Proteas’ Stubbs catches the eye

Here, Ongama Gcwabe picks his plays of the match in the six-wicket victory.

Ball: Left-arm orthodox, Keshav Maharaj, delivered a peach of a delivery to get the wicket of middle-order batter Sadeera Samarawickrama. Maharaj launched with just the right flight and caught the right-handed batter stuck on the back foot expecting to cut the ball through the off-side. Samarawickrama found out too late that it was not a regulation away turner that Maharaj had bowled but was instead an arm-ball as it crashed onto his off-stump to send him back to the dugout. It was any slow left-arm orthodox’s dream wicket.

Shot: With Sri Lanka’s pace attack having started well with the early wicket of Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram came in at three and played a lofted drive over extra-cover for six off the bowling of fast bowler Nuwan Thushara. Thushara bowled a juicy half- volley and Markram committed with a big front foot stride and let his hands do the rest.

Catch: With the bowlers in full flow, the fielders needed to bring their A-games and they did as Tristan Stubbs completed a solid catch on the boundary to dismiss Kusal Mendis. Nortje unleashed a mean 145km/h bumper at the right-handed batter and he bit as he went for a hook shot only to find Stubbs’s safe hands at deep-square. Stubbs was facing the sun and the ball was swiftly moving away from him but the youngster managed to position himself and took a sublime catch to hand South Africa their fifth wicket.

Game-changing moment: South Africa picked up three wickets in the space of five balls between the eighth and ninth over as they dismantled the Sri Lankan top order. Maharaj and Nortje were the architects as the pair removed Kamindu Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga and Samarawickrama to set up Sri Lanka’s dismal 77-10 total.