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SOUTH AFRICA 299/6 (50 OVERS)
- Hashim Amla103 (115)
- Faf du Plessis75 (70)
- Suranga Lakmal1/51 (10)
- Nuwan Pradeep2/54 (10)
SRI LANKA 203 (41.3 OVERS)
- Upul Tharanga57 (69)
- Kusal Perera*44 (66)
- Imran Tahir4/27 (8.3)
- Chris Morris2/32 (7)
Commentator: Karthik Krishnaswamy
6.35pm A big win for South Africa to kick off their campaign. Tomorrow, as we all know, we'll have a slightly lower-profile game between the two sides with the calmest sets of fans in the world. I know you'll join us for that, bright and early. Until then, goodbye!
For those with nowhere better to go... Why not head over to ESPNFC for the Champions League final, with kick-off approaching. UK users will get access to highlights, too.
Upul Tharanga: "At the start we bowled well, even after the Hashim-Faf partnership, we came back well. Keeping them under 300 was a good effort. We couldn't get any wicket in the middle period. We had Lakshan Sandakan - we could include him in the next game. We play against India next, we have to come back strongly, especially the batting - we have to get those big scores. Today I felt we played some loose shots."
AB de Villiers: It wasn't as true a wicket as the England-Bangladesh game. It was possible for them to chase it down, but we needed a few early wickets, which we got. It was important to assess in the first 10-15 overs. They bowled exceptionally well, and credit to our openers for seeing it out. It's scary, the amount of runs Hashim has piled on in his short career, hopefully many more to come." On bringing Tahir on late: "It was a difficult situation, it was just a feeling I got, there was no set plan. A little breeze, I had a little chat with him, and I just had a good feeling, when I brought him on." What's the biggest challenge as a captain: "Getting team selection right, and getting the balance right for every game."
Imran Tahir is the Player of the Match. "Been working really hard. Really enjoying. Hope it carries on through the tournament. I think [AB] knew the situation, I was always ready to bowl. The openers batted really well, but we stuck to our plans and came back strongly. I wasn't expecting any spin, watching the England-Bangladesh game the other day, but it helped my variations a little. Very happy with how it came out today. I've had a tough last one week, thanks for all the people who supported me."
AK Lakshminarasimhan: "Root, Williamson and today Amla, all the master batsman show their class in this champions trophy"
Bastian: "And once again, Hashim Amla isn't man of the match, despite his century."
AnilMartin: "So we've had three results in three games so far in CT... Chased, No Result and Defended."
6.23pm South Africa begin their tournament with a 96-run win. The result, and even the margin, may have been expected, given where the two sides stood before the match, but it wasn't as straightforward as that number might suggest. Sri Lanka bowled pretty well to keep South Africa down to 299, and their openers made a rollicking start and gave them a genuine shot at chasing it down. But the thing that South Africa had, and the thing Sri Lanka did not, was wicket-taking bowlers right through the attack. Imran Tahir has a sensational record against Sri Lanka, and he improved that further with figures of 4 for 27. A middle-order slump followed that opening partnership, and there was little Sri Lanka could do to recover.
N Pradeep c Duminy b Imran Tahir 5 (15m 12b 1x4 0x6) SR: 41.66
Here's Tahir. He has two overs remaining. Slip in place.
Tushar: "Winning by a big margin of 100 runs would make this victory more sweet for the Saffas. With all the four teams in this group expected to give each other a tough fight, that second spot for the semifinals could well come down to who has a better run rate. Sri Lanka should try, even if remotely possible, to play out the remaining overs and reduce the victory margin."
END OF OVER:41 | 9 Runs | SL: 203/9 (97 runs required from 54 balls, RR: 4.95, RRR: 10.77)
- Kusal Perera44 (66b)
- Nuwan Pradeep5 (9b)
- Kagiso Rabada8-1-46-1
- Chris Morris7-0-32-2