SA managed to do something in Dambulla on Sunday that escaped them in the first three weeks of their series in Sri Lanka: win. After playing poor cricket throughout two Tests and losing both comfortably‚ Faf du Plessis’ team got it together well enough in the first one-day international to earn the honours by five wickets with 19 overs to spare. But it’s best South Africans don’t breathe that sigh of relief just yet — there are four more ODIs to come‚ the next at the same venue on Wednesday. Besides‚ while the victory was comprehensive it was not wholly convincing. SA’s ideas seemed to evaporate in the stiff wind that blew all day after sniping bowling on a responsive pitch by Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi — and JP Duminy’s whiplash pick-up-and-throw to run out Upul Tharanga — reduced the Lankans to 36/5 inside nine overs. Besides taking wickets in their 11 overs with the new ball‚ only once did Rabada or Ngidi concede more than nine runs in any of those overs. Then came Wiaan Mulde...
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