ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, 1st Quarter-Final: Sri Lanka vs South Africa - As it happened...

Welcome to our live cricket blog for the 1st quarter-final of the ICC World Cup 2015 between Sri Lanka and South Africa at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

In one of the most lop-sided quarter-finals in the history of cricket World Cup, South Africa beat Sri Lanka by nine wickets to book a berth in the semis. And with that they break their World Cup knockout jinx as well. First, South Africa bowled superbly to bowl Sri Lanka out under a modest total of 133 and then achieved the target without a fuss to seal the match quite convincingly. Highlighter of the match were the four-wicket haul by leggie Imran Tahir and a hat-trick by part-time offie JP Duminy. But Tahir ran away with Man of the Match award.     

South Africa Innings

Over 18  || Score 134/1

De Kock hit the winnings runs as South Africa break their World Cup knockout jinx by beating listless Sri Lanka by nine wickets in a lop-sided affair. 

Over 17  || Score 123/1

Now SA are mere 11 runs away to win the first quarter-final of the tournament as three runs came in the over. 

Over 16  || Score 120/1

Now Mathews has reintroduced Dilshan. Ten from the over. SA now need 16 runs to win the match and seal a spot in the semis.  

Over 15  || Score 110/1

De Kock is now looking in a hurry to wrap up the match as quickly as possible. He is now scoring boundaries at will. Two boundaries came in the over as Perera leaked ten runs in his first over. 

Thisara Perera is set to bowl his first over.

Over 14  || Score 100/1

Kaushal to continue. Off the fifth ball came a single as South Africa touched the 100-run mark. Four runs came off it.  

Over 13  || Score 96/1

Now it seems as if Sri Lankan's have thrown in the towel. Another expensive over by Chameera as he conceded 17 runs in his 2nd over. In the meanwhile, De Kock completed his fifty with the help of a single off the last ball.

Over 12  || Score 79/1

Tharindu Kaushal to bowl his first over. Tight over first up by the offie as he conceded mere two in it. De Kock has quickly reached to 45 off 35 balls with the help of eight boundaries.  

Over 11  || Score 77/1

Bowling change! Dushmantha Chameera has the ball in hand for the first time. De Kock welcomed him by hitting consecutive boundaries off him. He is bowling either too full or too short. Expensive over first up by the seamer as he leaked 16 runs off it.  

Over 10  || Score 61/1

Faf and De Kock are dealing in singles and doubles and are picking up odd boundaries as well, whenever getting loose balls. Another good over for SA as eight runs came off it.

Over 9  || Score 53/1

Faf du Plessis is the new man in after the fall of Amla's wicket. Malinga is trying hard but SL doesn't even have a decent total to defend. He is trying the bouncers, yorkers, slower one. Seven runs came from the over. In the meantime, SA crossed the 50-run mark.      

Malinga with his fifth over.

Over 8  || Score 45/1

Tharindu Kaushal to continue. He is bowling well and is troubling De Kock a bit. Tight over as single came from it. But SL need a couple of wickets here.

Over 7  || Score 44/1

First ball after the break and De Kock played a perfect drive towards cover region to hit a boundary. Seven from the over.  

Innings Break

Over 6.4  || Score 40/1

Malinga to continue. And he strikes for Sri Lanka! Amla went for a flashy drive over third man, but failed to middle it and Kulasekara took a well-judged running-catch at third-man.

HM Amla c Kulasekara b Malinga 16 (23b) 

Over 6  || Score 37/0

Tharindu Kaushal, who is playing in his debut match, has been given the ball now. He is bowling with a diagonal run-up. Five runs off his first ODI over. 

Over 5  || Score 32/0

Malinga with his third over. De Kock collected his fourth boundary by hitting the bowler once again towards cover region. Another good over for SA as they scored eight runs in it.

Over 4  || Score 24/0

First bowling change! Nuwan Kulasekara has been given the ball. And De Kock collected two consecutive boundaries towards cover region with the help of crunchy drives. Off the fifth ball he played the ball towards cow corner to get his third boundary as 13 runs came from the over.   

Over 3  || Score 11/0

Malinga is bowling well at the moment. He is asking some tough questions from both the batsmen. Five runs off the over.   

Over 2  || Score 6/0

Spin straight away from the other end as Dilshan has been given the ball to roll his arm. De Kock would love to score some runs in this match to get his lost confidence back. Two runs from the over.   

Over 1  || Score 4/0

Off the first ball, in-form Amla played an expensive drive towards cover region to collect the first boundary of the innings. SL have to make some early in-roads to put some kind of pressure on SA. Four runs came from the over.  

Malinga is set to bowl with the new ball, as De Kock and Amla have come to the middle to start off the proceedings for SA.

Sri Lanka Innings

Over 37.2  || Score 133/10

The leggie picked up his 4th wicket in the form of Malinga to bowled Sri Lanka out under a modest total of 133. South African bowlers bowled exceptionally well to keep Sri Lankan batsmen under check since the start of the innings. No Lankan batsman managed to even touch the 50-run mark. But the highlighter of the innings was certainly the hat-trick by part-time offie JP Duminy.   

SL Malinga c Miller b Imran Tahir 3 (6b)

Tahir with his penultimate over. SA would love to finish off the innings in this over.

Over 37  || Score 133/9

Lasith Malinga and Dushmantha Chameera are in the middle. They are living dangerously in the middle. Six runs from the over.

Good news for the cricket lovers as the rain has stopped, covers are off. And players will come to the field within a few minutes. 

Over 36.2  || Score 127/9

Morkel to bowl the over. He finally picked the most important wicket of Sanga. The southpaw went for a cut over third man, but couldn't managed to clear the man patrolling near the boundary rope. And immediately after that heavens opened. And it's raining heavily in Sydney.    

KC Sangakkara c Miller b Morkel 45 (96b)

Over 36  || Score 127/8

Abbott is back into the attack. Sanga has to play his shots now as he doesn't have any other option left. And the stylish batsman played to elegant shots on either sides of the wicket to collect two boundaries. 11 runs came in the over. 

Over 35  || Score 116/8

Duminy to bowl the over. Two more wicket! And it's the second hat-trick of the tournament. It's a batting collapse. SL are reduced to 116 for 8. It's unbelievable stuff by South African bowlers.     

PHT Kaushal lbw b Duminy 0 (1b)

KMDN Kulasekara c de Kock b Duminy 1 (2b)

Over 34  || Score 116/6

Tahir strikes! New man Thisara Perera got the thick edge of his bat and first slip took a sharp catch. Sangakkara needs to play some big shots  now.

NLTC Perera c Rossouw b Imran Tahir 0 (3b)

Over 33  || Score 114/5

Duminy to continue. Three runs came in the first three balls. Mathews Out! The SA created pressure by stopping the run-flow from both the ends and when Mathews danced down the wicket to up the ante he gave Du Plessis straight catch at short-mid-wicket. 

AD Mathews c du Plessis b Duminy 19 (32b)

Over 32  || Score 109/4

Steyn with his 7th over. Sangakkara has to accelerate the run-flow a bit as he has been their for quite some time now. He needs to take those calculative risks. Two runs came from the over.      

Over 31  || Score 107/4

Another bowling change, Duminy is back. AB is juggling his bowlers at the moment. No room for the batsmen to rotate strike at regular intervals. Another fine over by the offie as he gave two runs in it.   

Over 30  || Score 105/4

Double bowling change as Dale Steyn has been called back. Aggressive captaincy by AB, as he is still in an attacking mode. Sangakkara is playing in a different role today. The in-form batsman has scored 29 runs thus far off 76 ball, with the help of a boundary.  

Over 29  || Score 102/4

With a single off the first ball, Sri Lanka touched the 100-run mark. Their Run-rate is still under four. In the meantime, Mathews is getting some treatment on the field, after being hit by a bouncer by Morkel. The speedster is troubling Lankan's from his first over. Excellent display of fast bowling by the lanky bowler. Three from the over.   

Over 28  || Score 99/4

Tahir with his seventh over. Off the 2nd ball, Mathews launched Tahir towards long on to get his first boundary. Six from the over.

Over 27  || Score 93/4

Bowling change! Speedster Morkel has been brought back into the attack. And he conceded mere four runs in his comeback over.

Over 26  || Score 89/4

Both the spinners are bowling quick overs and are not giving much time to the batsmen to think. Another tight over as two came off it.   

Over 25  || Score 87/4

Sanga is watching Sri Lankan wickets falling at regular intervals from the other end. Duminy and Tahir are not at all giving any room to the batsmen to free their arms. Three from the over.   

Over 24  || Score 84/4

Mahela Out! Tahir finally got the better of the right-hander as he gave a simple catch to shot mid-wicket fielder Du Plessis. SL are struggling at the moment. Skipper Angelo Mathews is the new man in for Lanka. Six runs came in the last two overs along with a big wicket.   

DPMD Jayawardene c du Plessis b Imran Tahir 4 (16b)

Over 22  || Score 77/3

Tahir is deceiving Mahela quite well. A big appeal against Mahela off the last ball but field umpire was unmoved. SA took the referral but it didn't work in their favour as the ball didn't pitch in line. One run came from the over.     

Over 21  || Score 76/3

Veteran batsman Mahela came to the middle after the fall of Thirimanne's wicket. Now a lot depends on this partnership. Sanga-Mahela have to play a crucial role here. Four from the over.   

Over 20  || Score 72/3

Imran Tahir strikes! Thirimanne tried to place the ball towards long on, but it reached the southpaw a bit late off what he had anticipated, and eventually he ended up giving a simple catch back to the bowler. It's a big wicket as he was a set batsman. Three runs came from the over.  

HDRL Thirimanne c & b Imran Tahir 41 (48b)

Over 19  || Score 69/2

Duminy with his third over. His overs are quite crucial for SA as they don't have a genuine fifth bowler. Five runs off the over. 

Over 18  || Score 64/2

Tahir is mixing up his deliveries quite well. He is pitching it up, flighting it, bowling a quicker one too to deceive the batsmen. Six from the over.  

Over 17  || Score 58/2

Another tight over by Duminy as three runs came in it, all in singles. Now it's time for both the batsmen to take singles and doubles at regular intervals and hit an odd boundary as well.  

Over 16  || Score 56/2

Imran Tahir has been introduced now to roll his arm. It means spin attack from both ends. Off the sixth ball, Sanga slogged the bowler towards square leg to collect his first boundary. Five from it.  

Over 15  || Score 50/2

Here comes the spinner for the very first time as JP Duminy is set to bowl his first over. A good over first up by the offie as he conceded mere three in it. In the meanwhile, SL have touched the 50-run mark as well.   

Over 14  || Score 47/2

Single off the first four balls. Tight over by Abbott as he gave mere a single in it. Sanga and Thirimanne are not looking in a hurry to score runs swiftly and playing according to the merit of the ball.

Over 13  || Score 46/2

Four runs from byes off the third ball as Morkel's bouncer went over wicket-keepers head. That's the only scoring ball from the over.  

Over 12  || Score 42/2

Abbott has been brought back into the attack. Good thinking by AB. Off the 3rd ball Sangakkara played a super cover drive to collect three runs and with that he has gone past the 500 run-mark in this World Cup. He is going through a purple patch. And his team need his services one more time in this match. Four from the over.   

Over 11  || Score 38/2

2nd ball, a big wide down the leg side by Morkel. But one can easy judge seeing the scoreboard after ten overs that initial overs of the match certainly belonged to the Proteas. Morkel is still troubling Thirimanne with his awkward bounce he is getting off the track. Three came from the over.   

Over 10  || Score 35/2

Steyn with his fifth over. Thirimanne flicked the 2nd ball towards mid-wicket region to collect two more runs. Off the 4th, he slapped the bowler over mid-off to get his 5th boundary of the match. He has quickly reached to 27 off 21 balls. Sanga took a single off the last ball. Another good over for SL as eight came off it.    

Over 9  || Score 27/2

Morkel with his 2nd over. He is extracting good bounce from the wicket and is bowling at a good speed. Troubling Thirimanne at the moment. Off the 4th ball the southpaw played a flashy drive in the air towards point region to get his 3rd boundary. And off the next he played over the top of the off-side field to collect another boundary. Nine runs came from the over.    

Over 8  || Score 18/2

Steyn to continue from the other end. He is bowling at an average speed of 140km/h. Second maiden by the speedster and third off the match. 

Over 7  || Score 18/2

First bowling change! Morne Morkel has been introduced into the attack. Sanga, still to open his account. No run came from the first four balls. Sanga is a big wicket. And finally, with the help of a flick off the hips towards square leg he opened his account. Last ball, foot no ball, free hit. But no run came off it. Another tight over as mere two runs came in it.  

Over 6  || Score 16/2

Abbott with his 3rd over. Thirimanne and Sanga are in the middle. First boundary of the match came off the 4th ball, from the willow of Thirimanne as he played an expensive drive towards cover region. Off the next he collected another boundary towards the same region to collect ten runs from the over.   

Over 5  || Score 6/2

Dilshan Out! Steyn bowled a superb ball to get the outside edge of the opener and Du Plessis took a sharp low catch at 2nd slip. Lahiru Thirimanne is the new man. Sanga has still to open his account after 10 balls. What a super display of fast bowling by the South African speedsters. Two came from the over.

TM Dilshan c du Plessis b Steyn 0 (7b) 

Over 4 || Score 4/1

First ball, peach of delivery by Abbott. Too good for Sanga as well. Next ball, a wide one, first extra run. Off the 2nd ball, a big appeal for LBW but height might be a factor as umpire was disinterested. Rest of the over was unplayable by the seamer. One run came from he over.       

Over 3 || Score 3/1

Steyn with his 2nd over. First ball, played straight into the hands of cover fielder. No run from the 2nd ball as well. Third ball, a defensive shot towards off side, no run. He is middling the ball well. Next ball, a flashy drive, but missed the line completely. No run from the last two balls as well. Another maiden over by SA.     

Over 2 || Score 3/1

Kayle Abbott with the other new ball. First ball, solid defense. Next two balls, hit and a miss. Perera is looking in a hurry here. Out! a length ball, going away after pitching, Perera only managed a thick outside edge of his bat and De Kock took a superb catch behind the wickets. In-form batsman Kumar Sangakkara came to the middle. Wicket maiden by Abbott. 

Over 1 || Score 3/0

First ball, right on the money by Steyn, well left by Perera. Second ball, solid defense. Off the third, a a hit and a miss. 4th ball, a flashy drive, flew over the slip cordon, 2 runs came off it. Next ball, well left. Last ball, outside edge for a single.  

Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kusal Perera have come to the middle to open the batting for SL. Dale Steyn is the set to bowl the first over. 

It's a packed stadium and Sri Lanka will surely going to feel as if they are playing in their home ground. 

Both the teams are heading towards the field for the national anthems.

Interesting, it's going to be a ODI debut for Tharindu Kaushal. It's a big match against a robust team. Would he be able to deal with the pressure today?  

Tharindu Kaushal has replaced unfit Rangana, whereas for South Africa Faf is back as he replaced Farhaan Behardien and Kyle Abbott is playing in place of Vernon.  

Toss: Sri Lanka have won the toss and elected to bat first. 

Ahead of the tournament, Sri Lanka weren't the favourites, but the kind of form Kumar Sangakkara is in, the Angelo Mathews-led side can certainly make life difficult for AB de Villiers and his boys as they lock horns at Sydney.

There is no doubt that South Africa are one of the strongest teams in world cricket on paper. They have two formidable batsmen at the top in Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis and AB can step up on the gas in latter part of the innings with his innovative style of play.

Their bowling attack too is the best in the business with the troika of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander having the reputation of ripping through the best batting line-ups. However, Quinton de Kock's form at the top of the order and that missing fifth bowler are two areas the Proteas need to work upon.

Slowly but steadily, Sri Lanka have gained momentum in the quadrennial extravaganza. Lahiru Thirimanne and Tillakaratne Dilshan have often got them to formidable starts and Kumar Sangakkara has further consolidated the innings with four centuries on the trot. The wicketkeeper-batsman can prove to be a big threat for South Africa.

Sri Lanka have another experienced campaigner in Mahela Jayawardene, who is known to be a big match player. The Lankan bowling hasn't been up to the mark, with Lasith Malinga having just 10 wickets under his belt from six matches.

With Rangana Herath being injured, the Lankans also miss out on a quality tweaker. If Malinga doesn't bowl at his best, the likes of Dushmanth Chameera and Seekkuge Prasanna are too inexperienced to trouble the Proteas batting line-up.

Match Officials

Umpires: Rod Tucker(Aus), Nigel Llong(Eng)
Third Umpire: Richard Kettleborough(Eng)
Match Referee: David Boon(Aus)

Sri Lanka Squad

Tillakaratne Dilshan, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Angelo Mathews, Kushal Janith Perera, Thisara Perera, Seekkuge Prasanna, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Sachithra Senanayake, Dushmantha Chameera, Rangana Herath, Suranga Lakmal, Upul Tharanga

South Africa Squad

Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers, Rilee Rossouw, David Miller, Jean-Paul Duminy, Vernon Philander, Dale Steyn, Imran Tahir, Morne Morkel, Farhaan Behardien, Wayne Parnell, Aaron Phangiso, Kyle Abbott