AB Devilliers was at his inventive best vs Sri Lanka in the series decider
South Africa and Sri Lanka squared off for the series decider at Hambantota with South Africa looking for its first-ever series win in the Island nation having been soundly beaten on their last 2 tours there.
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South Africa got off to a great start provided by Amla and Decock with the latter going on to make an impressive century himself. However, two quick wickets brought Sri Lanka back into the match.
With the match on the knife's edge, AB Devilliers entered and produced an astonishing display of batsmanship toying the home spinners with sweeps, reverse sweeps, inside out cover drives in an exhibition of stroke play rarely seen in a match of high importance.
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ABD finished up making 108 of just 71 balls at an incredible strike rate of over 150 and South Africa racked up 339 that proved to be way too much for the home team resulting in the Proteas winning their first ever ODI series in Sri Lanka.
Again, it was the captain's innings of Devilliers in the big match that made the difference and showcased yet again why he is arguably one of the greatest batsman ever.
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About the author
Venkatesh Ravichandran
Venkatesh has been writing cricket news, listicle and feature articles for Sportskeeda for over a year. He loves cricket because of the diversity of the playing fields and its unparalleled nuances, which no other sport presents. He also enjoys the analytical and quantitative side of the sport, which originates from his MBA degree and 10 years of experience in the IT industry in companies like Infosys, Atos and TCS.
Venkatesh ensures proper research from reliable sources and social media trends to gather information, and adds his own dash of creativity to create insightful content.
He started watching cricket in the late 1990s, having been impressed with South Africa and New Zealand’s gentleman-like attitude. Domestically, he supports the Chennai Super Kings for their ability to bring the best out of their players owing to a friendly and conducive team environment.
He admires three cricketers the most – Brian Lara for his batting style, AB de Villiers for changing the paradigm of batting and MS Dhoni for his unique cerebral approach to field placings and batting. Along with cricket, Venkatesh also enjoys watching and playing tennis and basketball. In his free time, he finds pleasure in singing and watching movies and web series.