BBC SPORT | Cricket | Easy win for SA

Fifth one-day international, Bloemfontein. South Africa 229-4 (45.1 overs) beat Sri Lanka 228-8 (50 overs) by six wickets

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South Africa cruised to an easy six-wicket win over Sri Lanka Friday at Goodyear Park in the fifth and final one-day international between the two teams.

Neil McKenzie's unbeaten 70 laid the foundation as the Proteas reached Sri Lanka's modest total without any major struggle.

And the home team would also have been encouraged by the debut of young bowler Monde Zondeki who took Marvan Atapattu's wicket with his first ball in international cricket.

Atapattu was caught at first slip by Andrew Hall for 53 after Mark Boucher had failed to hold on to a sharply lifting deflection.

Atapattu had looked confident against all the South African bowling, and it was only the extra bounce and pace of Zondeki which flummoxed him.

Marvan Atapattu
Atapattu was undone by Zondeki

Herschelle Gibbs blasted 47 runs in as many balls before dragging a bad ball from outside his off stump from Chamila Gamaga onto his wicket.

Jonty Rhodes came in to finish things off for the South Africans with a run-a-ball innings of 25.

Earlier, Sri Lanka were thankful for Kumar Sangakkara's 77 as they stuttered to 228-8.

Skipper Shaun Pollock was the best of the South African bowlers, taking 2-23 in his 10 overs.

It was his initial burst of seven overs which put the skids under the Sri Lankan top order as he had both Aravinda de Silva and Mahela Jayawardene caught behind.

Allan Donald was unusually expensive, conceding 65 runs in nine overs, but he did take two wickets.

South Africa: Herschelle Gibbs, Andrew Hall, Boeta Dippenaar, Jonty Rhodes, Neil McKenzie, Mark Boucher, Lance Klusener, Shaun Pollock (captain), Robin Peterson, Allan Donald, Monde Zondeki.

Sri Lanka: Marvan Atapattu, Sanath Jayasuriya (captain), Kumar Sangakkara, Aravinda de Silva, Mahela Jayawardene, Russel Arnold, Thilan Samaraweera, Chaminda Vaas, Chamila Gamage, Pulasthi Gunaratne, Prabath Nissanka.


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