South African captain AB de Villiers said that he cannot express how proud he was of his team, who ended their four-match ODI winless streak by beating Sri Lanka by 56 runs in the third ODI at the Pallekele International ground on Friday.
The fourth ODI between South Africa and Sri Lanka will be played on Sunday in Pallekele and South Africa will look to level the series.
According to Sport24, the Proteas managed to keep their series hopes alive in the game, in which De Villiers elected to bat after winning the toss, adding that David Miller was the star of the Proteas’ innings, smashing a robust 85 not out off 72 balls to steer South Africa to 223/7.
The report further said that the left-handed Miller smashed five sixes and four boundaries and helped recover the match for the tourists after a three-wicket haul from unorthodox spinner Ajantha Mendis reduced South Africa to 154/7 in the 42nd over.
De Villiers said that it was hard to explain how proud he was of his team as it was the first time in 19 years and 327 days that the Proteas have beaten Sri Lanka in their backyard, adding that they have given a very good performance.
However, the skipper said that they did not have an easy time in the game as they under pressure throughout the match, adding that they did not have enough partnerships going.
Meanwhile, Sri Lankan Test and one-day captain Angelo Mathews praised team mate Thisara Perera, saying that Perera was turning out to be a good all-rounder. Even though the hosts were defeated in the third ODI, they have a 2-1 lead in the series, the report added.
Praising Perera for showing his skills in all the formats of the game, Mathews said that despite the pitch showing difficulties for the batsmen, it seemed as if Perera was batting on a different wicket.
However, Perera was caught in the deep by Faf du Plessis and perished for a 49-ball 65, with Mathews saying that he should have stayed with Perera as he was playing well, adding that they needed to get back their game in the fourth ODI on Sunday.