Van Niekerk stars in seven-wicket thrashing to give SA series lead
The South African skipper first starred with the ball, collecting figures of 3/12 from her four overs, before smashing 71 from just 55 balls to help her side chase the target of 91 with 5.4 overs still left to play.
Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat, enjoying a relatively solid start, as they kept the South African pace duo of Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail at bay. The only wicket to fall in the first 10 overs was that of wicketkeeper Anushka Sanjeewani, who fell victim to Masabata Klaas for a run-a-ball innings of nine.
Having approached the half-way point of their innings placed on 44/1, Sri Lanka would have been keen to accelerate proceedings. It wasn’t to pan out that way as Hasini Perera (27) top-edged a sweep off of van Niekerk into the hands of Lara Goodall at fine-leg. It signalled the beginning of a collapse.
The leg-spin of van Niekerk was at the heart of it, as she removed both Shashikala Siriwardene (6) and Chamari Atapattu (7) to have Sri Lanka 51/4 after 13 overs. While wickets fell continuously throughout the rest of the innings, the only saving grace for the Sri Lankans was a 24-ball 25 from Imalka Mendis. The innings finished with Sri Lanka 90/8, van Niekerk’s three wickets supported by two strikes from Klaas and one for Tumi Sekhukhune.
FOUR & that's 50 up for the SA skipper! It's from 40 balls including 10 fours. SA currently 75/3 after 11 overs. #ProteasWomen #AlwaysRising pic.twitter.com/mlVEI52R8q
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) February 1, 2019
Van Niekerk’s domination over the Sri Lankans wasn’t to end there. She single-handedly took her side to the win with the bat, her innings featuring a monumental 13 boundaries. The second-highest score of the innings was Tazmin Brits’ 10, highlighting the individual brilliance of van Niekerk.
South Africa lead the series 1-0, with the second match to take place on Sunday in Potchefstroom.
