The Island, Wednesday 25th January, 2006 Proteas keep hopes alive as run out of steam Murali captures 400th ; Moody wants super-sub rule reviewed ADELAIDE, Australia, Jan 24, Lanka and two ahead of South Africa 2006 (AFP) - South Africa clawed their courtesy of the bonus points system. way to a tense nine-run victory over Sri The South Africans made a solid but Lanka on Tuesday to keep their hopes not dramatic total, but almost paid a alive in the triangular limited-overs heavy price for failing to hit a boundary series, although they may have paid a between the 13th and 36th overs. heavy price. Sri Lanka suffered an early setback Key batsman suf- when Jehan Mubarak spooned a Shaun fered a groin strain in the match, join- Pollock to at ing the already sizeable ranks of South mid-wicket with the score at 11. African players who are out injured. But the dismissal brought the dan- The Sri Lankans, needing 11 to win gerous pairing of Senath Jayasuriya off the last over, botched their drive for and to the crease. victory — making 254-8 in reply to South They immediately gave their oppo- Africas 263-5. nents reason to worry, clobbering the The Proteas, desperate for a victory ever-accurate Pollock for 15 runs in his after losing two of their first three fifth over and nine in his sixth after he matches, held their nerve while their had conceded just four runs off his first opponents lost theirs and added just 29 four. runs for the last three to fall. Charl Langeveldt, playing his first South Africa were aided by an match back from injury, got an even unbeaten 125 from opener Boeta worse pasting, smacked for a humiliat- Dippenaar, his top one-day international ing 20 runs in one over with Jayasuriya score, and a sprightly 68 off 65 balls hoisting two sixes either side of a four. from Gibbs, who hurt himself while Sri Lanka seemed on course for vic- fielding. tory with a 107-run partnership between , and Tillekeratne Dilshan and Mahela Andre Nel have already suffered Jayawardene for the fifth wicket. injuries. But a succession of late wickets, Sri Lankan coach said sparked when Bandara was run out for the super-sub rule had cost his side a duck, left them facing a difficult dearly when they lost the toss and field- assignment which they approached ed first after choosing in-form spinner badly — swiping wildly at balls and Malinga Bandara for the role. missing. “There’s no question it needs to be Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah reviewed,” he said. Muralitharan had earlier made his first “It’s 12 against 11, depending on big splash in the triangular series, tak- who wins the toss and who you have as ing two key wickets in succession to super-sub. You’re either chasing with an help keep the South Africans tied down. extra batsman or defending with an He first removed , extra bowler and you tell me if that’s whose poor form continued when he fair.” was for 28, and then took his Each of the three teams now has two 400th wicket in one-day internationals wins from four matches, although when he dismissed van der Wath with Australia are one point ahead of Sri the next ball for a duck. SCOREBOARD

South Africa S Jayasuriya st Boucher b Hall 37 G. Smith stpd Sangakkara b Muralitharan 28 K Sangakkara c & b van der Wath 23 Adelaide, Australia: Sri Lanka’s Malinga Bandara is run out for a duck by South Africa’s during their VB Series one day match at the Adelaide B. Dippenaar 125 TM Dilshan not out 82 Oval yesterday. South Africa won the match by 9 runs as Sri Lanka (8-254) failed to surpass their total of 263. – Pic. David Hancock, AFP. J. van der Wath c Arnold b Muralitharan 0 MS Atapattu run out (Boucher) 23 J. Rudolph c and b Dilshan 11 M Jayawardene b van der Wath 52 H. Gibbs b Perera 68 RP Arnold b Hall 11 S. Pollock c Atapattu b Kulasekera 8 CM Bandara run out (Hall) 0 J. Kemp not out 6 C Vaas c Botha b Pollock 9 Extras: (b2, lb11, w4) 17 M Muralitharan not out 0 Arjuna brands Aussies as arrogant Total (5 wkts, 50 overs) 263 Extras: (lb 6, w 5, nb 2) 13 Fall of wickets: 1-72, 2-72, 3-101, 4-220, 5-249 Total (8 wickets, 50 overs) 254 Sri Lanka’s World Cup- will assume the captaincy Australian side without : Vaas 10-1-55-0, Perera 7-0-45-1, Kulasekera DNB: N Kulasekara. winning Arjuna in Ponting’s absence and is not nearly as strong as with him in 9-1-35-1, Muralitharan 10-0-45-2 (4w), Dilshan 8-0-43-1, FoW: 1-11,2-68,3-68,4-117,5-224,44.1,6-242,7-242,8-253 Ranatunga has branded Brad Hodge has been draft- the team. Jayasuriya 6-0-27-0. Bowling: Pollock 10-1-51-2 (1w),Langeveldt 10-0-62-0 Sri Lanka (1nb, 1w),van der Wath 10-1-37-2 (1nb),Hall 10-1-38-2 the Australians arrogant ed into the squad as top- “Sri Lanka and South Africa could J Mubarak c Prince b Pollock 4 (1w),Botha 9-0-53-0 (2w),Smith 1-0-7-0 and vulnerable after their order cover. beat them no problem on their day. This decision to rest their cap- But Ranatunga, well is a very good opportunity now for Sri tain, , at a known for antagonising the Lanka to come to the top. But I don’t time when their one-day Australians, insisted that think our players will worry if squad is reeling from two the move would backfire. Australia are being arrogant. If they Sri Lanka make losses in three matches. “If Australia want to be are cocky, that’s their problem, not The Australians, who cocky and arrogant, that is ours.” tumbled to a 51-run defeat up to them, but from what News of Australia’s defeat at the SCG their stance clear to Sri Lanka on Sunday we have seen in the past on Sunday night was greeted enthusias- while key players Glenn McGrath and few games, they are more than capable tically in Sri Lanka, with President “There are Media Reports with inade- in due course. At the same meeting it Adam Gilchrist were rested, face a real of missing out on the final with the Mahinda Rajapakse contacting the team quate accounts of the resent changes in has also been decided to make available challenge to qualify for the one-day way Sri Lanka and South Africa have to offer his personal congratulations. the touring party in Australia. Sri the service of to the finals, having lost to both visiting teams played,” he said from Colombo. The Sri Lankans are in second place Lanka Cricket wish to clarify the situa- team as an additional player with a view at the halfway point of the series. “You can see the way they crumble on the one-day table, just one point tion. to strengthening the batting department. That challenge presumably will be under pressure. When there is no pres- adrift of the Australians with a game in 1. Equation of Akalanka 2. Appointment of the Assistant more daunting without Ponting, sure, they look really good and are hand. Still, Australia’s selectors haven’t Ganegama and Sanath Jayasuriya Coach to Champaka Ramanayake Australia’s leading batsman, for the tough to beat. But they panic under deemed the situation serious enough to The Selectors have picked Akalanka Sri Lanka Cricket wish to state that no rematch against Sri Lanka at the pressure and they looked awful and vul- alter plans to rest Ponting for the Ganegama to replace injured Farveez such appointment was made. This infor- on Thursday. Gilchrist nerable the other night. I think that an Adelaide rematch. Maharoof who will return to Sri Lanka mation is misleading and incorrect.

Published by Upali Newspapers Ltd, 223, Bloemendhal Road, Colombo 13. and Printed at 195/187, High Level Road, Homagama on Wednesday 25th January, 2006