South Africa clinch T20I series with thriller against Sri Lanka
The Sri Lankan bowlers rallied well, Shashikala Siriwardana returning an impressive 2/12 and Inoka Ranaweera 2/15, but another priceless contribution from Dane van Niekerk made the chase possible, and a mature effort from Jade de Klerk helped shepherd her side to an unassailable 2-0 lead.
The tourists lost the toss and were put in on Sunday, 3 February, in the second Twenty20 International. A 50-run stand between Imalka Mendis (12) and Siriwardana lifted Sri Lanka from a precarious position to a competitive one, having dipped to 8/2 courtesy of two early scalps from Marizanne Kapp.
Chamari Athapaththu then added 20, before Siriwardana took it to her opponents, notching five boundaries for her impressive 38.
Unbelievable finish in Johannesburg!
— ICC (@ICC) February 3, 2019
South Africa win by two wickets with just one ball to spare to go up 2-0 in the series. The ⭐ with the bat was Dane van Niekerk with 33 from just 19 balls at the top of the order #SAvSL pic.twitter.com/AJF55sul5K
Luus entered the fray with things looking ominous for the home side, but she dislodged both Mendis and Siriwardana in the same over, before tearing through the Sri Lankan lower order. Athapaththu’s team collapsed from 89/3 after 15 overs to 105 all out in the 20th, Luus picking up 5/14 and the final six batters all amassing single figure scores.
It was her second career T20I five-wicket haul, making her only the second woman after Anisa Mohammad to have as many.
— ICC (@ICC) February 3, 2019
South Africa made a decent start to their reply, batting up with the run-rate but losing their top order along the way, van Niekerk the victim of an Achini Kulasuriya caught and bowled for an exciting 19-ball 31. Tazmin Brits (10) and Kapp (7) then fell in quick succession as the Sri Lankan bowlers squeezed excellently, South Africa reaching 55/3 at the halfway stage.
The middle order was fragile, Lara Goodall the highlight with a useful 17, but fortunately for the hosts the runs did not subside alongside the fall of wickets. De Klerk marshalled her side to the final over with eight runs required and No.10 Masabata Klaas for company. A drive through the covers from de Klerk yielded four after some dynamic running had halved the deficit, and South Africa edged home with a ball remaining.
While they have conceded the series, Sri Lanka will be looking to bounce back with a win in the final bout on Wednesday, 6 February.