India vs Sri Lanka Live Score: Live Cricket Score of India vs Sri Lanka, 2nd Test, Day 1

India skipper Virat Kohli would not like to make too many changes in the playing eleven after winning the first Test match convincingly against Sri Lanka. KL Rahul is all set to make a comeback in the playing eleven in place of Abhinav Mukund while the rest of the team is likely to remain the same. Cheteshwar Pujara will be playing his 50th Test match and India would look to gain the early advantage on the first day of the second Test match with the hosts really struggling to get their team combination right. For India, both the new ball bowlers had fared well in the last Test and with the spinners coming to the party in the second innings of the Galle Test, the visitors have pretty much all bases covered.

Live Cricket Score

Live updates of Sri Lanka vs India 2nd Test, Day 1, straight from Colombo

12:54 IST: Captain Virat Kohli is the new man at the crease.
12:52 IST: WICKET! KL Rahul (57) run out (Chandimal/Dickwella). India 109/2 in 30.4 overs. 

12:46 IST: Pujara sends Perera towards deep mid wicket. He will get three runs. India 107/1 in 29.1 overs.

12:40 IST: Welcome back! KL Rahul and Cheteshwar Pujara are making their way to the middle. Rangana Herath to kick-start the second session.

12:01 IST: That's LUNCH in Colombo. India 101/1 in 28 overs.

KL Rahul 52*

Cheteshwar Pujara 14*

11:57 IST: FIFTY! KL Rahul brings up his 8th Test half-century. This is his sixth consecutive Test half-century. He becomes third Indian after Gundappa Vishwanath and Rahul Dravid to achieve the feat (6 consecutive fifties).

11:54 IST: A huge stumping appeal from wicket-keeper Niroshan Dickwella. He is confident and celebrating with his team. Umpire has asked for a reply. NOT OUT is the call.

11:44 IST: India 95/1 in 24 overs. Pujara 14*, Rahul 46*

11:42 IST: Deep point comes inside the ring for Pujara.

11:37 IST: KL Rahul defends with a straight bat towards mid-on to end Pradeep's over. India 94/1 in 22 overs.

11:33 IST: Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal brings Nuwan Pradeep back into the attack. A slip, gully, leg gully and a short mid-wicket in place.

11:28 IST: Cheteshwar Pujara slaps this powerfully but the ball hits Kusal Menis' helmet at forward short leg. Pujara checks whether the player is fine. 

11:23 IST: FOUR! KL Rahul sends Rangana Herath towards deep mid wicket for a boundary. India 90/1 in 19 overs.

11:19 IST: FOUR! KL Rahul goes on back-foot and slaps the ball towards deep mid wicket. Powerful shot from the right-hander. India 84/1 in 18 overs.

11:12 IST: FOUR! Excellent shot from KL Rahul. The right-hander comes down the track and sends the ball towards deep extra cover for a boundary. India 74/1 in 15.2 overs.

11:10 IST: FOUR! Cheteshwar Pujara comes down the track and smashes the ball towards long on for a boundary. India 70/1 in 14.5 overs.

11:08 IST: Cheteshwar Pujara plays this towards square of the wicket. He will get 2 runs.

10:51 IST: Cheteshwar Pujara is the new batman at the crease. This is his 50th Test match.

10:48 IST: WICKET! A loud LBW appeal from Dilruwan Perera. Umpire is not interested. Sri Lanka have asked for a review. It is pitching in line, And, it's OUT. Shikhar Dhawan departs for 35 runs. India lose their first wicket. India 56/1 in 10.1 overs.

10:40 IST: A loud LBW appeal from Dimuth Karunaratne. Umpire has given OUT. Wait! Rahul has asked for a review. And, it's NOT OUT. Umpire has to reverse his decision. India 52/0 in 9.1 overs. 

10:37 IST: FOUR! KL Rahul uses the pace and sends the ball towards fine leg. Nuwan Pradeep isn't happy with this shot. India 52/0 in 8.4 overs.

10:36 IST: FOUR! Shikhar Dhawan drives Nuwan Pradeep towards deep extra cover. India 47/0 in 8.3 overs.

10:26 IST: FOUR! India are dealing in boundaries now. Shikhar Dhawan takes long stride and drives the ball through covers. Beautiful shot from the left-hander. India 36/0 in 6.3 overs.

10:25 IST: FOUR! KL Rahul stuns mid-wicket firleder and manages to get another boundary. Great use of fit from the right-hander. India 32/ in 6 overs.

10:24 IST: FOUR! First boundary for KL Rahul. The right-hander cuts the ball towards mid wicket.

10:19 IST: FOUR! Shikhar Dhawan waits till the end and plays a pull shot towards backward square leg. Third boundary for him. India 22/0 in 4.4 overs.

10:11 IST: FOUR! Short and outside the off-stump from Nuwan Pradeep. Shikhar Dhawan goes on back-foot and smashes Pradeep towards backward point. India 18/0 in 3 overs.

10:09 IST: SIX! Shikhar Dhawan comes forward and smashes the ball towards long on region. Excellent shot from the opener. First six of India innings. India 14/0 in 2 overs.

10:07 IST: Dhawan gets an edge and the first slip misses the chance. Sri Lanka missed out on second chance to dismiss Dhawan.

10:06 IST: Rangana Herath starts the proceedings from the other end.

10:04 IST: FOUR! Dhawan gets an outside edge and the ball races towards third man.

10:00 IST: KL Rahul's last 7 Test innings:

64 (97), 10 (9), 90 (205), 51 (85), 67 (102), 60 (124), 51 (76)*

09:57 IST: Indian openers Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul are making their way to the middle. Sri Lanka team are in a huddle.

09:36 IST: PLAYING XIs:

India: Shikhar Dhawan, Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (captain), Ajinkya Rahane, Ravichandran Ashwin, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav.

Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne, Upul Tharanga, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal (captain), Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera, Malinda Pushpakumara, Nuwan Pradeep.

Pakistan vs West Indies live cricket score ICC Women’s World Cup 2017

Pakistan will take on the West Indies in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 at Grace Road, Leicester, on Tuesday. Out of contention for the semi-finals, the Asian team have lost all the five matches they have played so far and will be eager to break the losing streak. The West Indies, on the other hand, had a similar run until their last game. The Caribbean team had lost four matches on the trot until they beat Sri Lanka to register their first win of the eight-team tournament. Get live cricket score of Pakistan vs West Indies. Bad news. The toss has been delayed due to rain. We're going to have an inspection in about 20 minutes.

Pakistan Women Team Asmavia Iqbal, Ayesha Zafar, Diana Baig, Ghulam Fatima, Iram Javed, Javeria Khan, Kainat Imtiaz, Marina Iqbal,Nahida Khan, Nain Abidi, Nashra Sandhu, Sadia Yousuf, Sana Mir*, Sidra Nawaz†, Waheeda Akhtar

West Indies Women Team MR Aguilleira†, R Boyce, SF Daley, DJS Dottin, ASS Fletcher, Q Joseph, Kycia A Knight, Kyshona A Knight, HK Matthews, A Mohammed, SL Munroe, CN Nation, AK Peters, SR Taylor*, F Walters

Live Cricket Score of Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe

A rollicking century from Hamilton Masakadza and a rapid finish from the likes of Sikandar Raza and Peter Moor propelled Zimbabwe to a commanding 310 for 8 in Hambantota. The surface offered little for Sri Lanka's spinners or quicks, but nevertheless, the hosts will have to bat extremely well to avoid going 2-1 down in the series. Until last Friday, no score of over 300 had been successfully pursued.

Masakadza was domineering from the outset, striking at better than a run-a-ball through the first Powerplay, while Zimbabwe lost the wicket of Solomon Mire - the series' other centurion - in that period. Tarisai Musakanda, who was playing his first match of the series, then joined Masakadza at the cease. Together, they struck 127 runs from the next 113 balls, and a robust platform was set down. Wanidu Hasaranga and Asela Gunaratne made breakthroughs through the middle overs to give Sri Lanka some sort of control in the game, but enough of Zimbabwe's middle-order batsmen contributed to ensuring the second-wicket pair's work was not squandered. Sean Williams made a sensible 43, and then Raza and Moor hit the twenties apiece to plunder 47 from the last four overs.

Sri Lanka was slightly hampered at the death by the absence of Nuwan Pradeep, who disappeared into the dressing room clutching a leg midway through the innings, but had been too toothless through much of the remainder of the innings. Lakshan Sandakan, who claimed four wickets in the second ODI, was especially wayward here, leaking 73 runs in his 10 overs (though he was also unexpectedly saddled with the job of bowling the 49th over). Malinga was even more expensive, giving away 71 runs in his nine overs. Gunaratne returned the innings' best figures, with 2 for 53 from his full quota.

Masakadza found runs with deft reverse-sweeps and cute paddles when the spinners eventually came on, but it was the power that defined his innings. He crashed his fourth ball of the day through cover point and was ruthless on errors of length from the seam bowlers. Malinga was hit for four through point and then the square leg, in the fifth over, and neither Pradeep or Dushmantha Chameera could survive him unscathed through the Powerplay overs either.

He moved to fifty in the 15th over, having struck eight boundaries - all of them off quicks. The spinners would soon get their turn, however. Wanidu Hasaranga was reverse-swept for four in the 20th over, before being muscled down the ground next ball. Not long after, Sandakan was launched over long-on for six - the second of the innings, coming to a few overs after Musakanda's strike over long-on.

Particularly worrying for Sri Lanka was how comfortable both batsmen appeared. Sri Lanka had raised several lbw appeals through the early overs, and although several were close calls, none of those "not-out" verdicts would have been overturned on appeal. And the appeals themselves largely came against the run of play, rather than as a result of sustained pressure. Musakanda did not advance quite as quickly as Masakadza but still received enough loose deliveries to stroke into a favoured leg side. Masakadza, meanwhile, was, even more, attacking after reaching his half-century, using up only 36 further deliveries to move into triple figures for the fifth time in his career.

Had the partnership prospered for a further five overs, Zimbabwe might have put themselves on track for a score nearer 350 than 300, but as he has done through the series, Gunaratne provided a vital breakthrough - Musakanda holing out to long-on, in an attempt to hit against the wind. Nearly six overs later, Masakadza was also caught in the deep - at square leg - off the bowling of Wanidu Hasaranga. At his departure, the score was 191 for 2 at the start of the 33rd over.

Williams then worked the ball around until the slog overs approached before he was dismissed attempting acute stroke off Gunaratne in the 45th over. At the end of the 46th over, Zimbabwe was still 263 for 6, and Sri Lanka appeared as if they may restrict them to less than 300. Moor walloped successive sixes off Sandakan's final over, however, and then Raza struck two fours and a six off Malinga's last over, which cost a whopping 17. Zimbabwe will be the much happier of the two dressing rooms in the break.

SQUADS:
Sri Lanka: Asela Gunaratne, Chamara Kapugedera, Upul Tharanga, Angelo Mathews, Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis, Niroshan Dickwella, Akila Dananjaya, Dushmantha Chameera, Lahiru Kumara, Lakshan Sandakan, Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Pradeep, Wanidu Hasaranga.

Zimbabwe: Craig Ervine, Hamilton Masakadza, Malcolm Waller, Ryan Burl, Sean Williams, Tarisai Musakanda, Chamu Chibhabha, Sikandar Raza, Solomon Mire, Peter Moor, Carl Mumba, Chris Mpofu, Donald Tiripano, Graeme Cremer, Richard Ngarava, Tendai Chatara

Sri Lanka vs Pakistan, Highlights, ICC Champions Trophy News

Pakistan got off to a great start in the run chase as Fakhar Zaman (50) came out all guns blazing and he along with Azhar Ali (34) added 74 runs for the first wicket. But the former World Champions lost wickets at regular intervals in the middle overs that got Sri Lanka right back in the match. Just when the match was swinging towards Sri Lanka, Sarfraz Ahmed (61*) played a captain's knock to help Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by 3 wickets. Sri Lanka's fielding disintegrated in the last 45 minutes as they dropped a couple of chances and Pakistan rode on their luck to get home after being reduced to 162 for 7 at one stage. For Sri Lanka Nuwan Pradeep was the pick of the bowlers, returning with figures of 3 for 60 in his 10 overs. Earlier, Pakistan bundled out Sri Lanka for 236 with Junaid Khan and Hasan Ali picking up three wickets apiece.


Pakistan have little more than 36 hours before taking the field again in Cardiff for their Champions Trophy semi-final against England, but will find time to address concerns about their middle order despite the joy of overcoming Sri Lanka to progress to the knockout stage.

Fakhar Zaman's explosive entrance to the one-day side, with innings of 31 off 23 balls against South Africa followed by his 35-ball 50 against Sri Lanka, has helped overcome the sluggish starts which have plagued their batting, but there were a series of loose dismissals in the chase which left them needing a rescue mission of dramatic proportions from captain Sarfraz Ahmed and Mohammad Amir in an unbroken stand of 75 in 15 overs.

"If you look at the game we started well but after Fakhar Zaman got out we lost the momentum and then most of our dismissals were soft which definitely is an area of concern for us," Sarfraz said. "We will sit tomorrow and talk about this and hopefully we will recover from this.

"After the way we started we could have finished this game with six or seven wickets in hand but those dismissals really dented us. We should have won by a good margin but a win is a win. Yes, we need to sit and talk about it and realise that if we a settled that we should take the game to the end rather than leaving it for the upcoming batsmen."

On his own innings, an unbeaten 61 off 79 balls, he admitted things went his way especially with the first dropped catch by Thisara Perera but was delighted to see the chase through. "I played the shot in the air, I just said, ooh...as a captain, it's very important innings for me. After this innings, I'm really boosted."

Before the tournament, Sarfraz spoke about how the team's No. 8 ODI ranking meant there were no expectations on them - which looked justified after the woeful performance against India, who they have a chance of meeting again in the final - but now they have a semi-final berth he sounded a little more bullish.

"Indeed it was very important for us as a team. Obviously nobody was rating us and they were writing us off, but once again I give all the credit to the team management for boosting us after the India game, especially our bowlers. The way Junaid [Khan] and Amir bowled was a turning point. I hope we can carry the momentum ahead and take a lot of confidence."

Sarfraz also promised his side would play "positive" cricket against England, the side they conceded the world record ODI total of 444 for 3 against at Trent Bridge last year. That one-day series ended in a 4-1 drubbing but the lone Pakistan victory did come in Cardiff as they chased down 303 in which Sarfraz made 90.

"We chased down 300-plus runs and that is a good memory," he said. "We have to play positive cricket as England have been playing positive cricket in the last two years. Obviously we have to play hard and we will try to replicate our last year performance to win them again in Cardiff. If you're playing a world class team you play more positive cricket. So will definitely do that against England."

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Sri Lanka vs Pakistan, Live Cricket Score, ICC Champions Trophy

Their campaigns back on track after upset wins, Pakistan and Sri Lanka face each other in their concluding Champions Trophy group match in a virtual 'quarter-final' today. Both the teams lost their opening matches but bounced back into reckoning after producing two of the tournament's biggest upsets so far. Pakistan suffered a 124-run thrashing at the hands of arch-rivals and defending champions India but then notched up an upset win over world number one side South Africa to stay alive. History, however, favors Pakistan as they have won twice as against one by Sri Lanka in Champions Trophy. Overall, in the 147 matches the two sides have played against each other, Pakistan have won 84 as against 58 by Sri Lanka. One match was tied while four games ended as 'no result'.

ICC Champions Trophy Live Updates Between Sri Lanka vs Pakistan straight from Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

18:50 IST: Pakistan bowl Sri Lanka out for 236. Dickwella 73. Junaid Khan 3/40, Hasan Ali 3/43.

18:48 IST: One over to  go! How many runs will Sri Lanka score in the last over?

18:46 IST: WICKET! Hasan Ali takes his third wicket, Asela Gunaratne departs for 27. Sri Lanka 232/9 in 48.1 overs.

18:40 IST: Malinga flicks the ball towards backward square leg. Hasan Ali dives and saves three runs for his team. Excellent fielding from him. 

18:38 IST: FOUR! Unbelievable shot. Asela Gunaratne uses the pace and sends the ball over wicket-keeper's head for a boundary. Sri Lanka 226/8 in 47 overs.

18:28 IST: Lasith Malinga is the new man at the crease.

18:27 IST: WICKET! Hasan Ali ends Suranga Lakmal's stay at 26. Sri Lanka 213/8 in 44.3 overs.

18:22 IST: FOUR! Suranga Lakmal hits the ball straight down the ground. Amir isn't happy with this shot. Valuable runs for Sri Lanka at this point of time. Sri Lanka 210/7 in 44 overs.

18:21 IST: Asela Gunaratne uses the pace and guides Mohammad Amir towards fine leg. He will gets 3 runs. Sri Lanka 205/7 in 43.3 overs.

18:19 IST: 200 comes up for Sri Lanka.

18:16 IST: FOUR! Suranga Lakmal lofts the ball towards long off region. One bounce and boundary. Sri Lanka 197/7 in 42 overs.

18:14 IST: FOUR! Suranga Lakmal drives Hasan Ali towards long off. Sri Lanka 192/7 in 41.3 overs.

18:12 IST: Just 2 runs off Imad Wasim's over. Sri Lanka 187/7 in 41 overs.

18:10 IST: 10 over to go! Can Pakistan skittle Sri Lanka under 200?

18:09 IST: 40 overs gone! Sri Lanka 185/7. Asela Gunaratne 9*, Suranga Lakmal 7*

18:04 IST: Another good over for Pakistan. Hasan Ali concedes just 5 runs. Sri Lanka 184/7 in 38 overs.

17:59 IST! Just 5 runs off Junaid Khan's over. Sri Lanka 179/7 in 37 overs.

17:52 IST: WICKET! Another one bites the dust. Junaid Khan takes his third wicket, removes Thisara Perera for 1. Perera gets an outside edge. Babar Azam pouches it nicely at first slip. Sri Lanka 167/7 in 35 overs.

17:48 IST: Another wicket? Amir is celebrating. Sarfraz takes a blinder here but is it a clean catch? Umpires have gone upstairs for a review. And, it is NOT a clean catch. NOT OUT is the call. Gunaratne is safe.

17:42 IST: Thisara Perera is the new man at the crease.

17:39 IST:WICKET! Mohammad Amir strikes again, gets rid of Niroshan Dickwella for 73 runs. Pakistan on a roll at Sophia Gardens. Sri Lanka 162/6 in 33.1 overs.

17:38 IST: A wicket maiden from Junaid. Excellent show from him. Sri Lanka 162/5 in 33 overs.

17:35 IST: WICKET! Junaid Khan dismisses Dhananjaya de Silva for 1. De Dilve edges the ball behind. Easy catch for wicket-keeper Sarfraz. Sri Lanka 162/5 in 32.3 overs. What a celebration from Junaid.

17:29 IST: WICKET! Mohammad Amir ends Angelo Mathews' stay at 39 runs. Sri Lanka 161/4 in 31.2 overs. First wicket for Amir in ICC Champions Trophy 2017.

17:23 IST: Great over from Junaid Khan. Only one run coming from it. Dickwella was beaten several times in that over. 

17:19 IST: 9 runs off Mohammad Amir's over. Sri Lanka 160/3 in 30 overs.

17:15 IST: FOUR! Mohammad Amir is back into the attack. Mathews comes forward and slaps the ball towards deep mid wicket. Quite aggressive from the shot from the Sri Lankan skipper. Sri Lanka 157/3 in 29.3 overs.

17:14 IST: FOUR! Dickwella takes a big stride and sends the ball beautifully towards deep extra cover. Imad Wasim isn't happy with this shot. Sri Lanka 151/3 in 29 overs.

17:09 IST: Dickwella sends Hafeez towards long off. He will get 3 runs. Excellent fielding from Fakhar Zaman at the boundary ropes. He dives and saves one run for his team. Sri Lanka 143/3 in 28 overs.

17:07 IST: Another excellent over from Imad Wasim. He concedes just 2 runs. Sri Lanka 138/3 in 27 overs.

17:03 IST: Direct hit from Imad Wasim. Setback for Sri Lanka? Umpire has called for a review. The replay shows the Sri Lankan skipper Angelo Mathews has made it to the crease. He is safe. Sri Lanka 135/3 in 25.4 overs.

17:02 IST: SIX! First maximum of the match. Angelo Mathews comes forward and smashes Hafeez towards long on.

17:01 IST: Another good over for Pakistan. Just 5 runs off Imad Wasim's over. Sri Lanka 127/3 in 25 overs.

16:55 IST: 12 runs off Fahim Ashraf's over. Sri Lanka 118/3 in 23 overs.

Pakistan won the toss and decided to bowl. Under overcast conditions in Cardiff, both captains confirmed they would have preferred to chase, potentially giving Pakistan the slight edge before the game begins. Pakistan made one change from the team that beat South Africa in their previous game, with fast-bowling all rounder Faheem Ashraf coming in, replacing spinner Shadab Khan. Sri Lanka were forced to bring in Dhananjaya de Silva for the injured Kusal Perera. Sri Lanka also went in with four pacers, providing evidence of how both sides felt the pitch is going to behave.

The game is a virtual quarter-final, with the winner going through to face England in the semi-final, although a massive win for either side could see them meet Bangladesh instead. For that, they will need to top the group by trumping India's net run rate. Complex calculations aside, each side needs to win by approximately 300 runs to achieve that, so that will probably be no more than a mental footnote.

Sri Lanka: 1 N Dickwella, 2 MD Gunathilaka, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Angelo Mathews, 5 Dinesh Chandimal, 6 Asela Gunaratne, 7 Dhananjaya de Silva, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Suranga Lakmal, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Nuwan Pradeep


Pakistan: 1 Azhar Ali, 2 Fakhar Zaman, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Mohammad Hafeez, 5 Shoaib Malik, 6 Sarfraz Ahmed, 7 Imad Wasim, 8 Fahim Ashraf, 9 Mohammad Amir, 10 Hasan Ali, 11 Junaid Khan

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Kohli credits Sri Lanka for seizing the moment

In the crucial segment between overs, 25 and 40 India managed to score just 80 runs. In the same phase of their innings, Sri Lanka added 103 runs. Having started on a steady note, did India fall short of what could and should have been an insurmountable target?

Until the final ten overs began, India was scoring at a run-rate of about five an over despite Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma giving them a solid opening with a 138-run stand in the first 25 overs. Against Pakistan, it had been a similar storyline, but the big difference was Yuvraj Singh, Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya providing them a robust ending with their power hitting.

Today, all three of those batsmen failed, and despite MS Dhoni bringing forth his best finishing skills, India seemed at least 20 runs short.

Virat Kohli, however, disagreed with such thinking. India, Kohli pointed out, do not play the "explosive" brand of cricket through the middle overs that teams such as England have made a trademark. Instead, he simply felt that Sri Lanka's batsmen had been too good on the day.

"I think batting did really well," Kohli said. "We obviously have to consolidate and then explode in the end, and that's the way we always play.

"We don't - we are not a side that always plays explosive cricket throughout the 50 overs, but if a side comes out here and plays cricket with that kind of mindset and executes their shots so well, then you have to take your hat off sometimes and say very well played."

Pushed to have a re-think, Kohli admitted that, next time, India might have to pace the innings better to raise a more competitive target.

"I thought we paced it well. I thought we had enough on the board. In hindsight, when you look back, maybe you think of phases that we could have accelerated, but I don't see that as a major issue.

"Maybe we will have to push harder now in the next few games to give us a 20-run cushion. Maybe after seeing a result like this, because we're playing on the same ground as well."

At the outset of the tournament, Kohli had said in a tightly-knit tournament like this, what matters on the day is execution. India just messed up both with the ball and the bat in execution. It only made Sri Lanka's job easier.

Upul Tharanga suspended for two matches after four-hour innings

Sri Lanka's stand-in captain Upul Tharanga has been suspended for his team's next two matches in the Champions Trophy because of a "serious" over-rate offence in their first group B match against South Africa at The Oval.

Sri Lanka took more than four hours to bowl 50 overs, and match referee David Boon ruled they were short of the target by four overs, even after making time allowances. Tharanga had been filling in as captain for Angelo Mathews, who did not make it through a fitness test on the morning of the match, and received two suspension points for the slow over rate.

"Tharanga pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing," the ICC said. "As two suspension points equate to a ban from one Test or two ODIs or two T20Is, whatever comes first for the player, Tharanga has been suspended from his side's upcoming matches against India and Pakistan, while each of his players have received a fine of 60 per cent."

Tharanga admitted he had been warned on-field that Sri Lanka were falling well behind the over-rate. "I think we were too slow to change over between overs. The umpires had told us that we were lagging, after 10 overs that we were two overs behind. In the last few overs it's hard to catch up, because you need some time at the death. "

He was Sri Lanka's top scorer against South Africa, making 57 off 69 balls as they fell short by 96 runs in the chase of 300. His suspension now makes it even more imperative that Mathews is fit to face India at The Oval on June 8 as Sri Lanka aim to keep their tournament alive.

Speaking before the sanction against Tharanga was confirmed, Dinesh Chandimal, who would be the likely captain if Mathews wasn't fit, said he had been close to make the opening match.

"He just missed this game, but the thing is you can't risk playing the first game and making it worst," he said. "He's got four or five days before the next game to get ready."

Tahir, Amla lead rout of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka had lost five ODIs to South Africa already this year but had hoped that months later, playing for a different trophy, they could apply the lessons learned during that walloping. It wasn't to be. The gulf in quality between these teams was borne out by the margin of South Africa's victory: 96 runs.

In fact, South Africa may reflect that despite Hashim Amla's velvet 103 from 115 balls, and Faf du Plessis' efficient 75, they were not quite explosive enough during the death.

They had begun indifferently with the ball too, allowing a pugnacious Niroshan Dickwella to unsettle them in the Powerplay, but soon, the middle-overs mastery of Imran Tahir took the grip, and Sri Lanka's chase of 300 lays all but scuttled, as they slumped to 155 for 6 in the 30th over. In wiping the remainder of Sri Lanka's innings out in clinical fashion, South Africa have confirmed, if there was any doubt, that they are serious contenders for the trophy. Tahir's final figures were 4 for 27, but his effect on the match was even more substantial than those numbers laid out.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka, for whom it is now a compliment that only one important catch was dropped, gleaned only minor personal positives from the match. Dickwella set the chase off to a roaring start, Upul Tharanga contributed a half-decent fifty, Kusal Perera stood firm at one end while the lower order crashed around him, and Nuwan Pradeep showcased a slowly burgeoning range of skills with the ball. But these are not the kinds of performances that win matches.

The defining periods of play were the middle overs in each innings: having picked the less-aggressive spin option in Seekkuge Prasanna, Sri Lanka allowed Amla and du Plessis to prosper too easily during those overs, and with the bat, lost five wickets for 66 runs from overs 11 to 30.

For Amla, who had set South Africa on course for 299 - an imposing score, given the slightly slow nature of the surface - this innings may not rank as one of his best, but it did get him to the milestone of 25 ODI hundreds in 11 fewer innings than any previous batsman had managed it. He now also sits alongside Sachin Tendulkar, Kumar Sangakkara and Ricky Ponting to have 25 hundred in both Tests and ODIs.

He was cautious, to begin with, as Sri Lanka delivered some exceptionally tight overs. Initially, he hovered in the crease, dabbing and squeezing his way into the innings. Not until the penultimate ball of the first Powerplay did he venture a boundary: a flick off Pradeep over the leg side. He made only 26 off the first 40 balls he faced.

But following the departure of Quinton de Kock, who nicked off to Pradeep, Amla played with more ambition. There was a six over long-off, off Asela Gunaratne, in the 19th over, and in the 24th he slunk down the pitch to send Seekkuge Prasanna sailing over the deep midwicket fence. In between those two shots, he had reached fifty, and suddenly, was scoring at close to a run a ball.

His partnership with du Plessis was the most fruitful of the innings, and the pair hauled South Africa to a position of strength with their quickening 145-run stand. Amla, having provided the innings its thrust during the overs when du Plessis was feeling his way into the game, allowed his partner to make the riskier plays during the middle overs, saving for himself the role of turning the strike over. In fact, between the 24th and 43rd over - when he got out - he hit only one boundary. South Africa scored only 78 runs in the last 10 overs, thanks again to some tight bowling by Pradeep, with support from Lasith Malinga and Suranga Lakmal. Of those runs, JP Duminy contributed 38 in the space of 20 deliveries.

Sri Lanka will particularly rule the rate at which their innings crashed and burned because, by the end of the first Powerplay, they had scored 55 more runs than South Africa had managed at that stage of the innings. Dickwella led this charge, flitting about the crease to carve the quicks over the offside, then jumping across to leg to whip them over the leg, during his 33-ball 41. With Tharanga also batting confidently through those overs, it seemed inconceivable that Sri Lanka would not at least mount a muscular challenge to South Africa's total.

In the end, Tahir became their downfall, just as he had been during that bilateral series earlier in the year. Dinesh Chandimal got himself run-out trying to get off the strike in Tahir's first over, before Chamara Kapugedara was trapped in front by a googly three balls later. Tharanga then launched a ball into the hands of deep cover, and Asela Gunaratne squirted a catch to square leg, and pretty soon, a rapid start had turned into a procession of wickets. Perera stuck around for 66 balls and hit 44 unbeaten runs, but Sri Lanka were already out of contention for most of his stay. Tahir came back to take the final wicket, and Sri Lanka were all out in the 42nd over.