Sri Lanka managed to put up a fight in a high-scoring thriller at Newlands that once again ended in a South African victory. A career best 185 from Faf du Plessis took South Africa to 367/5 in the allotted fifty overs, which seemed enough against a line-up that had not managed to score in excess of 200 in three attempts in the series.
However, Upul Tharanga unleashed the Jayasuriya in him and Dickwella gave him sound company as Sri Lanka launched a fightback, racing to 100 in just 10 overs. Tharanga continued to hammer the bowlers to register his 14th ODI ton but fell soon after.
Extra Cover: Stats: South Africa create world record most consecutive home ODI wins
Sandun Weerakkody and Asela Gunaratne continued the good work but could not quite manage to overcome the mammoth total on the board. Wayne Parnell was the pick of the South African bowlers with four wickets.
Brief Scores: South Africa 367/5 in 50 overs (du Plessis 185, de Villiers 64) beat Sri Lanka 327/10 in 48.1 overs (Tharanga 119, Weerakkody 58, Parnell 4/58)
Take a look at the talking points from the 4th ODI in Newlands.
#5 de Kock's conversion rate takes a hit
Quinton de Kock has the best conversion rate in ODI cricket with 11 of his half-centuries ending up in magnificent hundreds. de Kock had only eight fifties to his name until this game at Newlands.
His conversion rate is almost 15% better than the next best, David Warner. De Kock started his innings in typical fashion as he smashed Kumara for back to back boundaries. It was a sign of things to come and the southpaw raced to his half-century in less than 40 balls.
De Kock was looking set for another brilliant hundred when he edged left-arm spinner, Sachith Pathirana to the slips where Upul Tharanga took a blinder to end the wicket-keeper's stay at the crease.
#4 Faf du Plessis shatters Newlands’ best
The Proteas No. 3 batsman has been in terrific nick of late and smashed the highest score in an ODI in Newlands shattering the 3-month old record created by David Warner when he made 173 in a losing cause.
du Plessis was in a murderous mood as he walked out to join a flowing Quinton de Kock. Even after the southpaw was dismissed, du Plessis kept playing gorgeous shots all around the ground. He was nimble with his foot movements against the spinners and played them with ease.
After crossing his hundred, du Plessis looked exhausted but kept the runs flowing with some powerful hits. He was eventually dismissed in the final over, three runs short of the South African record in ODIs, Gary Kirsten's 188 against UAE.
#3 Behardien joins the party
South Africa suddenly have a lot of players putting up their hand to play in the starting XI. If it was Dwaine Pretorius with a Man of the Match show in the previous ODI, it was Farhaan Behardien today, with some powerful slogging at the death.
Behardien walked in with du Plessis well set for a double hundred. He initially went about giving the strike to the set batsmen but fatigue meant that du Plessis could not do much other than give the strike back to Behardien.
Realising that he needed to step up, Behardien took on the bowlers and played a superb cameo of 36 off a mere 20 balls. With Miller nursing an injury, South Africa will be relieved to know that they haven't run out of finishers in their squad.
#2 Upul Tharanga's dream knock
The veteran Sri Lankan opener and stand-in captain produced a scintillating 14th ODI hundred to set Sri Lanka a fine platform to chase down the mammoth total. Opening the batting, Tharanga and Dickwella got Lanka off to a flier by adding 100 in 10 overs.
The Proteas bowling was flogged to all parts of the ground as Tharanga raced to a 24 ball half-century that included four sixes. Even after Dickwella and Mendis were dismissed, Tharanga continued to torment the South Africans and raced to a brilliant hundred.
He was particularly harsh on South Africa's best ODI bowler, Imran Tahir and also took a liking to his spin twin, Tabraiz Shamsi, whom he tonked for three maximums. He eventually fell for 119 to a smart bouncer from Parnell that he managed to cut straight to Duminy at point.
#1 Sandun Weerakkody puts up a late fight
Weerakkody, an opener who made his debut in the series, came in the middle order for Lanka in the fourth ODI and managed to score his first half-century in One Day Internationals.
The left-handed batsman was dropped by Shamsi early in his innings but he made the reprieve count in an enterprising 79-run stand with Asela Gunaratne. The southpaw soon found his groove and smashed Parnell for a huge six over mid-wicket.
He ran out of partners as Gunaratne first and Kulasekara next gifted away their wickets. This forced Weerakkody to go after Tahir and the tactic paid off initially as he reverse hit him for two boundaries through third man. But a third attempt was skied and the fielder settled under it for an easy catch.
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