T20 World Cup: South Africa beat Sri Lanka in close contest.

South Africa kept their semi finals hopes alive with a thrilling win over Sri Lanka by 4 wickets with one ball to spare.

David Miller and Kagiso Rabada finished off a tense finale after Tabraiz Shamsi had helped restrict Sri Lanka to a average score of 142.

Batting first Sri Lanka were led by Pathum Nissanka who took the charge against Proteas bowling, However he was the lone fighter in what was ultimately a dismal batting effort.

Nissanka scored 72 of 58 balls, but 7 other batsmen failed to register double figures, with South African spinner Tabraiz Shamsi picking up 3 wickets to give his side a modest total to chase.

South Africa themselves didn’t start well, with De Kock and Reeza Hendricks both departing quickly. They were 49/3 at the end of 8 overs with Sri Lanka tightening the screw.

But captain Temba Bavuma and Aiden Markam played sensibly to inch their side closer to victory. After their departure, the match was once again turned, but it was left to Miller and Rabada to see of the chase.

With 15 needed of the final over, the first ball by Lahiru Kumara yielded only 1 run, but then Miller arrived. The southpaw would smash the next two balls for sixes, effectively ending the contest and with it Sri Lanka’s hopes of reaching the semi finals.

Brief scores: Sri Lanka 142 in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 72; Tabraiz Shamsi 3-17, Dwaine Pretorius 3-17, Anrich Nortje 2-27) lost to South Africa 146/6 in 19.5 overs (Temba Bavuma 46, David Miller 23*; Wanindu Hasaranga 3-20) by 3 wickets.

(Featured image AFP)