Already eliminated South Africa edged past Sri Lanka in their recent Cricket World Cup fixture, with a nine-wicket win. More of a consolation victory for The Proteas, skipper Faf du Plessis has accepted that the result was a too late for his side, who don't have any chances to make it through to the semis. The match took place on June 28, at Riverside Ground.
The Lankans produced a disappointing batting inning, registering 204 (all out). The Rainbow Nation reached their target with 76 deliveries still left. This was also their second win in the ongoing tournament.
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The Islanders could still make it to the knockout stages. For that to happen, they need to register victories in the two fixtures remaining, namely West Indies (July 1) and India (July 6). Also, they will have to pray that other results go their way.
"It was a good game, we did ourselves justice with the talent we have in that dressing room. Set up by a good bowling performance. Dwaine (Pretorius) was exceptional. We've been trying to get him into the XI, but it's a balance thing. The nature of the wicket told me it needed to be straight lines with the ball, and that's why I brought Dwaine and Andile on early," the South African captain said.
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"Long time coming," quipped Du Plessis.
"It's a little bit too late. But the basics of batting were shown today. We haven't had guys batting through, and big partnerships, but that was the case today. One big partnership, and suddenly everything seems so much easier," he added.
He further credited Bangladesh for proving to be toughest competitors for South Africa in the ongoing World Cup.
(Inputs from PTI)
