75 overs Sri Lanka 150 for 2 (Sangakkara 40*, Chandimal 9*) need another 163 runs to beat South Africa 312 for 4 (de Villiers 125*, Smith 125)
Lonwabo Tsotsobe dismissed the well-set opening pair to even the score © AFP
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Players/Officials: AB de Villiers | Graeme Smith
Matches: South Africa v Sri Lanka at Johannesburg
Series/Tournaments: Sri Lanka tour of South Africa
Teams: South Africa | Sri Lanka
Upul Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan gave Sri Lanka the start they needed in their challenging chase of 313, but Lonwabo Tsotsobe dismissed both the well-set batsmen to keep South Africa just in front. Sri Lanka's task was further complicated by the need to keep one eye on the Duckworth-Lewis par score, with the looming threat of more rain after a thunderstorm caused nearly an hour's break in play.
Knowing that rain was around, Sri Lanka came out determined to make a big start so that they could remain ahead if it came down to the par score. Dilshan was his usual mix of plays-and-misses, on-the-up drives and whips. Tharanga was his usual self as well, timing the ball effortlessly through the off side after Morne Morkel dropped a sharp return chance with the batsman on 8. He even drove Tsotsobe one-handed for six over deep extra cover. Sri Lanka had raced to 56 when the rain finally arrived in the eighth over.
The superb drainage facilities at The Wanderers allowed play to resume quickly after a heavy shower. Greeted with a quickened drying outfield and the ball coming better on to the bat, Tharanga launched Tsotsobe for consecutive fours on resumption. Two deliveries later, Tsotsobe slipped in the slower one, and Tharanga sliced his lofted stroke for JP Duminy to hold on a sensational catch, diving after running back from cover.
Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara kept Sri Lanka comfortably ahead of the par score but Tsotsobe struck again, having Dilshan edging an attempted steer off a short ball to the wicketkeeper. Sangakkara kept finding the odd boundary to ensure that the asking rate did not gallop away.
50 overs South Africa 312 for 4 (de Villiers 125*, Smith 125) v Sri Lanka
AB de Villiers pounded Sri Lanka in the death overs © AFP
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Graeme Smith overcame a scratchy start to biff his first ODI hundred since September 2009; AB de Villers carried on his superb form in the series to breeze to his first hundred as captain. South Africa blasted 209 runs in the second half of their innings, and 109 off the final ten overs, to surge past 300 as Sri Lanka's bowling fell apart after a tight first half. The partnership of 186 between Smith and de Villiers was the second-highest in an ODI between South Africa and Sri Lanka.
As he had done in the fourth ODI, de Villiers put on an incredible display of boundary-hitting; he had targeted extra cover against the spinners in Kimberley, now he added fine leg against the medium-pacers at The Wanderers. He repeatedly scooped deliveries from three feet outside off stump over short fine leg. Two such outrageous strokes off Thisara Perera sailed for six. To show that nothing was beyond him, he played the shot almost from the edge of the pitch even against Lasith Malinga.
Smith took an eternity to find his range, but when he did, he peppered the midwicket boundary with four sixes, all against the offspin of Sachithra Senanayake, and did not spare Malinga as well.
There was no sign in the first half of the innings of what was to come later. South Africa had been kept down to 103 for 2 in 25 overs, with their latest experiment at the No. 3 position, Faf du Plessis, not working, and Smith struggling to find his timing. There had been bounce and some initial movement for the fast bowlers and the runs weren't coming.
It was de Villiers who signalled the shift, launching Tillakaratne Dilshan's first ball of the 26th over for six over midwicket. Smith, who had plodded to 57 off 90 deliveries, took the cue and slog-swept Senanayake for six more. The duo had almost doubled the score from 70 for 2 when de Villiers decided to take the batting Powerplay in the 32nd over.
Smith began the Powerplay with a sliced four behind point off Malinga. de Villiers took over after that. Kulasekara was scooped for four and Malinga's slower bouncer was pulled behind square leg. Smith mowed Kulasekara down the ground as South Africa took 44 off the batting Powerplay.
Smith soon got to his hundred with a typical nudge on the leg side and The Wanderers did not hold back the applause for their Test captain. He fell to Malinga on 125 to a brilliant leaping catch by Dinesh Chandimal at midwicket. An over earlier, Dilshan had spilled a much simpler catch off de Villiers at extra cover. de Villiers was on 84 then, he finished unbeaten on 125; Malinga finished with a return of 2 for 79.
It was Malinga who had delivered the early breakthrough for Sri Lanka, producing the outside edge to wide slip in his second over as Alviro Petersen pushed at one leaving him. Malinga also troubled the promoted du Plessis but Dilshan removed him from the attack after three overs.
There was no respite for du Plessis, though, as he shuffled and walked down the pitch to no avail against the medium-pace of Kulasekara and Angelo Mathews. It was his first innings at No. 3 in an ODI, and he looked thoroughly uncomfortable. He seemed to have found some confidence when he charged out to loft Perera over extra cover but found long-on in the next over to give Senanayake his maiden ODI wicket.
Smith's half-century in Kimberley had been purposeful; the intent was there today as well, but he was mistiming the ball more often than not initially, as he has been prone to recently. He tried backing away outside leg, shuffling across, but the timing just wasn't there. His first boundary was an inside edge through his legs past leg gully. To his credit, was prepared to bat uglier than usual. South Africa won't mind having both captains in form ahead of the tours of New Zealand and England.
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