Innings South Africa 331 for 5 (De Kock 121, van der Dussen 50, Udana 2-50) v Sri Lanka
Quinton de Kock breezed to 121 off 108 balls, before the South Africa middle order capitalised on that start to propel the team to 331 for 5 at Kingsmead. Aside from opener Reeza Hendricks, who was out for 4, every batsman who came to the middle made an important contribution for the hosts. None more, perhaps, than Andile Phehlukwayo, who exploited some modest Sri Lanka death bowling to clobber 38 not out off 15 balls. Thanks largely to Phehlukwayo, South Africa plundered 53 off the last four overs.
Sri Lanka’s fielding fell apart towards the end, but earlier in the innings, it was their indiscipline with the ball that hurt them. Thisara Perera was wayward – his five overs costing 38 runs. Kasun Rajitha was even more expensive, his economy rate up at 8.62 from eight overs, even if he did get de Kock’s wicket eventually. The best of their bowlers was perhaps debutant Kamindu Mendis – the ambidextrous 20-year-old allrounder – who delivers both offspin and left-arm ortherdox. One of his left-arm deliveries even brought him the wicket of Rassie van der Dussen, who was the only South Africa batsman to make a half-century apart from de Kock.
De Kock himself had been fluent from the outset. The first delivery of the innings – a length ball on middle stump from Lasith Malinga – he clipped serenely through midwicket for four. Two balls later, he sent a wider delivery scorching past point.
Composed and hungry against the new ball, de Kock laid a platform and then embarked on a mini-rampage 12 overs in. He clubbed Akila Dananjaya down the ground for six, smoked two fours off Rajitha next over (bringing up his half-century with the first), before crashing Dananjaya for another six and a four, then finally putting Thisara away for three successive boundaries – two of them in the fine-leg region. The salvo yielded him 39 runs in the space of 17 balls faced, and South Africa appeared to be headed towards a truly gargantuan score.
Sri Lanka managed to wrest back some control at this point, with Malinga injecting himself into the attack and dismissing Faf du Plessis, while Akila also produced a couple of tight overs at the other end. But de Kock gritted his way through this period, and continued to advance single-mindedly towards that elusive triple-figure score. He got there in the 25th over, off the 89th delivery he faced, crashing Thisara past point. He had made six half-centuries, including 94, 81 and 83 in his three most-recent one-day innings – since his last ODI ton. The relief of finally achieving the milestone was writ across his face as he celebrated.
De Kock was eventually out edging a fuller, wide delivery from Rajitha, as he attempted a to sock the bowler over cover. But by this stage South Africa were 187 for 3 after 31 overs, and beautifully placed to push for a giant total. Van der Dussen accumulated smartly, hitting only three fours in his 50 off 67 balls. David Miller also produced a steady innings rather than a blockbusting one, making 41 not out off 46 deliveries.
Phehlukwayo, though, ensured the South Africa innings got a fast finish. He hit five fours, all of which came behind square, and also tonked Isuru Udana high into the grass banks beyond midwicket. He should have been caught in the final over, when he swung a ball high into the air on the legside, only for the converging fielders to mis-communicate, and leave the catch for each other. Miller had also been dropped in the previous over.
Aside from the big total, Sri Lanka were also fretting over the fitness of Kusal Perera at the break. Having produced perhaps the greatest Test innings ever when last at this venue, Kusal Perera jarred his knee on the Kingsmead turf while fielding, and had to hobble off immediately. He had gone to hospital in order to have scans completed, and it is unclear yet whether he will be able to bat.
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