South Africa annihilate Sri Lanka to clear T20 series

Roused bowling and unbeaten fifties from Quinton de Kock and Reeza Hendricks helped South Africa clear the Twenty20 series 3-0 against Sri Lanka with a devastating 10-wicket win in Colombo on Tuesday.

Pursuing 121 for triumph, South Africa cavorted home in 14.4 overs with De Kock on 59 and Hendricks making 56 in the third T20 in Colombo.

Visiting bowlers Bjorn Fortuin and Kagiso Rabada took two wickets each to confine Sri Lanka to 120-8 after the hosts chose for bat first.

The Proteas stretched out their series of wins to seven in T20 matches. They had secured their third consecutive series in the most limited organization with triumph in the subsequent match.

“Full credit to the young men, they played all around well in the wake of losing the ODIs,” said captain Keshav Maharaj, who made his T20 debut toward the beginning of the series.

“Great arrangement developing to the (T20) World Cup.”

De Kock and Hendricks put on South Africa’s most noteworthy T20 association of 121 for any wicket against Sri Lanka in one more demonstration of strength after their past nine-wicket win.

De Kock, a left-hand wicketkeeper-batsman who hit a game dominating 58 in the second T20, brought his fifty up in 40 balls and took the assault to the resistance bowlers.

Hendricks recorded his seventh T20 50 years and hit five fours and one six in his 42-ball thump.

South Africa’s bowlers set up the success after Rabada shook the top request with his speed. He sent back Avishka Fernando for 12 and bowled Bhanuka Rajapaksa for five.

Fortuin got two key wickets including Dhananjaya de Silva, baffled for one, and Wanindu Hasaranga, out for four, to return figures of 2-21 with his left-arm turn.

Opener Kusal Perera top-scored with 39 preceding tumbling to captain and left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj who caught the wicketkeeper-batsman lbw.

Sri Lanka slipped to 86-7 preceding number nine Chamika Karunaratne hit an unbeaten 24 off 19 balls to give the group absolute some regard as he completed the innings with a six.

“Our bowling was acceptable however we need to reconsider our batting unit,” chief Dasun Shanaka said.

“The young men know what they need to do to move forward and we’ll do that. Wickets are key in T20s, however we had begins we just tossed wickets in the center overs and that is a worry going on.”

It was a frustrating outcome for the hosts who had dominated the three-game one-day series 2-1 last week.