The 4th match of the 2023 ODI World Cup was played at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. The game was contested between South Africa and Sri Lanka. It was the opening encounter for both teams in this World Cup.
Both teams had faced each other 6 times at a World Cup stage before this SL vs SA match. South Africa dominated in 4 matches, and Sri Lanka managed to win 2 games. Sri Lanka was eager to make it 3-4, but South Africa had some other plans.
Let us unveil the thrilling encounter between these teams.
SL vs SA Scorecard
The scorecard for both the innings is as follows:
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South Africa’s Innings
| BATTERS | Runs | Balls | Strike Rate | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quinton de Kock † | 100 | 84 | 119.04 | 12 | 3 |
| Temba Bavuma (c) | 8 | 5 | 160 | 2 | 0 |
| Rassie van der Dussen | 108 | 110 | 98.18 | 13 | 2 |
| Aiden Markram | 106 | 54 | 196.29 | 14 | 3 |
| Heinrich Klaasen | 32 | 20 | 160 | 1 | 3 |
| David Miller | 39 | 21 | 185.71 | 3 | 2 |
| Marco Jansen | 12 | 7 | 171.42 | 0 | 1 |
| Extras | 23 | ||||
| TOTAL | 428/5 | ||||
| BOWLERS | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Economy Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kasun Rajitha | 10 | 1 | 90 | 1 | 9 |
| Dilshan Madushanka | 10 | 0 | 86 | 2 | 8.6 |
| Dasun Shanaka | 6 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 6 |
| Dhananjaya de Silva | 4 | 0 | 39 | 0 | 9.75 |
| Matheesha Pathirana | 10 | 0 | 95 | 1 | 9.5 |
| Dunith Wellalage | 10 | 0 | 81 | 1 | 8.1 |
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Sri Lanka’s Innings
| BATTERS | Runs | Balls | Strike Rate | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pathum Nissanka | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kusal Perera | 7 | 15 | 46.66 | 1 | 0 |
| Kusal Mendis † | 76 | 42 | 180.95 | 4 | 8 |
| Sadeera Samarawickrama | 23 | 19 | 121.05 | 3 | 1 |
| Charith Asalanka | 79 | 65 | 121.53 | 8 | 4 |
| Dhananjaya de Silva | 11 | 14 | 78.57 | 1 | 0 |
| Dasun Shanaka (c) | 68 | 62 | 109.67 | 6 | 3 |
| Dunith Wellalage | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kasun Rajitha | 33 | 31 | 106.45 | 4 | 1 |
| Matheesha Pathirana | 5 | 16 | 31.25 | 1 | 0 |
| Dilshan Madushanka | 4 | 2 | 200 | 1 | 0 |
| Extras | 20 | ||||
| TOTAL | 326 | ||||
| BOWLERS | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Economy Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lungi Ngidi | 8 | 1 | 49 | 1 | 6.12 |
| Marco Jansen | 10 | 0 | 92 | 2 | 9.2 |
| Kagiso Rabada | 7.5 | 0 | 50 | 2 | 6.38 |
| Keshav Maharaj | 10 | 0 | 62 | 2 | 6.2 |
| Gerald Coetzee | 9 | 0 | 68 | 3 | 7.55 |
Toss and Playing XIs
Sri Lanka won the toss and decided to bowl. Sri Lanka opted for a combination of 3 fast bowlers and as many all-rounders. South Africa deployed a bowling attack consisting of 4 pacers and 1 spinner.
Both the playing XIs are as follows:
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South Africa’s Playing XI
1. Quinton de Kock
2. Temba Bavuma (Captain)
3. Rassie van der Dussen
4. Aiden Markram
5. David Miller
6. Heinrich Klaasen
7. Marco Jansen
8. Kagiso Rabada
9. Gerald Coetzee
10. Keshav Maharaj
11. Lungi Ngidi
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Sri Lanka’s Playing XI
1. Pathum Nissanka
2. Kusal Perera
3. Kusal Mendis
4. Sadeera Samarawickrama
5. Charith Asalanka
6. Dhananjaya de Silva
7. Dasun Shanaka (Captain)
8. Dunith Wellalage
9. Matheesha Pathirana
10. Kasun Rajitha
11. Dilshan Madushanka
South Africa’s Innings
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Early Strike for Sri Lanka
Quinton de Kock and Bavuma opened the innings with 5 runs in 1st over of the innings. In the subsequent over, after being hit for a boundary, Madushanka dismissed Bavuma. The ball hit his front pad and umpire raised the finger. He reviewed, but it was in vain as the ball was hitting the middle stumps.
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Bavuma’s wicket proved only a moment of joy for Sri Lanka because both these batters stole the show. Dussan struck 2 boundaries on the first 2 balls he faced. De Kock also followed Rajitha and creamed him for 2 classy boundaries. After the 1st powerplay, South Africa were 48/1.
While Sri Lanka aimed to maintain precise line and length in their bowling, the partnership of de Kock and van der Dussen steadily built their runs. Dussan took the charge to Dhananjaya de Silva in the 11th over and got for 2 boundaries and a glorious six.
The partnership between these 2 batters advanced steadily, and van der Dussan completed his 50 in the 18th over. De Kock also reached his half-century in the 22nd over in the SL vs SA match. After reaching their fifties, both batters shifted gears and started to play aggressively.
They charged every loose delivery and even played for boundaries on good balls as well. At the completion of 30 overs, South Africa had posted 206 runs.
De Kock, with a boundary to Pathirana, completed the 200-run partnership. He cracked a glorious 4 through mid-wicket and reached his century as well. But Pathirana got a breakthrough and dismissed him on the next ball. With the help of 3 sixes and 12 fours, he posted 100 runs in 84 balls.
Aiden Markram’s Masterclass and Late Surges
Markram joined Dussan at the crease, and he set the stage on fire. He smashed 3 consecutive boundaries to Madushanka in the 34th over. Meanwhile, van der Dussan also completed his delightful century and was dismissed by Wellalage on 108 runs.
He reserved his most destructive performance for Matheesha Pathirana, punishing him with 3 boundaries and a mighty six in the over that yielded 26 runs. After reaching his half-century in a relatively moderate 34 deliveries, he astonishingly completed his century in the successive 15 balls.
Apart from the centurions, there were notable cameo performances. Heinrich Klaasen blazed his way to a 20-ball 36. Meanwhile, David Miller went on a crazed rampage, scoring 39 runs off just 21 balls.
Even Marco Jansen joined the attack, hitting a maximum during his brief 12-run contribution from 7 deliveries. The batting display was nothing short of extraordinary. With 3 tons and late surges by middle-order, South Africa managed to post a record 428 runs.
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Sri Lanka’s Innings
Early Blow
Sri Lankan batters had to chase the highest target in World Cup history to start their campaign with a tremendous victory. Nissanka and Perera walked out to open the innings.
Lungi Ngidi bowled the 1st over with only 1 run of leg byes. However, Srilanka’s hopes trembled when Jansen rattled the stumps of Nissanka on the 1st ball of his spell.
The Combat by Mendis
Kusal Mendis joined Perera at the crease, and soon, he set the tone in the chase. He took the charge to Lungi Ngidi and scored 27 runs in his 2 overs. He struck 3 marvellous sixes in his over. Kusal completed his fifty in just 25 balls after hitting 2 sixes and a boundary in Jansen’s over.
Kusal Perera lost his wicket in the 8th over, but Mendis kept on firing. It was raining sixes in Dehli as he also took Rabada to the cleaners. He smoked 2 sixes against him in the 9th over. Sri Lanka posted 94/1 by the end of 1st powerplay in the SL vs SA match.
The fierce pacer of South Africa, Kagiso Rabada, held his nerve and finally trapped Kusal Mendis with a back-of-length delivery. He posted 76 runs in 42 balls, including 8 sixes and 4 boundaries.
Resilient Innings by Asalanka and Shanaka
After the wickets of Samarawickrama and de Silva, Asalanka, along with Captain Dasun Shanaka, showed some resistance with the bat. When they needed 228 runs in 21 overs, Asalanka hit 2 maximums to Marco Jansen. However, Ngidi broke this partnership as Asalanka picked 79 runs off 65 balls.
Dasun scored 23 runs in Coetzee’s over, and by then, Sri Lanka needed 160 runs in 17 overs with 3 wickets in hand. Maharaj didn’t allow him to score further and dismissed him for 68 runs.
Winning Moments in the SL vs SA Match
After Shanaka’s fall, Sri Lanka’s already slim prospects grew even dimmer. Charith Asalanka and Dasun Shanaka both scored the fifties, briefly sustaining a glimmer of hope.
In the later part of the innings, unexpected striking from Kasun Rajitha helped reduce the margin of defeat. But South Africa stood tall and sealed the victory by a margin of 102 runs.
A Record-Breaking Match
The match between Sri Lanka and South Africa broke and set new records. These records are as follows:
- South Africa’s score of 428 for 5 stands as the highest total in a World Cup match.
- A particularly notable record was set by Markram, who achieved the quickest World Cup century in just 49 balls.
- A total of 107 boundaries were hit across both innings, establishing a new record for the most boundaries in a World Cup game.
- This match also set a new record for the highest combined run total (754) in a men’s ODI World Cup game, surpassing the previous record of 714 runs.
Conclusion
South Africa batted first against Sri Lanka in the 4th game of the ODI World Cup 2023. Quinton de Kock, Markram and Rassie van der Dussen smashed tons in the SL vs SA match. The Protease posted 428 runs, which was the highest score in an ODI World Cup match.
While chasing, Kusal Mendis held his nerve and played a brilliant innings of 77 runs, including 8 huge sixes. Late surges from Shanaka and Asalanka couldn’t help Sri Lanka reach the enormous target, and the team was ultimately bowled out for 326 runs.
