COLOMBO, 23 August 2004 — Fast bowler Nuwan Zoysa ripped through South Africa’s top-order to guide Sri Lanka to a comfortable 37-run win in the second one-dayer at the Premadasa Stadium here yesterday. The left-arm seamer took a career-best 5-26 as South Africa crumbled for 176, while chasing a modest target of 214, to go 2-0 down in the five-match series.
Zoysa more than made up for a lackluster performance from Sri Lanka’s batsmen as he picked up the first five wickets of the innings to improve on his previous best effort of 4-28 against New Zealand at Wellington in 2001.
The 26-year-old, whose figures were the best by a Sri Lankan against South Africa in one-dayers, claimed the prized scalps of captain Graeme Smith and all-rounder Jacques Kallis to put the tourists in trouble.
Zoysa’s first victim was opener Herschelle Gibbs, bowled playing across the line. Left-hander Nicky Boje fell a little later as he tried to clear the in-field but was caught at point.
Smith was bowled off an inside-edge, while Kallis was trapped leg-before before Jacques Rudolph edged an outswinger to wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara.
Just after new-ball bowlers Zoysa and Chaminda Vaas had finished their opening spells of eight overs each, leg-spinner Kaushal Lokuarachchi dismissed Mark Boucher to reduce South Africa to 50-6.
Shaun Pollock scored 54 and Lance Klusener 40, but their efforts came too late as off-spinner Tillakaratne Dilshan polished off the tail with 4-52. Smith was disappointed with his team’s overall performance.
The Sri Lankan batsman also struggled as only Sangakkara and Upul Chandana made notable contributions to pull their team out of trouble. The hosts were tottering at 86-5 against a disciplined South African pace attack before Sangakkara (63) and Chandana (61 not out) came to the rescue.
The pair added 93 for the sixth wicket, with Sangakkara playing cautiously during his 15th half-century in which he hit just three boundaries off 83 balls. Chandana was even slower as he scored two fours off 92 balls in his fifth fifty, failing to step up the run-rate after the dismissal of Sangakkara, who was run out following a mix-up.
Chandana called his partner but decided against the run as South African fielder Alan Dawson came in from mid-wicket and threw the ball to bowler Pollock. Sangakkara was caught way out of the ground at the non-striker’s end. Kallis bowled well in the slog overs to finish with 3-20 while paceman Makhana Ntini took 2-50.
