Wills International Cup, 6th Match, South Africa v Sri Lanka

from Rohan Chandran and Alex Balfour in Dhaka.
28 October 1998

1.45pm Rain Report: Rain delays start of first semi-final

from Rohan Chandran in Dhaka.

A full house again at the Bangabandhu Stadium, but for the first time in the tournament the weather has intervened. Rain overnight and earlier this morning has meant that the covers are still on, and the super soppers hard at work. The rain has stopped, and the skies, albeit cloudy, are not threatening, but it will be a while before play can get underway.

The umpires are scheduled to inspect the conditions at 2pm, and as there is an extra hour available, there is still every chance of a 50 over match being played. Matches in this tournament can be reduced to as few as 15 overs a side at the discretion of the umpires, although games of less than 25 overs will count only in terms of the result, and not as official one day internationals. There are also two reserve days available, but with the covers now about to be removed, it is unlikely that todays contest will be pushed back.

CricInfo will bring you a further update as soon as we have more news on the situation.

2pm Rain Report: Rain delays start of first semi-final

The umpires have completed their 2pm inspection, performing it about 15 minutes ahead of schedule, and with the conditions still somewhat treacherous underfoot, they have decided to schedule a further inspection at 3:30pm local time. Play may commence at any time after that, with the emphasis being on as early a start as possible.

A cut off time of 7:20pm exists for the start of a 25 over contest - the minimum required for the game to count as an official Limited Overs International in the record books. The cut-off for a 15 over match is 8:44pm, the odd minutes a result of the ICC ruling that 14.38 overs per hour must be bowled.

ICC Chief Executive David Richards has confirmed that the officials will be working very hard to have a result determined today, and it appears that a bowl-out will be held in preference to a rescheduled match.

In the meantime, the covers have been lifted, but although the pitch itself is not more than a little damp, the surrounding areas will need a lot of work before they are suitable for play.

3.30pm Inspection Report:

After their inspection of the pitch at 3:30pm, the umpires were able only to decide to schedule a further inspection for 4:15pm local time. With a team of groundsmen hard at work, and a nice breeze blowing over the ground, conditions are likely to improve significantly.

With play able to continue as late as 11 tonight, up to 6 and a half hours play may be possible. This means that the capacity crowd could well be treated to a match of between forty and forty five overs per side, if play starts before 5pm.

from Rohan Chandran, in Dhaka

4.15pm Inspection Report: 40 over match to commence at 1110 GMT

After a thorough inspection of the infield at 4:15, Umpires Venkatraghavan and Bucknor decided that Sri Lanka and South Africa would play a 40 over game, with play commencing at 5:10pm.

The umpires were satisfied that the groundstaff had done a good job of drying up the pitch, and in particular the bowlers run ups. The delayed start means that a dinner break will not be taken, and instead there will be just a 10 minute break in between innings.

from Rohan Chandran, in Dhaka

South Africa innings 5 overs: Sri Lanka contain South Africans

After numerous false starts, with the covers repeatedly being brought on and off the pitch, play finally got underway at the Bangabandhu Stadium at 5:21pm local time. With the match reduced to 39 overs a side, Sri Lanka had no hesitation in sending sending South Africa in to bat, no doubt anticipating that the conditions would improve for batting through the night.

The only change to the two teams was the return of Steve Elworthy to the South African side, ahead of Andrew Dawson. Mike Rindel got the Proteas off to a good start, taking seven off the first over, including a sweetly timed clip in front of square leg for four. At the other end, Zoysa began very tightly, with the South Africans well aware that they needed some very quick runs. Rindel did not last long however, and in Vaas' second over, looking to work the left armer through mid wicket, he got a leading edge as he played across the line, and the ball lobbed out to point, where Sanath Jayasuriya easily completed the catch.

In a surprise move, Cronje sent Nicky Boje in at number three as a pinch hitter, ahead of Pat Symcox. Boje's left handedness may have influenced this decision, particularly with the two Sri Lankan pacemen bowling left arm over the wicket. The young spinner struggled to make an impact however, and it wasn't long before he offered a chance, but Ranatunga put down a straightforward catch at short cover.

The next over began with a flourish, as Daryll Cullinan stepped forward and drove Vaas straight back down the ground, the ball still travelling fairly quickly across the outfield, despite all the rain. Boje continued to look uncomfortable though, first making a complete hash of an attempted pull, and then seeing his aggressive off drive go no further than Aravinda on the edge of the inner circle. The over ended with Vaas bemoaning his hard luck, as Cullinan was completely defeated by a slower delivery, and was fortunate not to edge through to Kaluwitharana, South Africa stuck on just 23 for one after five.

15 overs: an even match

Boje's frenetic swinging of the bat finally began to pay dividends, and he was well rewarded in the sixth over when a thick edge sped away to the third man boundary. His confidence now on the increase, in the next over he was able to loft Chaminda Vaas over mid on to pick up another four. It was Cullinan's turn to struggle after this, as Zoysa tested him around his off stump. The South Africans had little difficulty picking up the singles and twos, but the big hits they so desperately needed were proving elusive.

With three overs of fielding restrictions remaining, Ranatunga decided to gamble by bringing on Kumara Dharmasena to bowl his fastish off breaks. The tactic proved an inspired one, and Dharmasena, bowling round the wicket to Boje, nearly bought a wicket, as Boje top edged a cross-batted hoik, and was lucky to see it fall right in between two fielders and just trickle over the ropes for four.

The end was nigh though, and in the next over, an expansive looking off drive succeeded only in presenting Aravinda with a simple catch running to his right at mid off. Another surprise was sprung when Mark Boucher came out at number four. It didn't work out the way the South Africans had intended however, and Boucher was on his way back to the pavilion, caught low down at first slip. It was a brilliant catch, taken just inches above the ground. Boucher stayed in his crease at first, and was well within his rights to do so, but umpire Venkat confirmed that the catch had been clean, and that was that.

Kallis was the new man in, and as the fielding restrictions were lifted after another tight Dharmasena over, Sri Lanka's trump card, Muttiah Muralitharan, was brought into the attack. As is his wont, he was turning the ball from the outset, and both batsmen had to play him watchfully.

A direct hit on the stumps from Ranatunga had the crowd excited in the next over as Kallis scrambled for his crease, but umpire Bucknor did not even feel the need to call upon the third umpire. Murali and Dharmasena put a real stranglehold on proceedings, neither batsman able to force the pace, and both watching the ball fizz past the outside edge as they attempted to do so on several occasions.

By the end of the fifteenth over, South Africa had progressed to 80 for 3, not a bad platform on which to build, but far from what they desired.

28 overs: Kallis leads the charge

Cullinan survived a stumping appeal in the sixteenth over, as he stretched forward in his crease. His foot was raised, his toes just in front of the line when Kaluwitharana whipped the bails off, but he was probably saved by as small a margin as the spikes on his boot, which were grounded just behind the line.

That was his last act in his hundredth one day international innings however, and in the next over, he was trapped lbw when he aimed a sweep at Dharmasena, missed, and was struck low on the back leg, right in front of the stumps. In a perverse way, this dismissal may have been welcomed as much by the South Africans as by the Sri Lankans, for Cullinan was struggling, and his replacement, skipper Hansie Cronje, is the most accomplished player of spin bowling in the South African side.

It was Jacques Kallis who provided the crowd with the entertainment they craved however, when he clubbed Muralitharan over mid wicket for six, hitting with the spin, and placing his shot between the two men on the fence.

Jayasuriya replaced Dharmasena, but the story remained unchanged, Cronje and Kallis running the singles, but unable to take charge. At the halfway stage, the South Africans found themselves on 99 for 4, and given the depth of their batting line up, they will have been pleased.

Kallis demonstrated that he had taken a real fancy to Muralitharan, first striking him through mid wicket for four, and then following that up with a superb blow over the same region, this time for six. Many sides would wilt under the face of an onslaught on their leading bowler, but to their credit, the Lankans continued to field with determination and desire.

Jayasuriya the bowler revels when the conditions are not tailor made for the batting side, and he was on song again today, conceding just a single in his second over, as Cronje failed to make any impression. The captain called for a change of gloves, as the Sri Lankans changed the bowling, bringing on leg spinner Upul Chandana. The runs slowed to a trickle as both bowlers looked to push the ball through, not giving either batsman the opportunity to chance his arm.

Kallis reached his half century in the twenty fifth over, first delicately cutting Jayasuriya down to third man for four, and then comprehensively hoisting him over mid wicket for six to reach the landmark. The runs were really starting to flow now, and a misfield at extra cover helped Kallis up his total by another four in Jayasuriya's next over. It was effortless stuff from the Natal all rounder, his good form accentuated by the difficulty Cronje was experiencing in coming to terms with the conditions.

The 150 came up courtesy of a terrible full toss which slipped from Chandana's hand, which Kallis tonked powerfully over square leg, his fourth six of a superb innings.

End of South African innings: magnificent Kallis century sets Sri Lanka a stiff target

With Kallis providing the spectators with something of an object lesson in playing spin, Cronje appeared to be content to work the singles, handing his partner the strike where possible. However, encouraged by a Chandana half volley which he drove over extra cover for four, he decided to throw caution to the wind, but wound up mistiming a lofted on drive straight into the hands of the onrushing Atapattu at long on. Drinks were taken as Jonty Rhodes strode to the crease, with South Africa delicately poised.

Murali returned to the attack in the 31st over, and Kallis' eyes popped out of their sockets as he greeted the bowler by crashing him over mid wicket for another big six. He then showed Salim Malik how it was done when he reverse swept Murali and scrambled a single, but he may regret that decision for a while, as Rhodes tried to sweep his first ball, and top edged straight to Atapattu at short fine leg.

Pat Symcox strode to the crease, and the crowd buzzed with anticipation, the burly all-rounder's reputation for being able to strike the ball obviously preceding him. He started somewhat circumspectly, managing just one run off Chandanas over, and then caused a delay in proceedings as he called for his helmet, with Zoysa being brought back from pasture.

The darling of the 35 thousand spectators, Symcox was applauded as he took guard, and the noise level reached incredible proportions when he stepped down the track and smacked the paceman over wide mid on for four. Another boundary, this time edged just wide of the keeper, and twelve runs came off the over, suggesting that Ranatunga's decision to bring back his opening bowler may have been a mistake.

Symcox didn't last much longer however, hitting Chandana's leggie straight into the hands of Atapattu at long on, and when Dale Benkenstein came to the crease, South Africa were in a little bit of bother.

The South Africans as a whole seem to have only two shots when it comes to playing spinners, and it was one of them, the sweep, which brought them the 200th run of the innings, but what they really needed was some effective blows with the other, the hoik over midwicket. Kallis' richly deserved hundred came up in the 36th over with a single to square leg, but he survived a scare off the first ball of the next when Roshan Mahanama, sprinting round on the mid-wicket boundary narrowly failed to hold on to a one handed effort.

Benkenstein got in on the act too, delighting the crowd with a glorious dab wide of the man at short third, and with two overs remaining, South Africa were poised to reach the target of 240 which the experts have suggested is a minimum requirement.

Kallis went one better in the following over, a vicious reverse sweep racing away to the third man boundary as the South African run rate crossed the 6 runs per over barrier.

The final over of the innings was left to Chaminda Vaas, and he did just the job Ranatunga asked of him. The South Africans managed just 6 runs, to finish on 240, with Jacques Kallis' unbeaten 113 having set up a tremendous contest.

As we await the Sri Lankans, the rain has started to fall again, and the scorers are frantically looking for their copies of the rain rules.

Rain during the luncheon interval

In the time honoured tradition of The Twelfth Man, rain has stopped play during the luncheon interval here at the Bangabandhu Stadium.

The first drops started falling as the players made their way from the field following the first innings, and the covers were rushed into place to prevent any damage being done to the infield.

A decision was made by match referee Raman Subba Row that should the Sri Lankan innings commence by 9:15pm, they would face the full complement of overs. However, the liklihood of that happening is very slim, with a misty drizzle continuing to fall. The overs will probably be reduced, with a revised target set, as per the Duckworth/Lewis rain rule, which is being administered by CricInfo for the duration of this tournament.

from Rohan Chandran, in Dhaka.

Sri Lankan innings 5 overs

Before Sri Lanka came out to resume, the Duckworth/Lewis rain rule was brought into play and the target revised to 224 off 34 overs. Cronje chose to bring on Kallis to open the bowling and straight away the man of the moment asked umpire Venkat to adjudge Jayasuriya, off the first ball, and Kaluwitharana, off the second last, leg before. In between Jayasuriya, who had disappointed in Sri Lanka’s game against New Zealand, opened his account with a sublime flicked four over square leg. Kallis had set up the contest in his first over and in his second, he roared in, beating Kalu twice in a row all ends up. Kalu responded with two consecutive cross-batted strokes over mid wicket for four, both classic Kalu hits. Attempting the shot again against Elworthy he was beaten for pace, skying a gentle dolly drop to Cronje running round to mid on. Ranatunga had clearly decided there was no time to waste in accumulating runs and sent Vaas on at number three.

The wet ball was skidding through quickly onto the batsmen even off short deliveries and Cronje brought the field right up for Jayasuriya who was once or twice caught in mid swing as the bat came onto him. But it’s never wise to tempt Jaya when he’s in the mood, and he proceeded to smash Kallis for three consecutive fours first over square leg, then through point and finally cut quite exquisitely through fine leg. Kallis’ bowling went to pieces and he bowled two leg side wides, finally conceding 17 off the over. Sri Lanka were now at 40 for 1 off 5, and still Jayasuriya was determined to force the pace. He stepped outside leg to a fast straight ball from Elworthy and was clean bowled.

Sri Lankan innings 10 overs

The crowd roared its approval for the arrival of De Silva, who immediately set out his stall with some solid defensive pushes at Kallis. Cronje throught better of his plan to bring two slips up for Aravinda after only one ball of Kallis’ next over, the 7th, and left only one in place. Aravinda, however, was happy to chase ones and twos rather than go for the big hits, and there was a clear sense that, for Sri Lanka, things were going very much according to plan. All the more reason then for the South African delight when De Silva tried to hook an Elworthy deliver from outside off and skied it to Kallis at mid-wicket.

With the rain teeming down, Vaas still stuck to the original game plan, perhaps conscious that, three wickets down, a cancellation of play at any time would leave Sri Lanka well short if Duckworth/Lewis was used to resolve the match (after 8 overs Sri Lanka would have needed 67, rather than 55, with the loss of three wickets, to win). He belted Elworthy’s next delivery for six over square leg, and new batsman Atapattu replied in the following over dispatching new bowler Rindel for four through gully and then effecting a well-balanced cover drive over the boundary rope as well.

Cronje brought himself on for Elworthy which seemed to make Vaas see red. He smacked the first ball straight through the upstretched hands of Elworthy and long on for four. He knicked the second in the direction of the world’s best fielder who duly picked up a stunning catch at backward point, diving forward and holding it with both hands. Rhodes had pulled off yet another stunning catch though Vaas had to wait for the third umpire's confirmation before departing.

Sri Lanka slip away

Once more the burden fell on Ranatunga's shoulders to save his side. The end of fielding restrictions heralded the arrival of Symcox. He looked only slightly more agile than the big Pepsi can which was by now stuck in the mud and failed to emerge at the end of the over for the drinks over, but nonetheless managed to keep the Lankans in check. The very next over captain Cronje struck again as Ranatunga misjudged a steer to third man and gloved a delivery to Boucher. Sri Lanka were in a critical condition at this point, but not totally beyond hope of recovery. With Mahanama now at the crease, Sri Lanka could still draw on the experience of two former openers and quality batsmen, with Dharmasena and Chandana still to come.

Mahanama proceeded to play Cronje with almost too much respect. But a lifting ball from Symco was too big a temptation, Mahanama applied the late cut, and the ball dropped straight down Crookes' throat at gully. For once, Cronje's field placing was spot on. By now, at 96 for 6 the game was all but over, and the crowd, so patient throughout the day, started to leave.

Wet but winning, South Africa advance to the final

Chandana showed signs of resistance cracking Cronje for two fours, one over mid wicket Kalu style and one through long on. But Mahanama bowed to the inevitable in the next over, the 19th, flicked a fullish delivery feebly to Crookes at square leg who took an easy catch at shoulder height.

Chandana continued to try and make amends. He slogged Symcox for a massive six over mid wicket, putting so much effort into the shot that he nearly fell back on to his own stumps. He might as well have for two balls later Symcox trapped him in front and umpire Bucknor made the easiest decision of the week in adjudging him leg before.

The rain was falling very heavily now, and the remnant of the crowd retreated to find shelter under the stands. Neither Symcox nor Crookes, now bowling in tandem, looked likely to make a breakthrough. It might have been a good moment for umpires Venkat and Bucknor to call an end to the game, espeacially when Boucher took a ball from Symcox full in the face. But the crowd didn't have to wait long as Dharmasena holed out to Cullinan at square leg and, as Murali was still suffering from an injured shoulder, Sri Lanka called it a day.