Langeveldt spoils Malinga show

World Cup Classics: South Africa v Sri Lanka - Super Eights, Providence Stadium, Guyana, 28 March 2007

This match should not have gone to the wire especially when South Africa required just 4 runs with 5 wickets in hand but Malinga took four wickets in four balls and almost burgled their party. While South Africans threatened to choke again, the Sri Lankans could not take advantage of a pitch that suited them heavily.

Sri Lanka chose to bat first on a sluggish wicket. Makhaya Ntini got Tharanga in the slips cheaply but Jayasuriya after a cautious start got in his groove with a flurry of fours. Charl Langeveldt came on to bowl and met with immediate success as he first got the danger-man Jayasuriya for 26 and then foxed captain Jayawerdene with a slower one. Sangakkara who was looking set at the crease departed after making 28 followed soon by in-form Chamara Silva who was brilliantly run out by Gibbs in Rhodes-style. At 98 for 5 in the 25th over, Sri Lanka needed a solid partnership which was provided by Dilshan and Russel Arnold. They put on vital 97-run stand for the 5th wicket. These two had provided good momentum for late order hitting but fall of Dilshan for a well made 58 (76 balls, 4 fours) triggered a dramatic collapse for Sri Lanka. Arnold too fell after reaching his 50 attempting a slog off Langeveldt. Langeveldt got two more wickets in the 49th over which was also a maiden. He finished with 5 for 39. They lost their last 5 wickets for just 14 runs to finish at a disappointing below-par 209 all out in 49.3 overs.

South Africa were confident of chasing despite being wary of Sri Lankan spinners on the slow track. Chaminda Vaas, the swing master, shattered deVilliers’s stumps with a beauty in the first over. Captain Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis negotiated the early burst from Vaas and Malinga and put on 95 for the second wicket. Kallis gave a tough chance to Jayewardene in the slips early on but as he settled in the crease Smith went after the bowling. Smith was eventually stumped off a Muralitharan sucker-ball for 59 (65 balls, 7 fours, 1 six) in the 18th over. Gibbs carried on the good work until he was caught and bowled by Murali for 31. Murali removed Boucher through LBW next ball to bring his team back into contention once again. But South Africa kept Sri Lankan spinners at bay for quite a while and slowly came out on top again. Malinga had a chance to remove Kallis but he dropped a tough return catch when the batsman was on 75.

Lasith ‘Slinga’ Malinga came back for his 3rd spell to bowl the 45th over. He bowled four yorker-length deliveries, the second one going for a four, to Shaun Pollock who was then flummoxed by a slower one to get clean-bowled. Andrew Hall scooped a catch to the cover fielder on the 6th delivery which again was a yorker. The Sri Lankans were fighting although it still looked like a lost cause. But in his next over the game seemed to turn on its head when he got his hat-trick by removing the top-scorer Kallis. Kallis departed caught behind for 86 off 110 balls that included 4 fours. Next delivery was a searing yorker which cannoned into the stumps leaving a bewildered Ntini shell-shocked. This was the first time a bowler had taken four in four in ODIs. Sri Lankans were celebrating while South Africans were on verge of a shocking defeat. Next ball just shaved past the off-stump. Under tremendous pressure, Langeveldt and Robin Petersen stole 2 singles to round off a stunning over from Malinga. With 2 runs needed Vaas bowled a threatening next over giving nothing away. Malinga came back to finish the job but Petersen edged past the slips for four to win the match for his team. It was a tense finish to a match which was in South Africa’s grasp for most of the time. Malinga, who was expensive early on, came back wonderfully to take 4 for 54 while Murali finished with 3 for 34. Langeveldt and Malinga both were awarded the Man of the Match for their brilliant bowling efforts.

It was almost a day-light robbery by Malinga but the Proteas heaved a huge sigh of relief when they averted the defeat and the choker’s tag seemed to shirk them on that occasion at least.
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