Sri Lanka Crush South Africa to Stay in ICC U19 World Cup Semi-Final Hunt

Sri Lanka defeated South Africa by 5 wickets to keep their ICC U19 World Cup semi-finals hopes alive. A batting masterclass from Viran Chamuditha allowed Sri Lanka to seal the chase, as he scored a stunning hundred in the second innings of the match.

Batting first, South Africa started the innings strongly, as their openers negated the early attack of Sri Lanka. After playing a good knock of 46 runs, Adnaan Lagadien lost his wicket in the 19th over, courtesy of some fine bowling by Vigneshwaran Akash.

The middle order of South Africa then faced back-to-back blows, as Akash took two more wickets to bring Sri Lanka back into the game. Meanwhile, the opener Jorich Van Schalkwyk stood firm at one end to keep the scoreboard moving. He tried to bat sensibly in the middle overs while other batters kept losing their wickets consistently.

Schalkwyk then smashed a stunning century, showcasing his talent to score big under pressure. His knock of 116 runs gave South Africa a strong base, which eventually led them to post 261 at the end of the innings.

The Sri Lankan team came up with a strong reply in the second innings, as Viran Chamuditha led their batting charge from the front. His partnerships with Senuja Wekunagoda and Vimath Dinsara were crucial, as it allowed Sri Lanka to stay in the hunt for the target.

Viran Chamuditha then scored a hundred, giving Sri Lanka a solid base to chase down the South African total. His innings of 110 runs was simply exceptional, as it came at a strong strike rate of 117 under pressure.

After the dismissal of Chamuditha, the middle order of Sri Lanka stepped up and scored briskly to seal the chase in the 46th over. They finally won the match by 5 wickets, keeping their hopes alive to qualify for the ICC U19 World Cup semi-finals.