ICC Champions Trophy 2017: Sri Lanka vs South Africa, 5 Talking Points

South Africa comfortably beat Sri Lanka in their first league game of Champions Trophy 2017. The centurion, Hashim Amla and Imran Tahir, who won the Man of the Match award, were the stars of the day for South Africa.

Earlier in the day, the Islanders won the toss and elected to bowl first, looking to exploit the conditions on offer. However, the Proteas openers saw off the new ball to ease things for the batsman to come. Although Quinton de Kock fell cheaply, the Faf du Plessis and Amla duo put on a brilliant partnership for the second wicket.

However, Sri Lanka pulled things back brilliantly in the middle overs by picking wickets at regular intervals. But, a late blitz from JP Duminy propelled the total to 299, which was a competitive target on the slightly sluggish Oval wicket.

Extra Cover: ICC Champions Trophy 2017: Sri Lanka vs South Africa, 5 things Sri Lanka did wrong

Sri Lanka started their chase brilliantly as both the openers scored at a brisk pace. But a flurry of wickets derailed the chase and the AB de Villiiers-led side completed the formalities in the 42^nd over.

Here are 5 talking points from the game.

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#1 Hashim Amla’s purple patch

The classy right-hander was at his best during his match-defining hundred (103 off 115) as he punched, flicked and pulled the bowlers for fun. On what was a slightly tricky wicket, Amla played a very calculated innings to help his team post a good score on the board.

What was particularly impressive was the way Amla ran between the wickets. While scoring boundaries was tough early on, the right-hander worked the ball into the gaps and put the deep fielders under pressure constantly. He has been in great form and this masterfully constructed hundred was the perfect way to start the tournament.

#2 Tahir derails Lanka’s chase with a four-fer

Imran Tahir was the wrecker-in-chief for South Africa

How often has he done it? And how impressive is his consistency? Imran Tahir proved to be the difference-maker for South Africa yet again. As expected, Tahir troubled all the Sri Lankan batsmen with his wily variations and picked up four for 27.

The chase looked very much under control after Sri Lanka’s top-order got off to a good start. However, as he so often has done in the past, Tahir removed the key players and broke the backbone of the opposition’s batting order.

Chamara Kapugedera was Tahir’s first victim as he failed to read a googly and was out LBW off the very first ball. Soon after, Tahir removed the Lankan skipper, Upul Tharanga and Asela Gunaratne to leave Sri Lanka in deep trouble. It was only fitting that the leggie picked up the last wicket, that of Nuwan Pradeep to seal the game for his team.

#3 AB de Villiers’ pyrotechnics change the course of the game

de Villiers was stunning on the field

You just can’t keep this man out of the game. While he had a rare failure with the bat, the South African captain made up for it in the field.

De Villiers’ perfectly-timed jump led to a smart catch that saw the back of the Lankan number three, Kusal Mendis. A diving stop followed by a direct-hit sent Dinesh Chandimal on his way to the pavilion soon after. Dismissing two key players, de Villiers’ brilliance put the Lankans in a precarious position, one from which they never quite recovered.

While it isn’t the first time we have seen this from the man, we never tire of watching him go about his business.

#4 Upul Tharanga’s form a big positive for Sri Lanka

Upul Tharanga looked in good nick against South Africa

Despite coming in a losing cause, Tharanga's responsible innings (57 off 69) would have pleased the Lankan fans and the team management. The experienced southpaw is a crucial part of the team and this innings should result in better performances from him in the upcoming games.

Along with the skipper, Niroshan Dickwella too looked very good in his brief stay. His 33-ball 41 provided them with the perfect start but, unfortunately, the middle-order failed to capitalise on it. However, this performance from the openers augurs well for the Sri Lankan team.

#5 Suranga Lakmal and Nuwan Pradeep impress

Lakmal bowled with great heart

It’s not easy tying down de Kock and Hashim Amla in the power play but the Sri Lankan pacers Lakmal and Pradeep bowled with great heart and kept both the batsmen at bay with nagging line and length.

The quickies took only three wickets between them but the numbers don’t tell the whole story. If Lasith Malinga hadn’t dropped that simple catch off Faf du Plessis off Pradeep’s bowling, things could have been different.

However, the Lankan management would be mighty pleased with the duo’s effort in the game and they would expect nothing less from these two promising bowlers in future games.