Sri Lanka fall short by 70 runs

CAPE TOWN, March 23: Two wickets off successive deliveries by Allan Donald with second new ball set up a 70-run victory for South Africa on ...

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CAPE TOWN, March 23: Two wickets off successive deliveries by Allan Donald with second new ball set up a 70-run victory for South Africa on the fifth day of the first Test against Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka chasing 377 to win, were all out for 306 when South African new cap Makhaya Ntini bowled P Wickramasinghe after the tailender had made a defiant 51.

Sri Lanka had advanced to 234 for five when Donald, in his second over with the new ball, trapped Hashan Tillakratne lbw for 13, ending a 59-run partnership with Romesh Kaluwitharana.

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New batsman Chaminda Vaas was caught behind off the next ball for a naught, although television replays indicated he may not have touched the ball with his bat.

In the next over, Shaun Pollock bowled Kaluwitharana, who had hammered 45 off 60 balls, with the batsman getting an inside edge onto his stumps after being forced on backfoot.

At 239 for eight, Sri Lanka’s cause was hopeless but Wickramasinghe went on the attack against the fast bowlers, hammering a 39-ball fiftybefore South Africa clinched victory with 37.5 overs to spare, 28 minutes before tea.Resuming at 120 for three on the final morning, Sri Lanka defied the South African bowlers for 74 minutes before left-arm spinner Paul Adams made a crucial breakthrough. Adam dismissed Maravan Atapattu caught and bowled for 71.

SCOREBOARD

South Africa (1st innings): 418

Sri Lanka (1st innings): 306

South Africa (2nd innings): 264

Sri Lanka (2nd innings): S Jayasuriya lbw Donald 0, M Atapattu c and b Adams 71, R Mahanama c Kallis b Pollock 11, A de Silva c Kallis b Adams 37, A Ranatunga c Kirsten b Kallis 43, H Tillakaratne lbw Donald 13, R Kaluwitharana b Pollock 45, C Vaas c Boucher b Donald 0, P Wickremasinghe b Nitni 51 M Muralitharan run out 10, R Pushpakumara not out 9. Extras: (b-5, lb-3, nb-8) 16. Total: (all out in 95.3 overs): 306.

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Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-27, 3-98, 4-171, 5-175, 6-234, 7-234, 8-239, 9-287.

Bowling: Donald 20-4-64-3, Pollock 23-3-77-2, Kallis 15-5-45-1, Ntini 5.3-0-17-1, Adams27-3-90-2, Cronje 5-3-5-0.

Result: South Africa won by 70 runs.