Sri Lanka v South Africa: Cricket World Cup 2019 – live!

48th over: Sri Lanka 195-8 (Udana 16, Lakmal 2) Udana berates himself for another swing/miss to start Morris’ ninth over. He does get bat on the ball to the next, falling just short of Amla at backward point on the edge of the circle. The slower ball is too good for him again, making three dots to begin before the yorker ends up at mid-off for one. Lakmal’s turn, turning one square. THE PLAYERS ALL HIT THE DECK because a swarm of bees have arrived! Umpires too. Yes, this has been a dire innings without much to note but we’ll always have that moment.

47th over: Sri Lanka 192-8 (Udana 14, Lakmal 1) Rabada is back after his frugal middle spell, those two maidens helping drain this Sri Lankan innings of any momentum at an important time. He immediately beats Udana with a delivery that’s too good, the same man swinging and missing when trying to clear cow corner later in the over. Sure enough, the bumper comes next with Udana doing just enough to get it away from his helmet and down to the ground. Four off.

46th over: Sri Lanka 188-8 (Udana 11, Lakmal 0) Phehlukwayo gives Udana something in the slot to finish and he pin-points his slap/drive through extra cover for four. Nice strike. The Cricket Ground DJ plays the song they normally only give a blast when a six is hit. Make of that what you will. I found it the other week; rude not to share this TOTP performance from 1981. “All oiled up and ready.”

Perera has a crack at Phehlukwayo but doesn’t get much of it, Rabada taking a fine diving chance running in from the rope. The third ump confirms the clean catch.

45th over: Sri Lanka 182-7 (T Perera 20, Udana 6) Tahir to bowl out his tenth and doing it well. He deserved a wicket for all the pressure he has created at the bowling crease today. That’s not to be, but he’ll take the 0/36 from ten. 19 runs have been added from the first five overs of this final power play. Grim.

44th over: Sri Lanka 179-7 (T Perera 18, Udana 5) Phehlukwayo is landing both his stock and slower balls here, the bumper as well. They are starting to swing but the contact just isn’t there. Five off it. 16 from 26 this partnership.

43rd over: Sri Lanka 174-7 (T Perera 16, Udana 2) Perera nearly gives a catch out to midwicket but it doesn’t quite make it to the sweeper. Four of Tahir’s six balls are dots, his figures 0/33 with one over to bowl. As usual, the 40-year-old leggie (WHERE’S THE STEVE CARELL MOVIE ON THIS?) has been excellent.

42nd over: Sri Lanka 171-7 (T Perera 13, Udana 2) Phehlukwayo sent down five overs earlier when Kushal Perera and Fernando were going nicely. It’s a very different game now. The sweepers at midwicket, mid-on and third man are scored to, Phehlukwayo helping out with a badly sprayed slower ball. But that’s their lot.

“Surely Sri Lanka are the team with both the best Powerplay 1 run rate and the worst Powerplay 2 run rate?” poses Avitaj Mitra. “Makes you reminisce about Sangakara and Jayawardene and even Dilshan.. who could milk singles in the middle overs like it was the easiest thing in the world.”

It made sense for Mendis and Mathews to chill for a bit after losing both set men but not for that to become the standard for the rest of the innings. They’ve brought this on themselves today.

41st over: Sri Lanka 167-7 (T Perera 11, Udana 1) Tahir has three overs to bowl in this happy hour period, if Sri Lanka ever visit the bar, that is. Udana has mad skills at the death with the ball, but what’s his long handle like? We don’t get to find out here, four singles picked up; the boundary never threatened.

40th over: Sri Lanka 163-7 (Perera 8, Udana 0) Morris finishes with a bumper as well. It being the end of the 40th, another fielder can now exit the circle.

Mendis tried to repeat the shot he played for six in the previous over against Morris but this time picked out the man at long leg. Good bowling.

39th over: Sri Lanka 159-6 (J Mendis 16, T Perera 7) Well, here we go! Sri Lanka are back in the act (for now at least) taking 15 from this Duminy over. Mendis, emboldened by his six in the last set, goes over the top of the man on the circle up at mid-on for four. That’ll do. They’re helped by five wides when de Kock can’t glove a flat ball down the legside. To finish, another misdirected delivery, three tickled to fine leg by Mendis. That’ll do, JP. Have a blow.

38th over: Sri Lanka 145-6 (J Mendis 11, T Perera 3) They still have four wickets in hand but it feels like South Africa could finish them off in a real hurry. Oh, and this should be the seventh, Perera taking on Faf at mid-on, the captain unable to nail the throw at the non-strikers’ end. He would have been gone by at least three metres. Mendis’ turn and he finally makes decent contact, slapping Morris over deep backward square for the first six of the innings! Shot!

“I’m struggling to recall the last time a Sri Lankan first innings took such a pasting on OBO, with a guaranteed defeat to follow,” asks Brian Withington. “Possibly Rob Smyth on duty last week for the England game can refresh our memories?”

What they have going for them: South Africa are chasing these runs after lunch.

37th over: Sri Lanka 136-6 (J Mendis 4, T Perera 1) Thisara Perera is known for giving it a wallop and what they would give for a bit of that today. He’s off the mark down the ground first ball, the hapless Perera then playing out the rest. He nearly chops Duminy on, which might be preferable for Sri Lanka at this stage. The left-hander is 4 from 36 and it is not getting any better . The run rate? 3.67 (!).

Oh dear. They’ve had a shocker today, Sri Lanka. In response to JP’s first ball, his opposing number has a dip at a reverse sweep and makes an absolute meal of it.

36th over: Sri Lanka 135-5 (Dhananjaya 24, J Mendis 4) Back to back maidens from Rabada? Are you kidding me? Mendis has 4 from 32 balls and this is not good enough. They won’t make 200 at this rate. Once again, very 1999 World Cup areas.

35th over: Sri Lanka 135-5 (Dhananjaya 24, J Mendis 4) Phehlukwayo replaces Tahir, which I’m a bit surprised about given the hold he had on both players. The change suits Dhananjaya, who has enough time to free his arms and carve a powerful cut shot to the point rope and move into the 20s. Time to get busy.

34th over: Sri Lanka 128-5 (Dhananjaya 19, J Mendis 2) Rabada replaces the efficient and effective Pretorius. Dhananjaya is defending and leaving, which is sound enough logic in terms of preserving his wicket but I really don’t see what they get out of letting him churn through a maiden in the 33rd over.

Rob Connelly says nice things about the OBO. Thanks for your company. He is asking for a look at the World Cup table, which I’ll pop in here now.

33rd over: Sri Lanka 128-5 (Dhananjaya 19, J Mendis 2) Tahir continues, and why wouldn’t he? Mendis is picking him, but that’s only part of the battle. He can’t beat the fielders on the circle, just one run added. The leggie has three to come

32nd over: Sri Lanka 127-5 (Dhananjaya 18, J Mendis 2) The end of a fantastic stint from Dwaine Pretorius, finishing with 10-2-25-2, the vital wickets of Fernando and Mendis both his after coming back into the XI today. Bowled. Drinks!

31st over: Sri Lanka 123-5 (Dhananjaya 15, J Mendis 2) A boundary! The first for quite some time, Dhananjaya taking on the final Tahir delivery, lashing it off the front foot to the rope at extra cover. It’s a start.

“Love the phrase ‘entitled whining’ (Over 23),” said Peter Salmon. “Trying to work out its relationship to ‘virtue signalling’. For me the most worrying thing is that he expects a taxi driver to ‘chill out’. He’s obviously living in another reality.”

30th over: Sri Lanka 115-5 (Dhananjaya 8, J Mendis 1) How do Sri Lanka handle this? Of course, a loss here and it’s all over. So do they try and crawl to 220 and hope? Or do the chance their hand through Dhananjaya and go up the risk/reward scale? Since Fernando and Perera departed, all intent has been missing. At least they scored as single off Pretorius this time around, his second spell 1/1 off three.

29th over: Sri Lanka 114-5 (Dhananjaya 7, J Mendis 1) Nothing to ease the squeeze off Tahir, who is already through five overs for 17 runs. I reckon he’ll still be bashing around as South Africa’s No1 spinner for the 2023 World Cup.

Check out Moeen Ali’s new column. He’s been brilliant so far in this weekly spot.

28th over: Sri Lanka 111-5 (Dhananjaya 5, J Mendis 0) Jeevan Mendis is the new man at No7, Pretorius giving him nothing. Five dot balls makes a wicket maiden, the 12 balls the all-rounder has sent down since his return all scoreless. He has 8-2-21-3. As you do. Very 1999 World Cup figures.

There is the big wicket! After completely drying up the Sri Lankan star, Morris has done it with a shortish ball, Mendis miscuing to point. They’re in strife now. 51 balls he faced for his 23. Grim.

27th over: Sri Lanka 111-4 (Mendis 23, Dhananjaya 5) Finally some runs through the back half of this Tahir over, Mendis then Dhananjaya starting to pick out the sweepers. They really need to get it ticking over now, the run rate just on four.

26th over: Sri Lanka 106-4 (Mendis 19, Dhananjaya 4) Fantastic return from Pretorius, the man with two wickets to his name, now getting an addition to his maiden column as well. Sri Lanka really have been stopped in their tracks.

25th over: Sri Lanka 106-4 (Mendis 19, Dhananjaya 4) Tahir bounces through another over for just two. After a couple of ropey balls to start, he’s right back in his groove. Mindful of his major responsibility here, Mendis is taking no risks.

24th over: Sri Lanka 104-4 (Mendis 18, Dhananjaya 3) Excuse me while I catch up, lost the wifi for a few minutes. Doesn’t look like we have missed much. Two here from the Morris over. He has four up his sleeve, so that might be all for now.

23rd over: Sri Lanka 102-4 (Mendis 18, Dhananjaya 1) Another good over for the Proteas, Mendis taking the wrong’un through midwicket for one and Dhananjaya doing likewise to finish but with four dots in there too. Over the last five overs, Sri Lanka have added 1/16. Good captaincy from du Plessis to squeeze after the third wicket fell, not allowing Mathews to properly settle.

“Further to Nick Parish’s comments on Bairstow’s rather entitled whining, isn’t it the case that all the teams have had to play on these pitches and they’re pretty dissimilar to what any of them are used to, save possibly NZ?” asks Geoff Wignall.

That was the kicker. The comments about failure culture, misguided as they were with this team (for mine), could be kind of understood. This bit… not so much.

22nd over: Sri Lanka 100-4 (Mendis 17, Dhananjaya 0) The new man defends the one remaining delivery in the successful Morris over. South Africa have a big opportunity to run through Sri Lanka here, especially if Mendis falls soon.

Yuk. Mathews makes room to try and mow Morris out through midwicket but chops on instead. After showing a lot of patience, that’s another wicket they’ve thrown away from a delivery that didn’t deserve it. Earlier in the over he popped him over mid-on for four, still. That’s not pretty cricket.

21st over: Sri Lanka 96-3 (Mendis 17, Mathews 7) Tahir Time! He picked up a wicket in his first over on Sunday at Lord’s but he won’t be in the book with the full toss he gives Mathews to begin here, struck with control to midwicket for one, nor the half-tracker to Mendis, which is put away for four. The veteran finds his range before long, Mendis defending then watching the hard-spun legbreaks.

20th over: Sri Lanka 91-3 (Mendis 13, Mathews 6) Morris gives Mendis a bit of room to begin, obliging with a push past point for two. There’s a single to third man on offer later, Mathews also picking up one behind square to long leg. Both sides seem happy with where the game is currently at.

19th over: Sri Lanka 87-3 (Mendis 10, Mathews 5) Rabada pushes through another very tidy one, his maiden ruined by Mendis who steered the final ball to third man for one. Mathews is five off 21 and Mendis 10 from 29. But I don’t expect this will worry either of them if it means getting a couple of Rabada overs out of the way.

“I heard you and Geoff briefly discussing Bairstow’s comments on the podcast yesterday,” says Jack Jorgensen. “I wholeheartedly agree with the perception that these comments could blow up. The UK press is so unforgiving, and even if there was nuance in Bairstow’s original statements, its been lost in the headlines making the rounds. Add to that Michael Vaughan on Twitter again this morning, its starting to unravel. Even as an Aussie I’m starting to watch through my fingers, waiting for the next calamity!”

Yep. A win on Sunday and all will be forgotten. But if they don’t… well, to quote those great philosophers Daphne and Celeste: “U.G.L.Y you ain’t got no alibi.”

18th over: Sri Lanka 86-3 (Mendis 9, Mathews 5) Morris returns too and immediately finds the edge of Mathews, falling just short of Amla at first slip. After spraying a wide, the big seamer is into his work, angling in at Mathews attacking his stumps and giving him nothing. Looks like a glorious day at Durham. The last time that Sri Lanka played an international there was in 2016 when Alastair Cook clocked his 10,000th Test run. Other things happened that week – a lovely Chris Woakes spell and a lavish Moeen ton – but not a lot more. England won by plenty.

17th over: Sri Lanka 85-3 (Mendis 9, Mathews 5) Sensing an opening before these two important players get set, Faf brings Rabada back – the man who took a first ball wicket earlier today. He’s right on the mark at Mendis, who is defending with a straight bat before squeezing out one behind square. Mathews does the same to finish, timing nicely just behind square to keep the strike.

“Picking up the point about dry pitches,” writes Nick Parish, “I was a bit worried about Bairstow’s complaints about all the difficult pitches England have had to cope with, and comparing them with the pitches of the last two years. As well as making excuses (despite saying he wasn’t making excuses), he is surely aware that last summer was three months of uninterrupted sunshine, while this June has seen rain of biblical proportions. I don’t know much about preparing wickets, but I feel a bit for the groundsmen expected to produce flat, dry tracks during a typical British summer.”

What I know for sure: if England are knocked off by India on Sunday, YJB is going to cop more abuse than he ever has in his sporting life. I’m not saying that is necessarily fair, but he will be the poster child for all that is wrong, and so on.