Batting first, South Africa were helped to the target by Faf du Plessis who scored his career best 185. Fifties from Quinton de Kock and AB de Villiers were the other hightlights of the first innings.

South Africa vs Sri Lanka

0049 hrs IST: All over! South Africa win by 40 runs after Wayne Parnell bowls Sandakan. Chasing 368 for the first win of the series, Sri Lanka are bowled out for 327 and South Africa now lead the five-match series 4-0

0041 hrs IST: WICKET! Parnell strikes! Sri Lanka lose their ninth wicket as Madhushanka drives one straight to covers. They still need 43 runs but doesn’t look realistic now

0038 hrs IST: WICKET! Stunner from De Kock! Pathirana cannot believe it! What an effort from De Kock. Pathirana plays it very late, trying to get it past De Kock but he just times his jump to perfection and ball sticks in the flap off the gloves. Sri Lanka lose eighth wicket

0033 hrs IST: WICKET! That is gone. Such a tame dismissal after a brilliant innings from Weera! A full toss and he somehow manages to get a top edge off it. Parnell runs from short backward point position to take the catch

0029 hrs IST: Consecutive boundaries for Weerakkody! Both past the short third-man. He has played a gem of an innings in Cape Town. Sri Lanka are relying on him to chase down this target

0022 hrs IST: WICKET! Gunaratne gone! He has pulled it straight to mid-wicket. Brilliant from Rabada as he pulls back the line and batsman tries to pull it hard. Straight to the fielder

0020 hrs IST: FIFTY! Weerakkody gets to his maiden ODI fifty off just 46 balls. This is a great moment to reach the milestone. But can he help Sri Lanka cross the line?

0018 hrs IST: Sri Lanka are 299 for the loss of four wickets after 43 overs. They need 69 more runs off 42 balls and they have six wickets in hand. Can they pull it off?

0003 hrs IST: DROPPED! Shamshi puts a catch on the ropes. That is high up in the air and taking a top edge off Guna’s bat. Shamshi settles below it but could not catch it

0000 hrs IST: Six runs from the 39th over. Sri Lanka are 266 for the loss of four wickets. They need 102 more runs from 66 balls with six wickets in hand. South Africa were 254 for 3 at the same stage

2343 hrs IST: DROPPED! Will this be costly for South Africa? Weerakkody pulls and it goes straight to deep square-leg where Imran Tahir is in no position to take the catch. He has put down a sitter

2342 hrs IST: Over number 35 gone in Cape Town. Sri Lanka are 237 for the loss of four wickets. They need 131 more runs from 90 balls to win this match. Rabada is the bowler for South Africa

2334 hrs IST: WICKET! De Silva adjudged LBW! Brilliant from Rabada. That is a full yorker that hits De Silva on the pads. Umpire has no doubt in his mind. Sri Lank lose their fourth wicket

2330 hrs IST: Now it is becoming difficult for Sri Lanka. The runs have frozen for them. Below 102 balls remaining in their innings and they need 144 runs to win this match with nine wickets in hand

2320 hrs IST: 30 overs bowled and Sri Lanka are 217 for the loss of three wickets. They need 151 more runs from 120 balls. Imrah Tahir is the bowled. De Silva and Weerakkody the two batsmen out there

2315 hrs IST: WICKET! Upal Tharanga is caught at point! A brilliant innings of 119 comes to an end as Wayne Parnell removes Upul Tharanga. Could not keep it down as he tried to cut one. Sri Lanka still need over 150 runs

2307 hrs IST: WICKET! Mendis has to go. Wayne Parnell strikes! That is a big wicket for South Africa. Against the run of play, Mendis is gone. He had shuffled across and Parnell banged in a bouncer. Trying to pull, Mendis misses it and it brushes his gloves on the way and straight to the keeper

2301 hrs IST: Sri Lanka are 200 for the loss of one wicket after 26 overs. They need 168 more runs from 144 balls. Pretty much achievable if they keep their wickets in hand

2254 hrs IST: CENTURY! Upal Tharanga has a hundred with a six! What an innings from Tharanga. The stand-in skipper for Sri Lanka has played a brilliant innings and has kept Sri Lanka in the game

2247 hrs IST: Review! Imran Tahir is convinced that he has got the wicket of Mendis. Umpire says not out. Tahir asks AB to review and South Africa go for it. The impact of the pad and ball is just in line but the googly is turning way too much. Will just kiss the leg-stump. Umpire’s call and it stays not out

2244 hrs IST: 22 overs have been bowled and Sri Lanka are 170 for the loss of one wicket. They still need 198 more runs from 168 balls to win the fourth ODI against South Africa

2234 hrs IST: 150 up for Sri Lanka in the 20th over. This is a nice platform for them to claim the first win of the series. They are chasing a big total but something which is achievable

2225 hrs IST: N Dickwella c Behardien b Pretorius 58
Pretorius breaks the opening stand at 139. The tourists are much ahead as they still have to chase 229 to win the fourth ODI. Mendis makes his way into the middle

2215 hrs IST: Dickwella brings up his third ODI half-century while Tharanga seems unstoppable as he has added 73 from 45 balls. Sri Lanka reach 137 after 15 overs.

2200 hrs IST: Tharanga takes a single as he plays down towards the fielder at point and brings up his 31st ODI half-century. SL 84 for no loss after 8 overs, Dickwella 28. South Africa were at 47/1

2150 hrs IST: Niroshan Dickwella, Upul Tharanga provide Sri Lanka a start they were looking for. The tourists reach 56 for the loss of no wicket after five overs. Tharanga 37 not out and Dickwella batting on 17

South Africa set a target of 368 for Sri Lanka in the fourth ODI at Cape Town. N Dickwella, DS Weerakkody to begin Sri Lanka’s chase.

2050 hrs IST: Faf du Plessis c Gunaratne b Madhushanka 185
Du Plessis makes his way back after a heroic knock, smashed 16 boundaries and three sixes. Plessis hit it high and down to long-on and Gunaratne takes it comfortably. Faf falls three runs short of equaling Gary Kirsten’s record for highest individual score by a South African batsman.

2044 hrs IST: 4,6,0,4,6,2 Faf du Plessis smashes the ball all over the park as he takes South Africa to 317/4 at the end of 46th over. Du Plessis’s 175* is now the highest score at Newlands Cricket Stadium, surpasses David Warner’s 173

Du Plessis his it straight back over the bowler’s head for a maximum and bring 300 up for the hosts. Also, brings up his career best ODI score and his first 150.

South Africa lose AB de Villiers and JP Duminy before Faf du Plessis continues to help the hosts set a big total against Sri Lanka.

Kumara bowls a yorker to Du Plessis and he directs it to the leg side for four and that brings up his seventh ODI century.

South Africa get to the 200 run mark
The wicket of Quinton de Kock was only to be followed by another near century run parthership between du Plessis and AB de Villiers. du plessis is only three runs away from getting to his century.

OUT! Quinton de Kock 55 c Tharanga b Pathirana, South Africa 103/2
Pathirana tosses the ball up and de Kock only nicks it to the slips. No hundred for the Protea Wicket keeper today, a strong second wicket stand ended.

Quinton de Kock gets to his half centuryin 40 balls. Du Plessis and De Kock have now put on 84 runs for the second wicket and South Africa are 87/1. De Kock has go to his fifty in 40 balls, South Africa are 88/1 after 14 overs

Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock have nullified the jolt caused by Amla’s dismissal and South Africa have now raced to 53/1 in nine overs.

The stadium is far from a full house just yet. Kulasekara was the man to bowl the first over and Hashim Amla was the man on strike. South Africa ended the over without losing a wicket but Amla didn’t last long after that.
In the third ball of the second over, he tried to drive a short of a length delivery outside off from Lahiru Kumara and ended up edging it to slips. South Africa had lost their first wicket for just three runs.

It took just 70 minutes and 13.3 overs for South Africa to claim the remaining five Sri Lankan wickets on the final morning and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Fast bowler Kyle Abbott made two crucial strikes, dismissing overnight batsmen Angelo Mathews (59) and Dhananjaya de Silva (22) inside the first seven overs. Sri Lanka were bowled out for 281 after adding 41 runs on Friday.

“We’re playing some really good cricket,” said Du Plessis. “But it’s about being consistent. As a team we’re flying at about 80 percent, so we still have another 20 percent in the tank. The bowlers are doing a really good job but we can do better as a batting unit.” Du Plessis said that although South Africa had to work hard in the second innings they had played well enough to keep Sri Lanka under pressure.

An opening stand of 104 between man of the match Stephen Cook and Dean Elgar had justified his decision to bat first on a green pitch. “We were disappointed because we could have got fifty more in the first innings. But we came out and bowled brilliantly to get an 80-run lead on a small-ish total,” he said.

After the teams had been bowled out for 286 and 205 in the first innings the pitch changed character and South Africa made 406 for six declared in the second innings. Sri Lanka put up a fighting performance to make 240 for five before the close on Thursday.

“Yesterday was a flat day,” said Du Plessis. “The wicket was good, the ball was soft and the bowlers worked really hard. Today we got the benefits.” Sri Lankan captain Mathews said his team had contributed to their own downfall.

“The bowlers did pretty well to restrict them to 286 but it was hard work for the batters on the first two days. After that it got better but we played some terrible shots. We have to bat better from the beginning so that we don’t have to fight back all the time.” Mathews said it would be difficult for the tourists to turn their fortunes around in the two days before the second Test starts in Cape Town on Monday but added that his players needed to be mentally strong.

“A two-day break is just a mindset. We’ve had 14 or 15 days of good training. It’s not the skill, it’s the mindset. We’ve got to be tough out there.” Batting well would be the key if Sri Lanka were to play their way back into the series. “We’ve got to put some decent runs on the board for our bowlers to bowl at,” said Mathews.

Cook was named man of the match for his innings of 59 and 117. His place was under threat when he started badly with scores of 0, 12 and 23 in South Africa’s winning series in Australia last month, with his technique coming in for criticism. But he made 40 and 104 in the final Test in Adelaide and continued to be among the runs in Port Elizabeth.

“You know as a cricketer you’re going to go through some tough times but when times are good you’ve got to make it count,” said Cook.

Abbott broke through with the 16th ball of the final morning when Mathews went across his stumps, trying to work the ball to leg, and was leg before wicket.

CAPE TOWN, Monday: AB de Villiers has resigned as South Africa’s test captain, opening the way for childhood friend Faf du Plessis to take over on a permanent basis.

De Villiers, 32, has been struggling with an elbow injury for six months and is out of the three-match home test series against Sri Lanka that starts on Dec. 26.

“The interests of the team must always outweigh the interests of any individual including me,” he said in a Cricket South Africa news release on Monday.

Du Plessis was praised for leading South Africa to a 2-1 test series victory in Australia last month in the absence of De Villiers but was found guilty of tampering with the ball in the second test in Hobart, a verdict he will appeal against on Dec. 19.

De Villiers was appointed captain in January following the resignation of Hashim Amla but led the side in just two tests against England at the start of the year, and also missed a home series win over New Zealand in August.

“It was a fantastic honour for me to be asked to captain the test side but I have missed two series,” said De Villiers.

“Following the squad’s outstanding performances in Australia, it is clearly in the greater interests of the team that Faf du Plessis should be confirmed as permanent test captain.

“I have known Faf for almost 20 years, ever since we played in the same school side at Afrikaans Hoer Seunskool, and he will have my unequivocal support.”

De Villiers is not targeting a return to the side for the one-day series against Sri Lanka that starts at the end of January.

“AB’s left elbow is much improved but he is still regaining the last few degrees of straightening,” said team manager Dr Mohammed Moosajee.

“Fitness to play requires a full range of elbow movement and this may take another three to four weeks to achieve. He will be unavailable for the test series against Sri Lanka and will target a return for the ODI series.”

Du Plessis will be the third permanent captain for South Africa since the retirement of long-serving Graeme Smith in March 2014. Meanwhile, South Africa may have to do without the services of du Plessis for the first Test against Sri Lanka if the outcome of his appeal against the ball-tampering verdict does not turn out in his favour.

Du Plessis was fined 100 percent of his match fee but escaped suspension after he was found to be in breach of the ICC Code of Conduct for changing the condition of the ball during the Hobart Test. Du Plessis, who was uncertain about what constitutes an “artificial substance” in ICC’s rule book, and after support from CSA, filed the appeal, leaving ICC CEO David Richardson “disappointed.”

New Zealand finished the day at SuperSport Park on 38 for three, 443 runs behind South Africa’s first innings total of 481 for eight declared.

Du Plessis made 112 not out off 234 balls and said he had stuck to a plan.

“There is a lot happening in the wicket and we just needed one guy to anchor the innings and keep them out there as long as possible,” he said.

“The plan right from the beginning was to try to get to 400, which is a good score on this wicket, and then have a little dip at them at the end of the day.”

Du Plessis said he and JP Duminy had found batting in the last hour on the first day to be particularly difficult.

His declaration was therefore geared to having New Zealand bat when it was most likely to be tough for them in South African winter conditions, with the close coming near sunset.

“The grass stands up a little more towards the end of the day and because of the light you can see the little indentations on the pitch which you don’t see when the sun is shining brightly in the middle of the day. It plays on your mind a bit.”

In an era of rapid scoring in Test cricket, much of South Africa’s innings was a return to a more attritional age, with the run rate hovering at around three an over.

Du Plessis was particularly cautious as he tiptoed to a fifth Test century off 225 balls.

But it paid off as reunited fast bowling pair Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander ripped out both openers before Ross Taylor was run out.

It left New Zealand in deep trouble in a match which will decide the series after the weather-hit, abandoned first Test in Durban.

Martin Guptill survived a sharp chance to Stiaan van Zyl at third slip off Philander when he was on four, with the ball bursting through the fielder’s hands for four more runs.

But he gave a more straightforward chance to the same fielder in Philander’s next over without adding to his score.

Steyn then had the left-handed Tom Latham caught behind off an inside edge for four, although it seemed a controversial decision. Umpire Paul Reiffel gave the batsman not out and South Africa sought a review.

It was clear that the ball had deviated off the batsman’s trousers but only the faintest flicker on the ultra-edge device gave any indication that it had touched the bat first.

But television umpire Richard Illingworth decided it was enough evidence to overturn his colleague’s decision.

Much then depended on New Zealand captain Kane Williamson and Taylor, his most experienced teammate.

Taylor was struck twice, on the shoulder and arm, by lifting deliveries from Steyn and scored only one before pushing a ball from Kagiso Rabada to midwicket. He set off for a run, was sent back by Williamson and was beaten by a direct hit from Temba Bavuma.

Pretoria-born Neil Wagner was New Zealand’s most successful bowler, taking five for 86.

“Neil’s been outstanding for a long period of time,” said fellow fast bowler Tim Southee.

“He’s just reaping the rewards for the efforts and the tough overs he’s bowled throughout his career. He keeps running in and will make something happen from nothing.”

Southee collected a solitary wicket and conceded 114 runs.

“It was frustrating,” he admitted. “When the ball did something it did too much, but credit to the way South Africa batted, particularly Faf.”

A new team from the western city of Pune paid 125 million rupees (US $ 1.8 million) for limited overs captain Dhoni for the next edition of the lucrative Twenty20 tournament.

Dhoni joins Australian captain Steven Smith who was sold for 55 million rupees ($820,000) and South African Twenty20 captain Faf du Plessis who went for 40 million rupees ($597,000) on the same team.

The other franchise from the western city of Rajkot chose McCullum for 75 million rupees ($1.1 million), James Faulkner for 55 million rupees ($820,000) and West Indian Dwayne Bravo for 40 million rupees ($597,000).

The franchises have replaced Chennai Super Kings and the Rajasthan Royals — teams banned from the glitzy tournament for two years on the recommendation of a Supreme Court-appointed panel, after a corruption scandal.

Brendon McCullum

They were allowed to choose five stars from each of the banned teams, while the rest were released into a pool for auction.

Australia’s Shane Watson and Mike Hussey, South Africa’s Chris Morris and the West Indies’ Dwayne Smith remain unsold and will now be auctioned in Bangalore in February.

The 2013 IPL season was mired in controversy after police launched legal proceedings against several officials from the teams and three Rajasthan Royals’ players for illegal betting and spot-fixing.

Suresh Raina, who played for the Chennai Super Kings alongside Dhoni, fetched 125 million rupees from Rajkot which also chose all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja.

“Excited to play for the beautiful vibrant city- Rajkot in @IPL. Looking forward to have new teammates and support from the people of Gujarat,” Raina tweeted.

Indian batsman Ajinkya Rahane and spinner R Ashwin were picked by Pune for 95 million and 75 million rupees.

Both Chennai and Rajasthan are expected to return to the IPL after their bans end following the 2017 edition.

Root scored 88 and 71 in the Dubai Test, which has helped him reclaim the top spot from Australia captain Steven Smith. Root, who entered the Test trailing Smith by 13 points, now leads the Australian by just three points. This means the Yorkshire batsman will have to perform strongly in the third Test, starting in Sharjah from Sunday, to retain the position he first achieved following the Trent Bridge Test against Australia in August.

Younus Khan, Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq and Asad Shafiq have also reaped the rewards of good performances in the Dubai Test, which went down to the wire.

Younus has returned to the top five in fifth position following knocks of 56 and 118, Misbah has moved up five places to 11th following his scores of 102 and 87, and Asad Shafiq has achieved a career-high ranking of 12th after he scored 83 and 87. For this performance, Asad has earned 43 points, which, in turn, has put him ahead of Virat Kohli, Ross Taylor, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Brendon McCullum and Faf du Plessis.

AFP