Sri Lanka won the ODI series by defeating South Africa by 78 runs
Sri Lanka won the One Day International series for the first time in 19 months when they beat South Africa for 125 runs on Tuesday.
A third and final match that was expected to mature for the batsmen was instead dominated by bowlers, as 19 wickets fell in 80 overs, for 16 spinners, the second most in men’s ODI history.
Sri Lanka fought 203-9 but still won by 78 runs. Offspinner Mahesh Thekshana, making his Sri Lanka debut, took a wicket on his first ball and finished with 4-37 and 10 valuable runs.
Legspinner Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva 2-38 and fast bowler dusmantha chimera 2-16 and won the player of the match award for his invaluable 29 off the tail that disappointed South Africa.
Charit Aslanka was also an award contender, giving up the first ODI wicket after the team’s best 47, which was away for a third consecutive half-century.
Aslanka batted together. He was smart too. He was caught in the outfield on 37, and Sri Lanka would have been 145-7 in the 35th over, but the delivery was a no ball as Aslanka saw South Africa had too many players outside the circle.
He was eventually the eighth player to be dismissed for 166 after 41 overs. South Africa believed it could chase less than 180, but Chameera’s 29 helped Sri Lanka top 200 and saw its 50 overs.
South Africa bowled a record 40 overs of spin, seven more than its previous high. stand-in captain Keshav Maharaj Led with 3-38. The chase was stirred up quickly and regularly.
opener eden markram And first drop Reeza Hendrix was trying to defend in the first three overs, and Rassie van der Dussen was dismissed by a brilliant catch from Kuminda Mendis.
But the most unlucky opener was Janaman Malan, who scored 18 off 19 balls when he dismissed Thikshana’s first ball at first slip. Soon after, the teams left for rain with a delay of 40 minutes.
South Africa resumed at 45-4 and were pinned by the spin, with the pressure relentless. The three-match T20 series is starting from Friday.
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