Sri Lanka have chosen to bowl in the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy encounter against South Africa (39/0) at The Oval. The side will be led by Upul Tharanga, with Angelo Mathews out of this match due to injury. The Proteas have a 2-1 head-to-head record against Sri Lanka in the ICC Champions Trophy. Catch live cricket score of South Africa vs Sri Lanka here. (LIVE SCORECARD | LIVE STREAMING INFO)
15:58 hrs IST: Asela Gunaratne now
15:57 hrs IST: FOUR! Excellent from de Kock. Overpitched from Pradeep and the southpaw hits it well to wide long-on boundary. South Africa are 39/0 after 11 overs.
15:54 hrs IST: Pradeep to continue
15:53 hrs IST: Lakmal completes his five overs. South Africa are 32/0 after 10 overs.
15:51 hrs IST: FOUR! Length ball from Lakmal, Amla gets into position and flicks it to deep mid-wicket for his first boundary.
15:47 hrs IST: Magnificent start from Pradeep. South Africa are 28/0 after 9 overs. Amla 13*, de Kock 12*
15:44 hrs IST: Here comes the first change in bowling – Nuwan Pradeep.
15:43 hrs IST: Get a feeling it’s advantage South Africa despite the slow start. They are yet to lose a wicket.
15:39 hrs IST: Dot ball to finish off from Malinga. South Africa are 24/0 after 7 overs.
15:36 hrs IST: FOUR! Slower delivery from Malinga, fuller length, de Kock slices it through cover-point for his first boundary.
15:34 hrs IST: Six overs and South Africa (18/0) still searching for their first boundary. The lowest powerplay score in the tournament so far.
DO YOU KNOW - This is the 66th ODI between South Africa and Sri Lanka and fourth in the Champions Trophy.
15:28 hrs IST: And Malinga continues to keep it tight. South Africa are 12/0 after 5 overs. Amla 6*, de Kock 4*
15:26 hrs IST: Malinga relying more on his slow off-cutters. Both batsmen finding it tough to score the big ones.
15:25 hrs IST: Malinga to continue
15:24 hrs IST: Excellent over from Lakmal. Just a run off it. South Africa are 11/0 after 4 overs.
15:21 hrs IST: de Kock helps a length delivery to mid-off for a quick single. Moves to 3 off 15. Struggling to find gaps (as of now).
15:17 hrs IST: Another brilliant over from Malinga. No margin of error. South Africa are 10/0 after 3 overs.
15:14 hrs IST: Fifteen balls and the Proteas are yet to score a boundary.
15:12 hrs IST: Tidy over from Lakmal. Only three runs off it. South Africa are 6/0 after 2 overs.
STAT ATTACK – The last time Sri Lanka beat South Africa in ODIs was on July 9,2014 at Pallekele when they recorded a 87-run victory.
15:08 hrs IST: Suranga Lakmal comes into the attack – from over the wicket.
15:06 hrs IST: Still a decent start from Malinga. South Africa are 3/0 after first over.
15:05 hrs IST: Two wide deliveries from Malinga. Struggling to find his rhythm.
15:03 hrs IST: Amla off the mark. On his pads and the South African works it to long leg for a single.
15:02 hrs IST: Good length delivery to start off from Malinga.
15:00 hrs IST: It’s time for live action. Quinton de Kock and Hashim Amla make their way out in the middle. Malinga to bowl the first over.
14:55 hrs IST: Both teams lineup for the national anthems.
14:45 hrs IST: Here are the playing XIs. Lasith Malinga is back playing an ODI after almost two years. Will he continue to be fit as the tournament progresses?
Sri Lanka: Upul Tharanga(c), Niroshan Dickwella(w), Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Perera, Chamara Kapugedera, Asela Gunaratne, Seekkuge Prasanna, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Lasith Malinga
South Africa: Quinton de Kock(w), Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers(c), David Miller, Jean-Paul Duminy, Chris Morris, Wayne Parnell, Kagiso Rabada, Morne Morkel, Imran Tahir
14:43 hrs IST: This is an interview with a twist. JP Duminy has a fun session with AB de Villiers. You can watch this video here.
?️ A pre-match interview with a twist… @jpduminy21 chats to @abdevilliers17 ahead of their first #CT17 fixture! pic.twitter.com/U2h6WDiljZ
— ICC (@ICC) June 3, 2017
14:34 hrs IST: Sri Lanka have won the toss and have chosen to bowl vs South Africa. No Angelo Mathews in the side. Lasith Malinga is back while for South Africa, Morne Morkel retains his place.
14:26 hrs IST: Another tournament, another quest for South Africa to break the hoodoo of an ICC event. Will AB de Villiers win an ICC trophy in his lifetime?
14:19 hrs IST: Sri Lanka have had happy memories of The Oval. They secured their first Test win in England in 1998. Who can forget Muttiah Muralitharan’s 16-wicket magic that bamboozled England? Memories!
14:17 hrs IST: Although South Africa have momentum, they can’t afford to take Sri Lanka lightly. In the 2009 Champions Trophy, Sri Lanka tamed the lion in their own den as they defeated South Africa in a rain-hit encounter in Centurion.
14:12 hrs IST: AB de Villiers’ side have won their last seven ODI encounters against Sri Lanka. This included a 5-0 drubbing in the ODIs in South Africa. Can they sustain their winning momentum today?
14:10 hrs IST: A warm welcome to HT’s live coverage of ICC CT 2017 game between South Africa and Sri Lanka from The Oval. This is the first Group B encounter and heading into this match, the Proteas are clear favourites.
Although they lost an ODI series against England, South Africa head into the contest against Sri Lanka high on confidence. Their recent record against the team has been marvellous, having won their last seven encounters. However, AB de Villiers will not take Sri Lanka lightly, having lost their last Champions Trophy encounter in 2009 in Centurion.
Key players
For South Africa, AB de Villiers is the X-factor in the side. His innovative batting can change the course of the game immediately. Combined with the bowling efficiency of Kagiso Rabada and the guile of Morne Morkel, this team has depth in all departments.
With the absence of Angelo Mathews, Sri Lanka’s hopes rest on Dinesh Chandimal and Kusal Mendis. With Lasith Malinga back in the ODI set-up, the team’s relatively inexperienced bowling has gotten a boost.
Quotes
They have a lot of match winners on their team – South Africa skipper AB de Villiers on why he won’t take Sri Lanka lightly
A lot of his knowledge and what he knows about the South Africans, he shared the information, especially with the bowlers – Sri Lankan batsman Upul Tharanga on Allan Donald as bowling coach.
Source: HindustanTimes