CT 2017: Match 3, Who Said What: Sri Lanka vs South Africa

South Africa locked horns against the Sri Lankans in the third match of the ICC Champions Trophy today at Kennington Oval, London. The Protean side was tagged as the favourites to win the fixture and they demonstrated why exactly. South African put out a clinical performance against a struggling Sri Lankan side by a margin of 96 runs.

Batting first, Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis stitched a mammoth partnership to bat their opposition out of the game. Amla brought up his 25th ODI ton whereas Du Plessis scored swashbuckling innings of 75 which changed the momentum of the innings. Even though South Africans lost their way during the latter stages of the innings, still the Proteas were able to post a competitive total.

The Sri Lankans in reply started off on a positive note with their opener setting the right tone for the innings. However, due to some persistent bowling, Sri Lanka was bundled out, thanks to a brilliant spell for Imran Tahir, for a total of 203 within 42 overs, chasing a target of exactly 300. Tahir was adjudged as the man of the match for his match-winning effort.

Imran Tahir

Man of the match Imran Tahir claimed that there was nothing greater than him wearing the green jersey for South Africa. He further stated that his hard work is finally paying dividends. Tahir was further glad that all their plans were falling into place.

I am enjoying my cricket, feel honoured to wear this jersey and playing for South Africa. I have been working hard and hope to carry my form deeper into the competition. I think AB knew the situation, I was always ready to bowl. Our guys tried hard upfront, but their openers played really well, credit goes to them. I had some plans and it worked out well, pleased with the way the ball came out of my hand today.

Prior to the match, Tahir didn’t expect the ball to turn, looking at the first match of the tournament. However, the manner by which the pitch behaved surprised Tahir a bit. The 38-year old claimed that he does not premeditate his iconic celebrations aren’t orchestrated and was surprised looking at the speed of it.

I had watched a bit of England-Bangladesh game and thought there wouldn’t be any help for me from the pitch. But my variations worked well on this track. I don’t practice my celebrations and running, but if that’s my speed (27 kmph – while celebrating his wicket), then it’s really good. Thanks for all the people who supported me, I had a niggle last week and am thankful to the support I got from everyone. We have a good environment in our team, great way to start the tournament.’

AB de Villiers

The Proteas captain stated that the strip used today was different to that used in the Group A fixture. De Villiers lauded the efforts of Amla over his glorious career. He also stressed the importance of assessing situations during specific intervals of the game.

Wasn’t as true a wicket as the Eng-Ban game. Could have been possible to chase it down. It’s important to assess the first 10-15 overs. Credit to them. And credit to the openers for sticking it out there. It’s scary the amount of runs Amla has piled on in his short career. Such a team man. It’s a difficult one (why Tahir came late). You have to read the situation. There’s no set plan. It comes down to good feeling in the gut.

Citing the importance of guys like Rabada and Tahir in the team, Mr. 306 stated that it gives him tremendous flexibility after winning the toss. The skipper was eying their next assignment against Pakistan and hoped that they continued with the momentum they acquired after the win.

Good that he’s the top ranked bowler, so I can bowl anytime. Lot of focus on the fielding in the last few weeks. What pleased me today is that we competed every single ball. We have Pakistan at Edgbaston next. We will see what plans will work against them. There are a lot of challenges as a captain: firstly you have to score runs and lead by example. And then it’s about getting the balance right before each game.

Upul Tharanga

Tharanga commended the efforts of his bowlers after the mammoth partnership between Hashim Amla and Du Plessis. The stand-in skipper thought it was a decent effort to restrict the team to a total of under 300. Tharanga ensured about a better performance against the Indians.

I think we bowled well at the start. Bowlers came back after the Hashim p’ship. Under 300 is good. We couldn’t get wickets in the middle overs. Maybe Sandakan can be useful in the next game. We bowled well in the first 10-15 overs, but didn’t get wickets. We have to come back against India