CHESTER-LE-STREET, United Kingdom, June 28, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – South Africa seamer Dwaine Pretorius struck twice to slow Sri Lanka’s charge in their World Cup match at Chester-le-Street on Friday.
A win for Sri Lanka, who shocked England last week, would lift them level
with the fourth-placed hosts on eight points, with the top four sides
progressing to the semi-finals.
Faf du Plessis’s South Africa can no longer qualify from the 10-team group
phase.
Sri Lanka, put in to bat, had a disastrous start to their innings when
captain Dimuth Karunaratne was caught at slip by Du Plessis off the first
ball of the match, delivered by paceman Kagiso Rabada.
Kusal Perera and Avishka Fernando batted positively to take the score to
67 for one in the 10th over before Fernando (30) mistimed a shot, sending the
ball steepling into the air before it was taken by Du Plessis.
Perera was next to go, chopping a Pretorius delivery onto his stumps as
Sri Lanka slipped to 72-3 in the 12th over.
Kusal Mendis and Angelo Mathews had taken the score to 92-3 by the end of
the 20th over as they looked to re-build the innings. South Africa made two
changes, bringing in Pretorius and JP Duminy for Lungi Ngidi and David
Miller.
Sri Lanka brought in seamer Suranga Lakmal for Nuwan Pradeep.