South Africa were skittled for their lowest ever T20I total of 98 as a triple-wicket maiden from Lakshan Sandakan helped Sri Lanka to victory in an absorbing encounter.
Sri Lanka put on a show in front of a sell-out crowd in Colombo, securing a three-wicket win over the Proteas in what was a low-scoring but entertaining final match of the tour.
The hosts’ spinners were too much to handle for South Africa, and having won the toss, the visitors might have regretted batting first or perhaps playing across the line so persistently. Pride was restored somewhat for the visitors after a commendable resurgence with the ball, but it was ultimately to no avail as the hosts wheeled away as deserved victors.
The tourists won the toss, and Quinton de Kock got off to a flyer, notching three boundaries in the first four balls of the mach, albeit one via an inside edge. Hashim Amla then fell without troubling the scorers in the second over to Dhananjaya de Silva, whose wiley variations proved too tricky early on for the Proteas veteran, forcing a tame scoop for Dasun Shanaka to gobble at cover.
De Kock looked to be in potent touch before he was run out, following up a reverse-sweep for four with an attempted run off his pads and a rather laboured effort in getting to the other end allowed Lakshan Sandakan to fizz the ball to de Silva who whipped the bails off with aplomb.
Akila Dananjaya, fresh from his magnificent 6/29 in the final ODI between these two sides, then made another breakthrough, birthday boy Reeza Hendricks (19) falling to a wonderful leg-break as he swept, missed, and had his off-peg clattered.
Stand-in skipper JP Duminy then also fell to the sweep, this one a reverse, as de Silva (2/22) grabbed his second scalp and a vitally important one given Duminy’s T20 prowess. The umpire wasn’t having the lbw, but upon review it was hitting leg, and South Africa were swiftly losing momentum as Sri Lanka’s spinners looked to be doing the job once again.
Heinrich Klaasen (19) felt his way in with a couple of big hits before he was deceived by turn, this time to left-arm leg-spinner Sandakan, the third and final point of the home side’s spin trident getting one to turn away sharply, forcing the batsman into a skewed aerial drive that flew into the safe hands of Kusal Mendis. An inspired Sandakan then proceeded to dismiss Andile Phehlukwayo and Kagiso Rabada both for ducks in the same over. Phehlukwayo was the next victim of a failed sweep, subsequently getting cleaned up, while Rabada was trapped in front as Sandakan got another googly to rip. A stunning triple-wicket maiden had left the Proteas gasping for breath on 73/7, with no signs of the spin-threat subsiding.
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