Sri Lanka takes series against Proteas

Sri Lankan cricketer Saman Jayantha plays a shot during the final one day international match between South Africa and Sri Lanka at The Sinhalese Sports Club ground in Colombo. PHOTO: AFP

Sanath Jayasuriya top-scored with 79 runs and captured three wickets yesterday as Sri Lanka trounced South Africa by 49 runs in the final one-day international despite a fighting century from Jacques Kallis. Sri Lanka swept the series 5-0.

Batting Sri Lanka amassed 308 runs losing eight wickets in 50 overs after South African captain Graeme Smith won the toss and asked Sri Lanka to bat first on a pitch that favored strokeplay.

Later, South Africa was dismissed for 259 runs in 48.1 overs helped by a superb 5-61 from legspinner Upul Chandana.

South Africa lost out-of-form Herschelle Gibbs with the total on 11, bowled off the inside edge by left-arm seamer Nuwan Zoysa.

Smith promise with a well-compiled 25, hitting three fours, but fell run-out to a sharp throw from Chandana at deep square-leg when he attempted a second run.

Kallis Jacques Rudolph joined at the departure of Smith and added fighting 114 runs in 137 balls for the third wicket scoring with singles and two and hitting lose balls to the boundary.

South Africa needed to score at a rate of nine runs per over at the end of 35 overs when Rudolph came out to hit Chandana and was caught by Tillekeratne Dilshan at short mid-on for 48 runs.

Rudolph 60 balls for his runs which included two fours.

Mark Boucher made a quick 24 runs off 19 balls before being stumped by Kumar Sangakkara off Chandana. He hit two fours and a six.

Kallis after making 101 runs -- his 13th one-day century, when he top-edged a sweep against Chandana to give Kumar Sangakkara an easy catch.

Trying increase the scoring rate, South Africa lost their last five wickets for 49 runs.

Earlier an aggressive 125-run partnership between Jayasuriya and Saman Jayantha helped Sri Lanka set a massive target for South Africa.

Fast Shaun Pollock gave South Africa a good start dismissing opener Avishka Gunawardene on the third ball of the day, without any run on the board. Gunawardene was bowled as he misjudged the line of a ball and tried to leave it.

Jayasuriya Jayantha pulled the side out of trouble with their 132-ball stand which came in 96 minutes.

Smith fast bowler Lance Klusener into the attack in the 23rd over and on his first ball forced an edge off Jayantha's bat to wicketkeeper Boucher.

Jayantha 51 -- his second one-day half-century, in 68 balls including six fours.

Jayasuriya's came in 85 balls including seven fours before offspinner Smith had him caught by Gibbs at short extra-cover off a leading edge.

In-form Sangakkara recorded his 17th half-century -- and third of the series -- as he added a brisk 84 off 87 balls for the fourth wicket with stand-in skipper Mahela Jayawardene.

Sangakkara 72 runs in 71 balls including four fours and a six before being caught by Kallis off pacer Charl Langeveldt as he tried to speed up the scoring rate in the 43rd over.

Jayawardene for 39 runs made in 45 balls trapped lbw by Langeveldt.

Langeveldt, playing his first match of the tour, recorded the best bowling figures for South Africa with three wickets for 31 runs in seven overs.

Pakistan vs Netherlands

Rain, appropriately, ended Pakistan's visit to the Netherlands when their friendly match against the Dutch national side at the VRA Ground on Monday was abandoned.

Pakistan 122 for six, in a match already reduced to 25 overs per side, when Dutch umpires Chris Pickett and Eric van der Vegt called a halt.

Abdul Razzaq was 24 not out and wicket-keeper Moin Khan 20 not out, their unbroken stand of 44 repairing the damage after Pakistan slumped to 78 for six.

"It's a shame but what can you do about the weather," Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer told AFP. "It's been very frustrating but there is no point complaining. You've just got to get on with it."

Pakistan's had to be set in the context of a friendly match -- games against the Netherlands do not count as full one-day internationals unless played at the World Cup or other official International Cricket Council (ICC) tournaments.

The game itself was an appendix to the rain-marred triangular tournament which saw world champions Australia beat Pakistan by 17 runs in the final on Saturday in an event also featuring India.

All three teams had come to the Netherlands in a bid to warm-up for next month's ICC Champions Trophy tournament in England.

But each was frustrated by the weather and it was a similar story Monday with the start delayed by three hours.

When play did get underway Imran Farhat was caught down the legside in the second over by wicket-keeper Jeroen Smits, one of several Dutch cricketers Monday who featured at last year's World Cup, off Darren Reekers's first ball.

Reekers for 19), had his second victim, when Shahid Afridi (12) was well caught in the covers by Bas Zuiderent, who has played English county cricket for Sussex, after the ball stopped on a slow pitch.

All-rounder Tim de Leede also featured in what little cricket was possible by taking two wickets in two balls.

Pakistan Inzamam-ul-Haq holed out first for 29 and Younis Khan then saw a forward defensive shot trickle back onto his stumps.

De Leede took two for 12 from two overs before Razzaq struck two huge sixes.

But the dark skies overhead always made a positive result unlikely and after several overs in the rain the match was abandoned.

Pakistan's Champions Trophy warm-up match is against Australia at Lord's on Saturday.