never recovered and ultimately finished on 286/6, with Heinrich Klaasen adding 36 runs at the end of the ininngs.