After a rain delayed start South Africa won the toss and put Sri Lanka into bat as they hoped for another crumble, it wasn't a collapse this time but they struggled to put runs up early and then their charge came to late. The total wasn't an easy chase by South African, they had a few bumps along the way but they stayed strong and completed the victory in the end, to take a 2-0 lead in the ODI series.
Match Report – 2nd ODI: Buffalo Park, 14th January, 2012
South Africa won the toss and Ab de Villiers had no problem in sending the Sri Lankans in to bat, but it wouldn't be long before disaster struck, 10 balls into the innings and Dilshan was run out for another duck, after Dilshan hesitated that sealed his faith, and the Sri Lankan captain was out.
For the next thirteen overs or so it would be a very tight affair with Sangakkara not wanted to get out easily and Tharanga had looked the more aggressive of the two but with the run rate just crawling along much would be needed to put a challenging total on the board.
Sri Lanka had finallu got a boundary in the 7th over from Morne Morkel, it was short and slapped to the right of the man at gully, and that was badly needed. Then just around the corner more problems for the visitors when the ex-captain was caught behind from a Tsotsobe delivery. Sangakkara couldn't help but poke his bat out, and despite the edge dropping alarmingly on AB, he keeps onto it.
Then Tharanga is given out caught behind but they decide to review it and hot spot shows nothing and the decision is changed and South Africa lose their appeal, and in retaliation Tharanga had enough of letting Duminy dictate play to him and smacks him for a big six, thought he didn't catch all of it, he got plenty in the end.
Chandimal is now the man to survive a run out, AB chases after one and attempts to throw the stumps down but he missed, had he hit Chandimal was out by a mile, then a couple overs later Tharanga isn't so lucky, he is caught behind from Morkel, he tried to make room to play the ball down to third man but isn't successful and despite his vigil at the crease he has to go.
Chandimal survives AGAIN, he's out if Amal hits but he missed and the stand continues.
Jayawardene had started to get himself in and after hitting the shot of the day or even the tour with a straight four down the ground, he then gets out with some fielding that would make Jonty Rhodes proud, a delivery on the pads and Mahela goes to whip it away and Steyn is inside the circle and short fine leg, he moves to his left and leaps off the ground and grasps it out of the air, a stunning catch by Steyn, showing that he is as capable of fielding as AB and du Plessis.
Kulasekara responds unlike most would in this situation but the runs were needed, and he promptly hits Steyn for two fours and a six in an over, showing that if you keep swinging sometimes your work will come to fruition, but the next over Kulasekara would be out from a Tsotsobe delivery, a stunning catch again, this time from Peterson.
Chandimal continued on his way of picking up important boundaries but was unable to grab his century, he finished on 92* and on the last ball of their innings Steyn had his man, Mathews looks to go big over mid-off but only gets the toe end of the bat and it goes straight to Morne at mid-off, they finish on 236/6 and it's a tricky target on a slow pitch.
Sri Lanka could have had Smith out on the 3rd delivery but Chandimal missed the stumps, and it wasn't long before Amla started where he left from with a big six over extra cover with a typicaly superb timed shot, then another six a few overs later with a flick over deep square leg, Amla is on fire.
Smith never really got going and it was up to Amla to take the pressure by scoring the bulk of the runs, and none better than with two consecutive boundaries from Dilshan, nothing was going right for Dilshan on this tour.
The drinks break had brought about the wicket of Smith, he hadn't looked to fluent and a short ball from Prasad and it's top-edged and caught easily by Tharang. Amla had continued to look fluent till Prasad claimed his second wicket, the ball came in a bit and Amla tried to play across the line but he's bowled and with both openers back in the shed, Sri Lanka have their foot in the door.
Nothing spectacular happened with Duminy and Kallis, they were happy to rotate the strike, and then Kallis played a shot he didn't need to play, and it was that man again, Pradad who took the big wicket, Kallis backed away looking to go over extra cover, but he sliced it to the man on the sweeper cover boundary, it was a shot that certainly wasn't needed and Kallis could put the pressure back on his team, but AB was quick to get of the mark from Prasad with a four behind square leg.
Duminy was determined not to let the rate slow and even set after Herath for a big six which brings the crowd to his feet and later in the over he takes a single to complete his 50, he's played the perfect role that was needed, rotating the strike and scoring valuable runs.
Then with the game looking certain to be over AB is run out, only AB could have tried that single when JP hit the ball straight to the man and Nuwan Kulasekara throws the stumps down and AB is out, and once again a partnership is starting to build and disaster strikes when Malinga has du Plessis caught and bowled but it's too little too late and South Africa win the game comfortably enough by 5 wickets.
Summarised Scores:
South Africa 237/5 (JP Duming 66*, Amla 55, Prasad 3-46) beat Sri Lanka 236/6 (Chandimal 92, Thuranga 66, Tsotsobe 2-43) by 5 wickets.
Man of the Match: JP Duminy.
Hero of the Day: JP Duminy.
Flop of the Day: Tilakaratne Dilshan.
Disappointment of the Day: The Sri Lankan old guard.
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