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The ICC decided against allowing teams to keep referrals denied on an umpire’s call out of fear the game would be slowed down too much, the Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland has revealed

Daniel Brettig11-Oct-2013

The ICC decided against allowing teams to keep referrals that were denied on an umpire’s call out of fear the game would be slowed down too much, even as it approved the introduction of a DRS “top-up” after 80 overs, the Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland has revealed. As he discussed the fall-out from the Nine Network’s decision not to employ Hot Spot during this summer’s Ashes series, Sutherland said the equity of umpire’s call verdicts had been debated “long and hard” by the chief executive’s committee at the most recent ICC meeting.While Hot Spot’s effectiveness and use has been a point of contention since the Ashes Tests in England earlier this year, the loss of referrals to tight decisions that have stayed with the umpire’s original verdict created a similar level of discussion among players, spectators and administrators. Sutherland said it was still possible that such reviews would be handed back to the players, but admitted there was hesitance based on the possibility that the number of reviews may increase substantially.”We debated umpire’s call long and hard, and what was eventually decided was that they wanted to leave that pending for a little while,” Sutherland said. “We agreed to the top-up after 80 overs. That will come back on the agenda, and it’s not a bad idea. The ICC assessment is that if you don’t lose a review for umpire’s call, you will increase the number of referrals by at least double, and that will change the game. Everyone likes the idea of the referral being really valuable, and you need to think really carefully about using it, because it all comes back to the howler.”Sutherland denied that CA needed to step in to the stand-off between Nine and Hot Spot’s ringmaster Warren Brennan, and rejected the notion that Australian cricket’s governing body did not provide financial support in the way of other nations. He said that CA’s rights fees factored in the broadcast costs of Nine, whereas other nations paid for production in-house and then charged at higher odds for the rights themselves. “Indirectly we’re paying for it,” he said.”The first use of Hot Spot was all about broadcast enhancement. And in Australia that’s been something Nine have sponsored and dealt with and had discussions with Warren Brennan and his company in the past, they’ve had arrangements that they’ve used successfully. We’ve never been involved with those discussions and never needed to be. That continues to be a commercial negotiation between those two.”I’ve spoken with [Nine chief] David Gyngell about it, I know and understand from Nine’s viewpoint they’re not walking away from that and see it as an ongoing discussion. They certainly have concerns about Hot Spot in various ways, both commercially and in an operational capacity, and it’s something they will work through. They’ve been able to sort it out in the past, so let’s see if they can sort it out. This is still six weeks out from the series, it’s not a unique circumstance where Nine and Hot Spot have had discussions about broadcast enhancements.”Debates about DRS have ranged from whether the system should be used at all to which technology is most reliable and which system makes the best use of it. Sutherland saw a tension around the issue of how much accuracy should be demanded from technology that will always have a certain margin of error, no matter how small.”The biggest problem is what is your satisfaction level about imperfection,” he said. “We can all say ‘we know it’s not perfect’, but someone’s acceptance of imperfect might be here and another’s is 99.9%. That area of grey in between those two extremes is where this system gets into trouble. Not saying this is true, but as an example, do you accept the fact that if 80% of the time a nick will show on Hot Spot, but you know that 20% of the time it won’t – do you accept that or not?”

Veerasammy Permaul led the way with a haul of 3 for 32 as Guyana Amazon Warriors beat Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel by 19 runs

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Aug-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsLendl Simmons’ 42 helped Guyana Amazon Warriors reach a competitive total•Getty Images

A disciplined bowling performance by the Guyana Amazon Warriors, led by left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul’s 3 for 32, helped them win their opening match of the inaugural Caribbean Premier League against Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel by 19 runs in Providence.T&T won the toss and put Guyana in to bat, but they couldn’t contain the Guyanese openers Lendl Simmons and Martin Guptill who added 74 runs for the first wicket. The partnership was eventually broken by Samuel Badree when he got Guptill leg before for 32.With the score at 102 for 2, Simmons had helped Guyana set a platform for a big finish. T&T captain Dwayne Bravo, however, thwarted those plans with two wickets in the 16th over, accounting for Simmons (42) and Christopher Barnwell, who fell for a second ball-duck. Narsingh Deonarine was dismissed in the next over to leave Guyana at 106 for 5. Late fireworks from Ramnaresh Sarwan, who struck 21 off 12 balls, and James Franklin, who scored a 20-ball 26, ensured Guyana reached a competitive total of 155 for 5.T&T’s innings started steadily, as the openers had added 28 runs before Hafeez fell in the sixth over. Justin Guillen (22) and Darren Bravo (23) got starts, but were unable to guide the chase. Permaul, who came in to bowl in the ninth over, had immediate success, dismissing Davy Jacobs off the sixth ball of his first over. Ross Taylor’s dismissal in Permaul’s next over had T&T struggling at 50 for 3, with 106 needed off 57 balls.Wicketkeeper Nicolas Pooran, blitzed a 24-ball 54, which included six sixes, to keep T&T’s chase alive. But the wickets of Darren and Dwayne Bravo increased the pressure on Pooran and he perished in the 18th over, holing out to Mohammad Hafeez near long-off. T&T finished their innings at 136 for 9, 19 runs short of the target.

تحدث سفين فاندبروك المدير الفني لفريق الوداد المغربي عن خسارة ناديه للقب دوري أبطال إفريقيا لصالح الأهلي، بعدما تعادل الفريقين مساء أمس بنتيجة 1-1.

وقال فاندبروك في تصريحات صحفية عقب المباراة: “كل المباريات التي خضناها على أرضنا لم نكن فيها جيدين بدنيًا خلال الدقائق الأخيرة، وهذه النسخة من دوري أبطال إفريقيا ليست كباقي النسخ لأنها تعتمد على تفاصيل صغيرة”.

وتابع: “لن أقدم استقالتي من الوداد، هناك بعض الحقائق يجب حلها وسنقوم بذلك جميعًا كفريق ومع اللاعبين والإدارة من أجل المستقبل، لكن هذا يلزمه بعض الوقت”.

طالع | سيد معوّض: لاعب الأهلي له دور كبير في التتويج الإفريقي.. وكولر وضع بصمته

وأردف: “الهزيمة لها وزنها وتأثيرها، ويومي الأربعاء والسبت سنلعب مباراتين في البطولة الاحترافية، لذلك لا نملك الكثير من الوقت لإعادة اللاعبين لحالة ذهنية جيدة”.

واختتم: “أنا متأكد أنه سيكون هناك تأثير ذهني، الآن سنرى نسبة هذا التأثير، وبداية من اليوم سنركز على الأهداف الأخرى وسنبدأ بالعمل الذهني”.

MatériaMais Notícias

Bastaram 41 minutos para o Botafogo mostrar que não está à deriva no Campeonato Carioca. Neste domingo, o Glorioso conseguiu sua primeira vitória, ao atropelar por 3 a 0 o Boavista, no Elcyr Resende de Freitas.

Gustavo Ferrareis, Erik e Jonathan garantiram o triunfo do time misto alvinegro. O revés tirou as chances do Verdão de Saquarema ir à semifinal da Taça Guanabara.

Abrindo caminho…
Em dois minutos, o Glorioso sinalizou que estava em uma nova voltagem. Após rebote de Rafael para conclusão de Alex Santana, Jean serviu Gustavo Ferrareis, que estufou a rede.

Sonho mais distante…
Precisando dos três pontos para ainda sonhar com a vaga na semifinal da Taça Guanabara, o Boavista foi à frente. Dija Baiano bateu rente à trave de Gatito Fernández. Mas o time da casa tropeçava em seus erros e via o Glorioso ameaçar. Alex Santana chegou a balançar a rede, mas o gol foi anulado por falta em Rafael.

Avassalador!
Impetuoso, o Alvinegro não demorou a comprovar sua vantagem. Após lançamento de Carli, Kieza desviou de cabeça e encontrou Erik livre para balançar a rede aos 23. E, aos 41, Rodrigo Pimpão cruzou para Jonathan marcar o terceiro.

Um ‘9’ altruísta
Kieza foi crucial para o Botafogo, mesmo sem deixar o seu. O camisa 9 iniciou a jogada do primeiro gol e deu passe para Erik fazer o segundo. O atacante lutou muito.

Carlos Alberto… e cartão!
Vendo que o Botafogo cadenciava a partida, o técnico Eduardo Allax promoveu a estreia da nova estrela do elenco do Verdão de Saquarema: Carlos Alberto. O camisa 19 logo recebeu cartão amarelo ao trombar com o goleiro Gatito Fernández, mas chegou a ameaçar em finalização.

Boas perspectivas?
No adeus da Taça Guanabara, o Botafogo deixa a Zé Ricardo um leve alento. O ímpeto de Alex Santana e Rodrigo Pimpão, além de mais investidas pelas pontas, mostram que a equipe pode reagir já na Taça Rio. O placar de hoje ainda tira a pressão que assolava o ambiente perto do jogo com o Defensia y Justicia.

FICHA TÉCNICA

BOAVISTA 0 X 3 BOTAFOGO

Estádio: Elcyr Resende, em Saquarema (RJ)
Data/hora: 3/2/2019, às 17h (de Brasília)
Árbitro: Wagner do Nascimento Magalhães (RJ) – Nota LANCE!: 6,5, foi bem nos cartões e não influenciou no resultado
Assistentes: Thiago Henrique Neto Corrêa Farinha (RJ) e Carlos Henrique Alves de Lima Filho(RJ)
Público/renda: 1.710 pagantes/ R$ 12.160, 00
Cartão amarelo: Kieza , Rodrigo PImpão, Jonathan, Jean (BOT) e Douglas Pedroso, Thiago Mosquito, Dija Baiano (BOA)
Cartão vermelho: –

GOLS: Gustavo Ferrareis 2’/1ºT (0-1), Erik 22’/1ºT (0-2), Jonathan 41’/1ºT (0-3)

BOAVISTA: Rafael; Thiago Silva, Elivelton, Rafael Marques e Jean; Douglas Pedroso, Júlio Cesar (Ralph, aos 26’/2ºT), Renan Donizete e Arthur (Carlos Alberto, aos 13’/2ºT); Thiago Mosquito (Lucas, aos 8’/2ºT) e Dija Baiano. Técnico: Eduardo Allax.

BOTAFOGO: Gatito Fernández; Rickson, Joel Carli,Gabriel e Jonathan; Jean, Alex Santana (Alan Santos,19’/2ºT) , Gustavo Ferrareis (Luiz Fernando, aos 16’/2ºT), Rodrigo Pimpão e Erik; Kieza (Leandro Carvalho, aos 26’/2ºT). Técnico: Zé Ricardo.

كشفت تقارير صحفية عن وجود مفاوضات بين نادي باريس سان جيرمان ومدرب من الدوري الإيطالي، لخلافة كريستوف جالتييه.

وتحوم التكهنات بقوة حول مستقبل جالتييه مع باريس سان جيرمان، خاصة بعد الخروج من بطولتي دوري أبطال أوروبا وكأس فرنسا، وكثرة الهزائم في الدوري الفرنسي رغم تصدرهم البطولة.

وذكرت شبكة “RMC Sport” الفرنسية أن هناك مفاوضات بالفعل بين مسؤولي باريس سان جيرمان من جهة، ومدرب روما جوزيه مورينيو، من جهة أخرى، لبحث إمكانية خلافة الأخير لـ جالتييه حال الإطاحة به.

وأوضحت أن مورينيو أبقى نفسه بعيدًا عن تلك المفاوضات إلى حد كبير، حيث ترك الأمر بالكامل إلى وكيل أعماله خورخي مينديز، الذي يتعامل مباشرة مع المدير الرياضي لنادي باريس سان جيرمان لويس كامبوس.

اقرأ أيضًا.. جالتييه عن معاقبة باريس سان جيرمان لـ ميسي: الوقت ليس مناسبًا للتحدث

وأشارت إلى أن باريس سان جيرمان يرى أن مورينيو هو الأنسب لقيادة الفريق الفرنسي خلال الفترة المقبلة.

وأفادت بأنه من جهة أخرى، سيكون من الطبيعي أن يكون مورينيو يشعر بالإحباط بشكل متزايد بسبب نقص الميزانية المخصصة له في روما.

ويمتلك باريس سان جيرمان ميزانية مالية غير محدودة، ويأمل في الحصول على مدرب ذو شخصية قوية على مقاعد البدلاء.

ESPNcricinfo previews the second Test between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Colombo

The Preview by Andrew Fernando23-Nov-2012Match factsNovember 25-29, 2012
Start time 1000 local (0430 GMT)Doug Bracewell might find the bouncier P Sara pitch more suited to his kind of bowling•Associated Press

Big PictureThe second Test at the P Sara Oval finds the two teams heading in seemingly opposite directions. Sri Lanka had not won a Test series in three years until they defeated Pakistan at home in July, and if a manful recovery with the bat and ruthlessness with the ball in the Galle Test are any indication, they are a side who have reclaimed the fight they had misplaced following the 2011 World Cup and have begun to make winning a habit again.Sri Lanka’s pace bowlers were effective on a dry surface, landing heavy blows on New Zealand’s top order before Rangana Herath arrived to deliver the coup de grace. Herath himself continues to progress, having become the top wicket-taker in 2012 with his 11 wickets in Galle. Sri Lanka may also have uncovered a fast bowler with enough command of pace, seam and reverse swing to become a potential long-term spearhead in Shaminda Eranga. Their batting also seems less prone to the sporadic collapses that plagued them in the 12 months before the Pakistan series.New Zealand meanwhile, have slid to their worst losing streak since 1955. Their batsmen have been working on their technique against spin in the nets since their three-day loss, but even the two extra days may not be enough to rebound from a performance as woeful as their 118 all out in their second innings in Galle. Though they are short on time to vastly improve their techniques, they must acquire the psychological steel to survive at the crease for long periods against fine bowling. Their plight may not be as hopeless as it seems, as the bouncier P Sara pitch will assist their seam bowlers in the same way it assisted England’s in March, when they squared their two-match series with Sri Lanka, after also losing the first match in Galle.For Sri Lanka, this Test shapes as a doubly crucial fixture, as it may be their only real test before their first Test against Australia in Hobart. The considerable talent in New Zealand’s fast bowling unit was evident in Galle, and with the Canberra pitch on which Sri Lanka are scheduled to play their only warm-up match having a reputation for being on the slow side, the bouncy Colombo venue might serve as an opportunity for the team to pre-tune their techniques before they land in Australia. It may also give the hosts the opportunity to settle on a first-choice seam-bowling unit for the Tests to come, or at least, a chance to gauge how effective Nuwan Kulasekara’s new ball partnership with Eranga might be Down Under.Form guideSri Lanka: WDDWL (Most recent first)
New Zealand: LLLLLPlayer to watchDoug Bracewell has been one of New Zealand’s most consistent performers since making his debut just over a year ago, but he was unable to find the right length in Galle and went wicketless while his teammates prospered. But unlike Galle, the P Sara pitch often rewards hit-the-deck bowling and Bracewell’s back-of-a-length seamers may be more effective this time round.Suraj Randiv was put under some pressure by chief selector Ashantha de Mel, who said his place in the XI might be under threat if he does not have a good first Test. He too was less successful than his teammates in the first Test, despite bowling some tight spells, but the selectors seem to have backed him in the end, naming him in the squad to Australia as the second spinner. Sri Lanka are unlikely to leave him out in Colombo unless the pitch is uncharacteristically green, and a bagful of wickets there will do his confidence some good.Teams news Tillakaratne Dilshan has been passed fit and Dimuth Karunaratne will make way for him. Karunaratne’s second innings 60 in Galle has put some pressure on Tharanga Paranavitana though and Paranavitana will be keen to embed himself in that second opener’s spot, which is the only position in the Sri Lanka batting order that isn’t nailed down at present.Kulasekara and Eranga are the likely new-ball pair, and Chanaka Welegedara will only play if a third seamer is deemed necessary.Sri Lanka (probable): 1. Tillakaratne Dilshan/Dimuth Karunaratne, 2. Tharanga Paranavitana, 3. Kumar Sangakkara, 4. Mahela Jayawardene (c), 5. Thilan Samaraweera, 6. Angelo Mathews, 7. Prasanna Jayawardene (wk), 8. Nuwan Kulasekara, 9. Suraj Randiv, 10. Rangana Herath, 11. Shaminda Eranga.Tim Southee, whose terrific second-day spell breathed life into the first Test, is also doubtful for the second. New Zealand have two more seam bowlers in their ranks, but have said legspinner Todd Astle might get a debut – particularly if Southee cannot play.James Franklin had a woeful first Test with the bat, as epitomised by his 44-ball 3 in the first innings, and New Zealand may consider dropping him to play five bowlers.New Zealand (probable): 1. Martin Guptill, 2. Brendon McCullum, 3. Kane Williamson, 4. Ross Taylor, 5. Daniel Flynn, 6. James Franklin/ Todd Astle, 7. Kruger van Wyk, 8. Doug Bracewell, 9. Tim Southee/Todd Astle, 10. Jeetan Patel, 11. Trent BoultPitch and conditionsThe Colombo weather has largely held over the past week or so, and the only showers have been in the evening. A little more rain is forecast for the coming week, but if it follows the recent pattern, it may not have a major effect on the cricket. However, being November, there is always the chance of a front moving in and bedding down.Stats and trivia The victory in Galle was Sri Lanka’s fourth Test win since Muttiah Muralitharan retired in July 2010 Before the Mumbai Test between England and India began, Rangana Herath was leading Graeme Swann by one wicket in 2012, with 46 victims. Herath had played four fewer Tests Tim Southee’s has an average of 26.23 for 2012, while his career average is 37.85. He has more wickets (17) and a better economy rate (3.16) this year than in any preceding calendar year The P Sara Oval has had only one draw since 1993, but New Zealand were involved in that occasion in 2003, when Stephen Fleming hit an unbeaten 274.Quotes”We’re not thinking we can’t compete with them. We think we can win this Test match and that’s what we’re going out to do. Everyone needs to step up, learn from what happened in Galle and move forward.”


” We will definitely look to keeping the Kiwis under pressure as they have the firepower with both bat and ball so there’s no room for any complacency.”



The fast bowler James Pattinson will not be part of the Australia A tour of England due to an abdominal strain. Pattinson suffered the problem during the final ODI against England in Manchester earlier this month and has not stayed on with the A side, which begins its tour with a three-day match against Derbyshire on Friday.Pattinson is instead expected to resume bowling next week with Victoria, having returned home to Melbourne following the ODI series. However, he is expected to be fit for the one-day series against Pakistan in the UAE next month, having been named in the squad for that tour after he suffered the injury.The Western Australia fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile is set to join the Australia A squad, which had already gained Alister McDermott after he was brought in to replace in the injured Pat Cummins, who suffered a side strain. The tour would have provided a valuable opportunity for Pattinson and Cummins to bowl with the red ball in English conditions ahead of their likely involvement in next year’s Ashes.Instead, the Australia A group will rely on Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc, Ben Cutting, Jackson Bird, McDermott and Coulter-Nile for their pace requirements. The spin contingent is made up of Nathan Lyon, Jon Holland and Steven Smith. The Australia A series includes four games against county sides and the England Lions over the next three weeks.

Kolkata Knight Riders captain Gautam Gambhir has said his team should have ‘easily’ beaten Kings XI Punjab, after restricting them to a total of 134, at Eden Gardens on Sunday. Knight Riders lost by two runs despite needing 13 runs off the last two overs, and a visibly annoyed Gambhir blamed the middle-order for the loss saying it’s time they shoulder more responsibility.”I’m not happy with the form of the middle order,” Gambhir said. “There are some experienced players who need to start taking responsibility. Otherwise strong decisions need to be taken. I feel this was a very good wicket to bat on, as the ball was coming nicely on the bat. I’m not happy with our performance, and we should have chased it down easily.”Despite the loss, Gambhir said his bowlers did a tremendous job. “It was a fantastic effort by the bowlers, and I couldn’t have asked for more. If you can’t chase down 135, you don’t deserve to win,” Gambhir said. “The result didn’t go in our favour, but I can’t say it was a poor day. We played well in patches.”Knight Riders now will look to turn the tables on Kings XI when then play them in the return fixture in Mohali on April 18. “We are playing them again after two days, so hopefully we can try and beat them and carry the momentum to Cuttack [where they face Deccan Chargers on April 22],” Gambhir said. “We have 11 games to go, and we need to get the momentum back.”

أعلن يورجن كلوب، المدير الفني لفريق ليفربول، أن الثنائي داروين نونيز وجو جوميز يعانيان من الإصابة، وهو سبب غيابهما عن مواجهة كريستال بالاس مساء اليوم.

ويستضيف ملعب “سيلهرست بارك” مباراة الفريقين في إطار منافسات الجولة الخامسة والعشرين من الدوري.

وأعلن يورجن كلوب تشكيل ليفربول لمواجهة كريستال بالاس، حيث لم يتواجد نونيز، سواء في القائمة الأساسية أو البدلاء، وكذلك جو جوميز.

وقال كلوب في تصريحات لشبكة “سكاي سبورتس” العالمية: “كلاهما مصابان، خاصة أن نونيز كان يعاني من مشكلة في الكتف في مباراة نيوكاسل”.

وأضاف: “لقد نجح الأمر معه أمام ريال مدريد، ولكن بعد ذلك تعرض لضربة أخرى هناك، وشعر بالإصابة مجددًا وبشكل أكبر، لذا لم تكن هناك فرصة له اليوم”.

واختتم: “آمل أن يتمكن من العودة في منتصف الأسبوع مرة أخرى”.

It took Sri Lanka four games and a series loss to get their batting to fire to its potential as they chased down a stiff 300 in Kimberley

The Report by Abhishek Purohit20-Jan-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Tillakaratne Dilshan finally batted with his usual freedom•AFPIt took Sri Lanka three consecutive defeats to get their batsmen firing in unison. Tillakaratne Dilshan finally played with freedom to give the chase momentum, Dinesh Chandimal anchored it in the middle overs, and Thisara Perera stunned South Africa with sustained hitting to overhaul a stiff target in Kimberley. Perera had also struck crucial blows earlier with the ball, making South Africa lose their way in the final quarter of their innings, when 350 had looked achievable at one stage.In the end, that late batting stumble on a flat pitch was where South Africa lost the game, after having been 171 for 1 in the 24th over and 242 for 3 in the 39th. They did have Sri Lanka requiring more than 100 at close to seven an over but the visitors always had wickets in hand, and Perera sealed the chase with a volley of sixes. He also pressurised South Africa’s fielding, which unravelled in a series of dropped chances and missed run-outs.Perera, playing his first game of the series, was promoted ahead of Angelo Mathews with Sri Lanka on 194 for 4 at the start of the batting Powerplay. When Perera was trapped lbw by Wayne Parnell off the sixth ball he faced, it looked like Sri Lanka had only heaped more pressure on Mathews. But Parnell was found to have overstepped by a big margin on referral, and it was to be Perera’s night. He almost hit his next delivery straight back to Robin Peterson but recovered to slam the next two for a six and a four.Perera swung the game in Sri Lanka’s favour with consecutive blows over the midwicket boundary off Peterson in the 43rd over, the second bringing up his maiden ODI fifty off 30 deliveries. With 34 now needed off 42, Perera soon took Sri Lanka to the highest ODI total in Kimberley with a straight six off JP Duminy in the 49th over.Smart stats

This is the sixth time overall and the first time against South Africa that Sri Lanka have managed to chase down a target of 300 or more. It is also their first successful chase over 300 since their win over India in Nagpur in 2009.

South Africa suffered their first defeat at the venue in six matches. It is also the first time they have batted first in Kimberley. In their previous meeting against Sri Lanka at the venue in 2002, they won by eight wickets.

Thisara Perera’s 69 came off only 44 balls. The strike rate of 156.81 is the highest for a Sri Lankan batsman against South Africa for an innings of fifty or over. It is also his first half-century in ODIs.

Tillakaratne Dilshan scored only his third half-century since the World Cup. In 20 innings, he has scored just 399 runs at 19.95.

AB de Villiers’ 96 is the second-highest score by a South African captain in a defeat after Graeme Smith’s 141 against England in 2009. de Villiers’ strike rate of 126.31 is second on the list of top strike rates for fifty-plus innings by South African captains in losses.

That Perera had a manageable asking-rate to contend with was down to Dilshan. With his captaincy on the line, and having made 0, 0 and an uncharacteristically subdued 33 in the first three ODIs, Dilshan’s approach was anything but muted. His fluent 83-run partnership with Kumar Sangakkara set the tone for Sri Lanka’s response.South Africa tried to bounce Dilshan out but he pulled his second delivery for four, whipped his fourth over square leg for six and soon scooped Vernon Philander for six over fine leg. Despite Upul Tharanga falling early to Tsotsobe, Dilshan and Sangakkara never allowed the asking-rate to climb over six.Sangakkara’s first attempt to take on the left-arm spin of Peterson seemed to have paid off when he lofted the bowler cleanly towards the midwicket boundary. But Alviro Petersen pulled off an astounding leaping catch near the rope and Sangakkara could scarcely believe his misfortune.Chandimal ensured Sri Lanka did not lose momentum. Two balls after Sangakkara fell, Chandimal stepped out to slam Peterson over the long-on boundary. Both Dilshan and Chandimal kept taking singles, and the stand was already worth 68 before Dilshan slapped Tsotsobe straight to short extra cover to depart for 87.Lahiru Thirimanne followed soon but Perera arrived to take control of the innings, and despite Chandimal falling to Tsotsobe for 59, he ensured Sri Lanka had enough firepower to register their first win of the series.It was Perera who brought Sri Lanka back after de Villiers had threatened to blow them away in a feast of exquisite boundary hitting. Perera removed Duminy and de Villiers in successive overs as South Africa stumbled from 242 for 3 to an ultimately underwhelming 299. Until de Villiers fell for 96 in the 41st over, South Africa had control over a listless Sri Lanka attack and were racing towards a total of about 350.The under-pressure Graeme Smith made only his second half-century in 17 innings and his 84-run opening partnership with Alviro Petersen prepared a solid base for the middle order. de Villiers promoted himself to No. 3 and raced to 50 off 31 deliveries, peppering the extra-cover boundary with lofted shots.Smith, who had been subdued throughout the series, was allowed to find much-needed form as Sri Lanka fed his strength by bowling on leg stump. From the moment he worked Lasith Malinga for consecutive boundaries, through fine leg and midwicket in the third over, Smith’s struggle was over. In all, 57 of Smith’s 68 runs came on the leg side.While Smith had the poor lines to cash in on, de Villiers needed no help from the bowlers. He put on a display of effortless hitting, making room and carving the offspin of Sachithra Senanayake and Dilshan over extra cover. It made no difference where the spinners bowled – even deliveries fired in on leg stump met with the same fate as they disappeared over extra cover.Kulasekara gave the visitors some respite when he trapped Colin Ingram leg-before. The scoring-rate, which was comfortably above seven, now started dipping. Duminy was unable to keep up the pace, and even de Villiers tapered off, making his final 46 runs off 45 deliveries.After Perera’s double-strike, Faf du Plessis came and went, but the lower order sensibly batted out the remaining overs to push South Africa to one short of 300. As it turned out, they hadn’t budgeted for Perera’s six-hitting prowess.