Hello and welcome to Sportstar's highlights of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 warm-up match between South Africa and Sri Lanka at Cardiff.
◙ Tahir finishes things off with a googly as he traps Lakmal in front. A DRS had been called for but the "Umpire's Call" prevails. Sri Lanka 251 after 42.3 overs.
◙ WICKET! The domino effect comes back to haunt Sri Lanka. It is Vandersay this time who has to walk, victim to a sharp catch by JP Duminy at backward point. Sri Lanka 245/9 after 41.3 overs.
◙ And another one bites the dust! Caught at deep square-leg by Markram, who has had a good day at the field today. Siriwardana follows Mathews back to the dugout. Phehlukwayo gets his fourth. Sri Lanka 236/8 after 40 overs.
◙ Is it all over for SL now? JP Duminy does what he had been brought in for: providing a breakthrough! After being hammered for a six over long-on, Duminy tosses one up and Mathews, who dances down the wicket to take on him, gets an edge which sees the ball land safely in the hands of Chris Morris who takes a wonderful catch while running backwards at deep extra cover. Sri Lanka 235/7 after 39 overs.
◙ BOWLED! Dhananjaya de Silva departs now. He managed to score just five runs off 17 balls before Phehlukwayo got him with the slower ball. Sri Lanka in some serious trouble now. The required runs rate is nearing 10 now. Sri Lanka 199/5 after 35.2 overs.
◙ Angelo Mathews scores his fifty off 57 balls, with a single off Shamsi's delivery. Is he the key to a Sri Lankan victory here?
◙ Umpire Richard Illingworth turns an LBW appeal down but Lungi Ngidi manages to convince Faf du Plessis to call for a review. The DRS shows a thick inside edge on to DM de Silva's pads. What was Ngidi thinking? NOT OUT! Sri Lanka 182/4 after 32 overs. 157 runs required from 18 overs now. Will the Lankans be able to do it? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.
◙ And there is the big fish in the net! Dimuth Karunaratne goes for a pull shot on a Rabada bouncer but ends up mistiming it to the deep square leg fielder. Aiden Markram isn't one who would drop sitters like these. Sri Lanka 170/4 after 29.3 overs.
◙ 44 runs come from the last five overs as Sri Lanka moves to 148/3 after 25 overs. Both Mathews and Karunaratne keep the run flowing. Pretorius and Tahir have gone for 23 runs in the last two overs.
◙ Sri Lankan skipper Karunaratne must be thanking his stars! He tries to work it to the leg side but gets a thick edge and the ball loops towards mid-on, but the fielder couldn't quite hold on to the catch. Sri Lanka 98/3 at the end of 20 overs, trails by 241 runs. Karunaratne 45*, Mathews 7*.
◙ Sri Lanka has suffered a setback in Mendis' dismissal. Mendis and Karunaratne looked in great touch and added 62, but the former's departure means Karunaratne will now look to extend his stay at the crease with Mathews. Sri Lanka 83/3 after 15 overs, trailing by 257 runs.
◙ WICKET! Mendis misreads the ball and is caught plumb LBW. Phehlukwayo strikes and Sri Lanka is now 72/3 after 13.1 overs. Angelo Mathews is the new man in.
◙ Mendis hits Kagiso Rabada for three boundaries to bring up the fifty for Sri Lanka. The duo of Mendis and Karunaratne have added 43 runs for the third wicket so far. Sri Lanka 53/2 after 10 overs.
◙ Sri Lanka is on the backfoot after losing two early wickets. Skipper Karunaratne and Kusal Perera and will have to put up a strong partnership to ensure the Sri Lankans have a chance in this game. Sri Lanka 17/2 after 5 overs.
◙ NGIDI STRIKES AGAIN! Ngidi bowls it just outside the off stump and Thirimanne latches at it, but cannot get the desired result. He picks out Miller at cover point and Sri Lanka has been reduced to 14/2 after 2.1 overs.
◙ OUT! Sri Lanka gets off to a disastrous start as Lungi Ngidi strikes off the second delivery of the innings! He bowls it short and Kusal Perera tries to guide it over cover but ends up offering Miller an easy catch. Sri Lanka 1/1 after 1 over. Lahiru Thirimanne will join Karunaratne at the crease.
◙ That's the end of the South Africa's innings. The pair of Morris and Pretorius added 52 for the eighth wicket to power South Africa to an imposing total of 338/7. The Sri Lankan bowling looked toothless initially but eventually came back with regular wickets, but wasn't enough to stop the Proteas from getting past 300. A steep target of 339 runs awaits the Sri Lankan batsmen when they walk out for the run-chase.
◙ Morris caresses one to the boundary and that brings up the 300 for South Africa. A telling sign of what to expect at the World Cup?
◙ Uh oh, another injury concern for Sri Lanka! Pacer Isuru Udana seems to have injured his wrist. Udana bowls the slower one and Pretorius whacks it right back at him and while Sri Lankan managed to protect his face, the ball strikes his wrist. He's in visible pain and has left the field.
◙ WICKET! Pradeep bowls a quicker short one and Phehlukwayo goes for the pull but all he gets is a top-edge that is easily taken by Vandersay. South Africa now 286/7.
◙ The Sri Lankan bowling department has done fairly well, conceding only 26 runs and picking up a wicket in the last five overs. South Africa is at 275/6 at the end of 45 overs. Phehlukwayo 27*, Pretorius 6*.
◙ WICKET! And it's the short ball that's got Sri Lanka the wicket again. Lakmal bowls a short one angling into the batsman and Duminy tries to hoick it towards the leg side but gets an edge and it's an easy catch for the wicketkeeper. South Africa now 259/6 after 41.1 overs. Dwaine Pretorius is the new man in.
◙ Opening batsman Avishka Fernando's injury could spell doom for Sri Lanka ahead of the World Cup. More on his injury here - Avishka taken off on a stretcher following injury
◙ Ten overs to go and South Africa is at 249/5 at the end of 40 overs. Phehlukwayo on 11, while Duminy is on 18. Surely, the Proteas will look to accelerate the scoring in the remaining overs and aim to cross the 300-run mark.
◙ WICKET! The short ball does the trick as van der Dussen tries to pull it but only manages a thick edge. Dhananjaya de Silva races towards the ball from deep squareleg and takes a fine diving catch to bag his side's fifth wicket. South Africa 228/5 after 36 overs. Duminy 8*, Phehlukwayo 0*.
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◙ WICKET! Sri Lankan skipper Karunaratne takes a stunning catch to dismiss Miller. The South African charged down the wicket in an attempt to clear the boundary but failed to get the desired elevation and Karunaratne dives to his right to take a phenomenal catch. South Africa 211/4 after 32 overs. Dussen 31*, Duminy 0*
◙ Miller takes a single to bring up the 200 for South Africa. The Proteas' batting line up has looked in great touch today, with Amla and du Plessis posting half centuries each. South Africa 200/3 after 30 overs. Dussen 31*, Miller 4*
◙ WICKET! (Another one) It's two wickets in as many overs for Sri Lanka. Du Plessis walks down the pitch and goes for the maximum but doesn't connect properly. The ball loops high into the sky and Lakmal takes a fine catch at long-off to send the South African back to the pavilion. We now have two new batsmen in Rassie van der Dussen and David Miller. South Africa 176/3 after 25 overs.
◙ WICKET! Mendis gets his man. Amla fails to pick the googly and is dismissed for 65. Amla looked in sublime touch today and had said coming into the game that he was "hungrier than ever before". More on that here
◙ Jeffey Vandersay being taken to the cleaners here. 4,6,0,1,1,6 - he concedes 18 runs off his second over after giving away 12 in his first.
◙ FIFTY FOR DU PLESSIS TOO! After a fine Indian Premier League campaign that saw him reach the final with the Chennai Super Kings, Faf du Plessis has continued his superb form by hammering a half century here. Amla and him have added 93 runs for the second wicket.
◙ FIFTY FOR AMLA! He brings up his half century with a single and follows it with two lovely boundaries to continue his terrific innings. South Africa at 129/1 at the end of 20 overs. Hashim Amla 62*, Faf du Plessis 45*.
◙ Ouch, that looks painful. Sri Lankan batsman Avishka Fernando slips while fielding along a practice pitch and has injured his ankle. He's landed awkwardly on his ankle and has been stretchered off.
◙ 100 for south Africa! du Plessis slams NLTC Perrera for a six and a four to bring up the 100 for the Proteas.
◙ We just can't stop gushing about Hashim Amla. His footwork is fantastic, but his timing has been truly exceptional. He walks down the track and clobbers Perera four a boundary to bring up his seventh boundary. South Africa is at 90-1 after 15 overs, Amla on 45* and du Plessis on 20*.
◙ The runs have dried up here after Markram's dismissal. Amla looks in impressive touch and has racked up 32 off 28. Du Plessis has taken his time to settle in and has scored 9 off 17. South Africa at 63-1 after 10 overs.
◙ WICKET ! Lakmal bowls a length ball outside off, with a hint of outswing and Markram has a go at it but edges it it to the 'keeper. South Africa 47/1 after 6.2 overs. Faf du Plessis is the new man in.
◙ South Africa have gotten off to a solid start. The openers have come good and the Proteas are at 35/0 after 5 overs.
◙ Haha, that's something! Pradeep bowls a fuller delivery around off and Markram drives it through the covers and the batsmen RUN FOUR RUNS! SA 28/0 after 4 overs.
◙ Amla, who will be playing his third World Cup, gets off to a cracking start. He plays a beautiful drive past mid-off to score his first boundary and follows it up with another delightful stroke past cover to race to double figures. Amla scores 11 off 12, with South Africa is 19/0 after 3 overs.
◙ Amla and Markram both get off the mark in the opening over and South Africa is at 4/0.
◙ Pitch Report: Mark Ramprakash says there's a lot of grass on the wicket and looks a Test cricket pitch! "This pitch has a grass-covering on it. Batting will be tough early on due to some seam movement. Some live juicy grass in the middle, and a few bare patches. Definitely tough to be facing Rabada," he said.
"The bounce is going to be good, but later on, it should even out and support good strokeplay. The odd ball may turn later, on the muddy, dusty areas, but otherwise, it'll be a batsman's paradise if they can get through the first ten overs" he added.
◙ Toss: Sri Lanka has won the toss and will bowl first.
Here is the complete schedule of ICC World Cup 2019 warm-up matches.
As we wait for the toss, dig into our in-depth coverage to stay abreast with the latest happenings in the lead up to the tournament.
◙ Test skipper Dimuth Karunaratne was named as Sri Lanka's captain for the World Cup in place of Lasith Malinga, on Wednesday. Read more about the 31-year-old here - Dimuth Karunaratne to lead Sri Lanka in World Cup 2019
◙ Time away from the game has made him “hungrier than ever before”, says South Africa batsman Hashim Amla, gearing up for his third World Cup .
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