Date-stamped : 03 Nov93 - 05:55 South Africa vs Sri Lanka 1st One Day International, Sunday 22 August 1993 Played at Asgira Stadium, Kandy, Sri Lanka It was a hot and humid day with a lot of cloud cover. There was always possibility of rain interrupting the match. This did materialise on quite a few occasions before and during the game. Due to the rain, and excessive moisture on the pitch the match was started 1 hour later. The outfield was not very fast and neither was it too slow but it was soft. The pitch wasn't what would be expected of a one day pitch with a lot of variable bounce and spin playing an important role as the day wore on. The biggest winner on the day was the rain which finally forced the match to be called off. After winning the toss, Wessels put SL into bat because of the chances of rain later during the day. SL got off to a good start helped by wayward bowling from the RSA opening attack. The RSA bowlers were punished severly for straying down leg and off by both the umpires (by calling wides) and the batsman (by hitting boundaries). After an very good opening partnership by Mahanama and Hathurusinghe, Mahanama was run out with a direct hit on the stumps by Jonty Rhodes after catching Mahanama stranded in the middle of the pitch. Shortly thereafter, Huthursinghe was caught by Cullinan. Thereafter the players left the field due to a sudden downpour, and the match which was reduced by 4 overs per side to 46 overs (due to the late), was again further reduced by an over a side to a 45 over match. However, after coming back on, the South Africa bowlers, Cronje and Symcox continued from where they had left off, and continued to tie down the SL bowlers and showed the faster bowlers how things should be done. Cronje was not rewarded with a wicket for his efforts however. Symcox on the hand revelled in his debut and was directly involved in 4 of the 5 dismissals (the 4 coming off his bowling). After Symcox had wrecked havoc in the SL upper order, captain Ranatunga and Gurusinha stabilised the innings with a partnership of 44 runs in as many balls. With the rain starting to come down again (out of nowhere), Ranatunga was dismissed by Snell of a delivery by RSA speedster Alan Donald. When the players left the field this time, they stayed off, and the umpires declared that after lunch RSA have to score 180 in 42 overs. It should be pointed out, that the RSA out cricket was not as good as is accustomed, and they made a lot of lapses especially allowing the SL batsman to make them make mistakes which resulted in misfields. Perhaps its the lack of match practice, but lets hope that they come right soon. Coming back after lunch, RSA needed to first ensure that they were above the required scoring rate of 4.31 runs per over after 20 overs to ensure that they would not lose the match if the rain disrupted the match, but more importantly they needed to score 86 runs after 20 overs. After having faced the 1st over from Wickremasinghe (which was a maiden), the players left the field again due to rain. Coming back after the rain had subisided, the target for RSA was now 145 runs in 34 overs. RSA got off to a slow start and were soon struggling to get the SL attack away. Hudson trying to force the pace, was bowled, and along came Vice Captain Cronje to join his captain out in the middle. Wessels departed not to long after this, leaving a considerable task of getting 120 runs in 26 overs and the rain threatening to appear at any minute. After yet another break for rain, and RSA in further trouble at 38/2 in the 10th over the players left the field only to return with RSA set the task of scoring 107 runs in 25 overs (effective 79 in 15 overs). However with the departure of Cullinan and Cronje, both trying to force the pace, Rhodes and McMillan were out in the middle. Although playing riskily, they made sure that the scoreboard continued ticking, but it was only a matter of time before either of them were to depart. Depart they did, but this time, not as a result of a dismissal, but because of rain. With them having to come back in no more than 10 minutes to ensure that the game finishes before the 17:00 finish and to ensure that the minimum of 20 overs is delivered, the rain held out and the match was abandonded as a draw. HISTORICAL EVENTS 1. Pat Symcox (RSA) makes his international debut. 2. Mahanama reaches 2000 runs in ODI's PERSONAL NOTE: It seems that the RSA players are very rusty coming out of a winter and not having played any major games. I find it fool hardy that they agreed to play this ODI with no limited overs matches before hand. The SL bowlers, dont have the vemon that I expected them to have considering that they were on home turf and knew the conditions intimately. They seemed to be just going through the paces - especially when its known that the RSA batsmen dont cope well with pace. Also, the field placings by Wessels (RSA Captain) were not attacking enough - especially when Symcox was bowling so well, it might have been an option to take a gamble and bring in a slip fielder or any other similarly placed person close to the bat, so that the batsman could have been placed under some pressure - as it is, the SL batsmen were under no pressure when they were batting from the fielders. Sri Lanka: 13 * 13 12 * 12 11 * * 11 R 10 * * 10 9 * * * 9 U 8 * * * * 8 7 * * * * * * 7 N 6 * * * * * * ** * * 6 5 ** *** * * * * * * **** * * 5 S 4 *** *** ****** * ** * * **** *** 4 3 **** *** ************ ***** **** *** 3 2 ***** *** *****************w*** **** *** 2 1 ***************************ww****w******w* 1 1 2 3 4 OVERS 12345678901234567890123456789012345678901. South Africa: R 10 * 10 9 * 9 U 8 * 8 7 * * 7 N 6 * * 6 5 * * * * 5 S 4 * * ** * * * 4 3 * **** * *** 3 2 ** ******w*** 2 1 **w***w**w*** 1 1 OVERS 12345678901234 Key: * - Indicates 1 run w - Indicates 1 run plus 1 wicket taken in the over W - Indicates 1 wicket and no runs taken in the over. Contributed by Reporter (fkhan@daisy.ee.und.ac.za) ======== MORE First one-dayer no decision BERNIE WIJESEKERA, reporting from the Asgiriya Stadium The first one-day international between Sri Lanka and the visiting South African team after several stoppages due to fickle conditions, which warranted the use of the calculator was finally called off 25 minutes before the scheduled close - 5.15 pm here yesterday. Sri Lanka batting first scored 179 for 5, in 41.3 overs with four stoppages in the Lankan innings. While in the SA innings play was halted twice. Finally the S. Africans had to make 107 in 25 overs and were 52 for 4 in 14 overs when the rains came down again with the visitors requiring 55 runs to win in 11 overs with six wickets intact. Hansie Cronje lashed 22 runs in 33 balls before he was well held by Mahanama (with 2 fours) to give Muralidaran his second wicket. Earlier batting in a state of confusion 40 for 4. Jonty Rhodes was on 8 n.o. (with a four in 14 balls) and McMillan on 3, when play was called off by the umpires. Aravinda de Silva 2 for 28 and M. Muralidaran 2 for 6 shared the wickets. Sent in to bat by S.A. skipper Kepler Wessels and helped by an entertaining opening stand of 110 runs in 107 mts. between Roshan Mahanama 49 and Chandika Hathurusinghe 51 runs, Sri Lanka made 179 for 5 in 41.3 overs when rain caused the third stoppage after an hour's delay in the morning. Firstly, the match was reduced to 46 overs a side. But when the final downpour came the match which was reduced to 44 overs, and was further reduced to 42 overs when play was stopped for lunch at 1.42 pm. Mahanama and Hathurusinghe batting with assurance played the volatile SA bowling with confidence. lnitially, Mahamana looked the more dominating partner, when he clipped Donald for four, to the square-leg boundary in the bowler's first over bowling from the Hunnasgiriya end, while De Villers operating from the press box end. Both bowlers tended to bowl wayward and there were 5 wides in the first six overs. Mahanama on 17 was lucky to survive a run out. The sun came out in the 10th over and was greeted with a superb square-cut by Hathuru off De Villers for 4 in the bowler's third over. "Hathuru", finding touch whipped McMillan for an elegant four, through mid-wicket to hoist the 50 in 13.4 overs in 55 mts. 'Hathuru' timing his shots well scored his 50 in 81 balls (with 5 fours, in 102 mts), and the 100 runs came in 36.4 overs against some tight and accurate SA bowling. With the total at 110 Hathurusinghe departed when he was well held at mid-wicket by Cullinan for 51 runs. The South African fielding was extra-ordinary, with Jonty Rhodes the toast of all the fans. Mahanama on 49, was brilliantly run-out by Rhodes. Roshan 49 (had 3 fours in 95 balls, in 116 Aravinda, de Silva, who came at No. 3 slot failed to get going, when Symcox induced him to play a shot at mid- wicket for Rhodes to pocket it for two runs. Ranatunga, came in at the fall of this wicket found it doubly difficult to accelerate the run-rate, where the South Africans gave nothing away. Sanath Jayasuriya, who came in for a quick bash, but failed. Jayasuriya, to his dismay was run out at the bowler's end. Gurusinha, joined the captain. The pair collected runs briskly and Arjuna lifted Snell for a six over long on and scored 13 runs in this over. Ranatunga was out caught at deep third man by Snell off Donald for a spicy 29 (2 fouts and a six, in 32 balls). Gurusinha was 22 n.o. with 3 fours in 35 balls. Off-spinner Symcox was the most successful bowler with 2 for 28, in 9 overs. With just one over bowled by Wickremasinghe, a maiden, the players had to scamper to the pavilion due to rain. Finally again it was reduced to 107 runs in 25 overs, after the fourth stoppage. Wickremasinghe opened the bowling, his first over a maiden, to Hudson. Aravinda de Silva who opened the attack, in his second had Hudson bowled when the batsman attempted to back cut for 6-9 for 1. 'Ara' got his second wicket caught by Ranatunga that of Wessels for 4. 'Ara' got 2 for 28 in 5 overs. Thanks to Information Engineers Inc. Contributed by nish (nish@*chem.purdue.edu)