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| Tuesday, 4 March 2003 |
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Rain forces a tie against South Africa : Lanka through to Super Sixes Sa'adi Thawfeeq reporting from South Africa & Kenya DURBAN, Monday - Sri Lanka won through to the World Cup Super Sixes when their final Group 'B' day-night match against South Africa ended in a tie after rain had washed out play with five overs left to be bowled at Kingsmead here today. South Africa chasing Sri Lanka's total of 268-9 off 50 overs, finished on 229-6 off 45 overs when rain stopped play. Both teams shared four points. According to the Dutcworth and Lewis method, the game was declared a tie with the rain not showing any signs of ceasing. Two balls before the players came off Mark Boucher hit Muralitharan for a six over mid wicket and played down the next delivery which produced no run. That last delivery was vital for South Africa. Had Boucher taken a single off it. South Africa would have been ahead of the required score and been declared the winners. But it was not to be and South Africa were once again unlucky and destined to go out of the World Cup in a manner which they never have wanted to. Yesterday's result meant that Sri Lanka retained top position in Pool 'B' with 18 points followed by Kenya with 16 and New Zealand with 16. These three teams qualify for the Super Six from Pool 'B'. South Africa ended up with 14 points and West Indies with 12. Kenya play West Indies today and if they win they will top the pool. Otherewise, Sri Lanka will retain top position. Sri Lanka played some exceptional cricket to keep South Africa out of the next round. Marvan Atapattu who won the man of the match award scored a superb 124 and Aravinda de Silva 73 to give Sri Lanka a competitive total. Then Jayasuriya used his bowlers cleverly to stall South Africa's run chase. He held himself and key spinner Muralitharan back using the part time bowlers to contain South Africa in the initial stages before coming on. Two players of the classic mould Atapattu and de Silva shared a record fourth wicket partnership of 152 off 143 balls to enable Sri Lanka reach 268 for nine wickets off 50 overs. Atapattu went on to complet a chanceless ninth one-day hundred scoring 124 off 128 balls with 18 fours and De Silva, an ebullient 73 off 78 balls which was studded with two sixes and six fours, his 63rd one-day fifty. After the pair w2as dismissed a run of each other, the Sri Lankan innings lost momentum and they were able to add only a further 25 runs off the 29 balls losing three wickets. Atapattu and De Silva came together with Sri Lanka not too happily placed at 90-3 in the 23rd over and were not parted until the 45th over when Atapattu played a tired shot and was caught by substitute Robbie Peterson at mid-on. The stylish right-hander plqying some exquisite cover drives and cuts scored the majority of his runs (86) on the off side. De Silva having missed out on a big socre at Cape Town against the West Indies when he was unfortunately run out, made amends here with a high quality knock only he is capable of delivering. He was tested at the beginning of his innings with a few bouncers but he restrained from hooking until he had completed his half-century off 66 balls. Then he hooked Klusener behind square for six and then on drove Hall over mid wicket for another six as Sri Lanka pressed on the accelerator. The fourth wicket partnership broke threer records. It was Sri Lanka's highest in the World Cup (previous: 106 by De Silva and Arjuna Ranatunga v Kenya at Kandy, 1996), the highest for Sri Lanka against South Africa (previous: 108 by Atapattu and Arjuna Ranatunga at Port Elizabeth, 1997-98) and the highest on this ground by any team (previous: 91 by Darryl Cullinan and Jonty Rhodes for South Africa v India, 1996-97). Skipper Sanath Jayasuriya won his fifth consecutive toss in the World Cup and chose to bat first on an excellent batting pitch. But in the ninth over he gave South Africa the breakthrough they were looking for when he strode back casually to the non-striker's end and was run out by Kirsten's direct throw at the stumps from mid-on. Hashan Tillekeratne helped Atapattu add 40 for the second wicket off 55 balls before edging a catch behind the wicket. The out of form Mahela Jayawardene promoted ahead of De Silva did not last long. He faced just 11 balls, made a single and departed edging Hall behind the wicket. From their onwards it was the Atapattu-De Silva show for the next 90 minutes where South Africa tried everything but failed to break the partnership. In South Africa's reply Gibbs, the top scorer could not beleive that he had been bowled around his legs for 73 by Muralitharan. He stood his ground and forced umpire Bucknor to refer the incident to the third umpire which was quite unusual. The decision was given in favour of the bowler much to Gibb's dismay and he departed slowly from the ground having hit two sixes and seven fours in his 88-ball innings. Off the next delivery, South Africa lost Dippennar who was trapped lbw by Jayasuriya to make it 149-5 in the 30th over. Despite losing wickets the South African total remained ahead of Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka based their attack on spin, but cleverly did not use their fornt-line spinners Muralitharan and Jayasuriya at the beginning but held them back until after the 20th over. Using De Silva as second change after Fernando had gone for a disappointing 14 runs off his first over, paid dividends as he snapped up the wickets of Smith for 35 and Kirsten for eight. Then Jayasuriya got into the act with the wickets of Kallis for 16 and Dippennar for eight. Boucher and Pollock added 63 off 82 balls, but Sri Lanka allowed only three fours during that partnership keeping it very tight. By the 43rd over the drizzle got heavier and the umpires were forced to stop the game two overs later. Sri Lanka played this game under protest after the ICC and the World Cup technical committee had turned down their protest over the amendment of the playing conditions which sees them having to qualify for the Super Sixes on the nett run rate and not on the head to head wins. The Sri Lanka Cricket Board had expressed its displeasure and disappointment at the amendment made to the playing conditions midway during the tournament by the event technical committee, and said the decision given against them was against the spirit of the game when it was very clear and specific there was no need for the ETC to issue an amendment. This sudden change of event by the ETC had severely affected the spirit of the team, it said. The BCCSL said the alleged 'clarification' is particularly disadvantageous to the Sri Lanka team and that it was unfair and an attempt to keep Sri Lanka out of the Super Sixes stage. Further, the BCCSL said that New Zealand forfeited their match against Kenya where both teams gained an unfair advantage on the net run rate and the teams could give an excuse and forfeit a match and gain on the NRR and yet not be penalised. "Considering the above, it would have been advantageous for Sri Lanka too to have forfeited their match against South Africa, but we are refraining from doing so as we wish to maintain the 'spirit of the game' and play the game with a straight bat," the BCCSL release said. SRI LANKA
M. Atapattu c sub b Hall 124
S. Jayasuriya run out 16
H. Tillakaratne c Boucher b Kallis 14
M. Jayawardene c Boucher b Hall 1
A. de Silva c Smith b Ntini 73
R. Arnold b Pollock 8
K. Sangakkara c Pollock b Kallis 6
C. Vaas run out 3
M. Muralitharan b Kallis 4
D. Fernando not out 1
Extras (lb-2, w-11, nb-2) 18
TOTAL (for nine wickets, 50 overs) 268
FALL OF WICKET: 1-37 2-77 3-90 4-242 5-243
6-258 7-261 8-266 9-268
BOWLING: Pollock 10-1-48-1(w-2, nb-1),
Ntini 10-0-49-1(w-3, nb-2)
Zondeki 6-0-35-0 (w-3),
Kallis 10-0-41-3 (w-1),
Hall 10-0-62-2 (w-1, nb-2),
Klusener 4-0-31-0-(w-1, nb-1)
SOUTH AFRICA
G. Smith c Guneratne b Silva 35
H. Gibbs b Muralitharan 73
G. Kirsten b Silva 8
J. Kalis b Muralitharan 16
B. Dippenaar lbw Jayasuriya 8
M. Boucher not out 45
S. Polluck run out 25
L. Klusener not out 1
Extras (lb-4, nb-2, w-12) 18
TOTAL (6 wickets in 45 overs) 229
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-65, 2-91, 3-12, 4-149, 5-149, 6-212.
BOWLING: Vass 7-1-33-0, Guneratne 6-0-26-0,
Fernando 1-0-14-0, Silva 8-0-36-2,
Muralitharan 9-0-51-1, Jayasuriya 10-0-49-2,
Arnold 4-0-16-0.
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