Sydney, March 18 (IANS) Spinners Imran Tahir (4-26) and Jean-Paul Duminy (3-29) starred for South Africa as they bowled out Sri Lanka for 133 runs in 37.2 overs in the first cricket World Cup quarterfinal at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) here on Wednesday.
South Africa exerted pressure on the Sri Lankans quite early. Right-arm pacers Kyle Abbot and Dale Steyn removed openers Kusal Perera (3) and seasoned Tilakaratne Dilshan (0) respectively to leave Sri Lanka in trouble at 4/2 in the fifth over.
Veteran wicketkeeper-batsman Kumar Sangakkara, even though he didn't bat with the elegance and style his is known for, scored a 96-ball 45. Sangakkara, who scored four centuries in the previous four matches, took 16 deliveries to get off the mark.
That speaks volumes of the tight line and length maintained by the South African bowlers. Sangakkara, who will quit One-Day International (ODI) cricket after this World Cup, forged a 65-run partnership with Lahiru Thirimanne (41).
Young left-handed batsman Thirimanne looked in fine form, hitting five fours to score 41 in 48 bals.
The right-arm spinner started his show by breaking the partnership as he dismissed Thirimanne. Another veteran, Mahela Jayawardene (4), playing in his final international tournament, also fell to Tahir.
Skipper Angelo Mathews became the first victim of Duminy's hat-trick. Off-spinner Duminy dimissed Mathews (19) in the final delivery of the 32nd over. In his first two deliveries of his next over, Nuwan Kulasekara (1) and Tharindhu Kaushal (2).
Duminy became the second in the tournament and the eighth bowler to claim a hat-trick in World Cup history.
Meanwhile, Morne Morkel removed Sangakkara, while Tahir bagged the wickets of young all-rounder Thisara Perera (0) and Lasith Malinga (3).
Brief scores: Sri Lanka 133 all out in 37.2 overs (Kumar Sangakkara 45, Imran Tahir 4-26, Jean-Paul Duminy 3-29) vs South Africa.
A conspiracy is being hatched from eight cities in Canada to fuel the Khalistani campaign in Punj
Samsung Galaxy A13 and A23 launched in India, Galaxy M33 5G will knock on this day
Samsung has launched 2 new cheap smartphones Samsung Galaxy A13 And Galaxy A23 4G in India. Both
Odisha faces Disturbance, Roads were Blocked by Burning Tyres at Bharat Bandh
The Tamil Nadu tourist was shocked when they saw congress workers suddenley starts
Afghan Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Baradar held hostage by Haqqani network, Akhundzada put to death
Shocking reports have come to the fore during the ongoing power struggle within the Taliban. The
The Archies Trailer And Shah Rukh Khan: Suhana Khan, daughter of Hindi cinema superstar Shah Rukh
Spiritual guru Mahant Swami Maharaj of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha arrived in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday
Will the relationship between Sri Lanka and Pakistan be a challenge for India
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has reached Colombo on a two-day visit to Sri Lanka.
&
PM Modi US Visit: Prime Minister Modi left for his four-day US visit on Tuesday. PM Modi will be
Central banks around the world are aggressively raising interest rates to control rising inflatio
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat was invited to attend the consecration cere
