Defeat to Sri Lanka Leave Proteas as Favourites for World Cup
The cricket team of South Africa, which goes by the name of the Proteas, faced Sri Lanka in the final match of their ODI series. A win in the match would have allowed South Africa to clean sweep the series, as it had already won the first four matches. In this match, the Proteas had only pride to play for and nothing in the way of incentive, except for the fact that the last match had floodlight failure written all over it. Openers Pite van Biljon and Aiden Markram had, however, shone too brightly for the light to stop them, up until the 16th over, that is, when the aforementioned failure threatened to shatter South Africa's pride.
South Africa Dominant in ODI Series Against Sri Lanka
The host had already clinched the ODI Series before Saturday's international cricket match against Sri Lanka at Newlands. The Sri Lankans were already playing for pride when they fought to a final day's stand of 225 all out. Unfortunately, South Africa responded with 135 for 2 after 28 overs. In losing this match, which constituted the fifth of a five-match series, Sri Lanka registered its fourth whitewash in less than two years.
The two teams met yet again in an ODI series. This was set as one of the final assessments for the two teams to pick the squads for the ICC Cricket World Cup later this year. Markram's theatrics on this day in the role of a superhero ensured that South Africa would again be picking him for match day. He was, after all, named Man of the Match for this final game despite not having been in the line-up for the first game.
Fine-tuning Before the World Cup
For the visitors, it was another desperate struggle as they succumbed to South Africa. This latest defeat will leave the coach with some tough choices to make. The most likely candidate for player of the match on Sri Lanka's side was Kusal Mendis. Mendis’ half-century meant they had something to work with going into the last day of the match. Alas, it was all for naught in the end. Two runs from the last two wickets meant South Africa walked off the field winners, and the Sri Lankans walked off the field yet again in a poor run of unfulfilled fortunes.
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