South Africa close out 102-run win
South Africa 428 for 5 (van der Dussen 108, Markram 106, de Kock 100) beat Sri Lanka 326 (Asalanka 79, Mendis 76, Shanaka 68) by 102 runs
It was a struggle for the bowlers, but the gulf is big enough in the end. Kagiso Rabada pegs back Pathirana's off stump, and Sri Lanka are all out for 326 inside the 45th over. The wickets were shared around among the five bowlers, with Coetzee claiming three of them, and for all their economy rates took a tonking, their ability to strike at key moments ultimately made the difference in a batter-dominated game. 748 runs all told which is a World Cup record, including 482 in boundaries. And no-one smoked them better than the player of the match, Aiden Markram, whose 49-ball century was also a World Cup record.
Madushka's full report will be up shortly, but for now, thanks for joining. See you next time!
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The record-breaking carries on
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Kasun Rajitha was having fun out there until he holed out to deep midwicket for 33 from 30. A no-look pull for six in the previous over had flown over cow corner to send Marco Jansen on his way with the bruised figures of 2 for 92, as this contest hurtles past the previous record aggregate for a World Cup match, Australia's joust with Bangladesh at Trent Bridge in 2019. There've also been 31 sixes in this contest (14 to SA, 17 to SL), just two runs shy of the record of 33, when England and Afghanistan duked it out at Old Trafford, also in 2019. Eoin Morgan slotted 17 on his own that day...
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Maharaj ends Shanaka show
It was fun while it lasted but we really can pack up now, and get ready for India-Australia tomorrow. Keshav Maharaj sneaks one through Shanaka's defences from round the wicket, sliding into his pads and deflecting onto the stumps. It's the third half-century of a gutsy Sri Lanka display, but they are going to fall tens of runs short.
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Dasun demolition!
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Well, hello there, formerly lost cause... Dasun Shanaka had been playing a low-key hand up to now, but suddenly with Gerald Coetzee in his sights, he decides it's time to step into overdrive. From 31 from 45 balls, to a run-a-ball 50, in the blink of a six and five fours in consecutive balls! Coetzee has had a good day with two vital wickets, but after being launched for a top-edged hoist over the keeper's head first-ball, the charge was on. Intriguingly, South Africa had been 264 for 2 at the end of the 37th ... after that 23-run onslaught, Sri Lanka were 269 for 7 at the same stage. A few more wickets in the bank, and who knows...
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Asalanka departs ... as does Wellalage
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... and that, surely, is that. It's been a valiant display from Sri Lanka, but Asalanka's hand ends at 79 from 65. Facing up to a slower ball from Lungi Ngidi, he can only flog a leading edge high out towards deep cover, where Reeza Hendricks the sub fielder swoops round to make the breakthrough. Dasun Shanaka is still there, but relatively becalmed on 24 from 35. Sri Lanka are batting relatively deep with Wellalage coming in at 8, but there's no hope of carving out a further 197 runs in 18 overs ... and even less now, as Coetzee returns with another cross-seamer, to induce a feathered edge to the keeper! Wellalage departs for a second-ball duck!
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Asalanka fifty keeps SL fighting
The jeopardy has drifted out of this contest now, but at least Charith Asalanka is using his time in the middle well. He's moved along to a 46-ball fifty, with three fours and three sixes, each of them hoisted off the hips in a reminder of what riches there are in this surface. Remarkably, Sri Lanka have now scored 12 sixes in 24 overs, compared to South Africa's 14 in 50 all told. Unfortunately boundary countback isn't going to save them today... or any day of this tournament.
South Africa could be home and hosed by now if they'd been a bit sharper in the field. Asalanka survived two chances at fine leg, one to van der Dussen diving forward, and another to Phehlukwayo, shortly after reaching his fifty.
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Dhananjaya departs
The slide is on now for Sri Lanka, who might want to keep an eye on net run-rate as their sole incentive in what is surely going to be a monumental drubbing. Dhananjaya de Silva was looking to get busy at the start of Keshav Maharaj's fourth over, but after rocking back for the cut, he managed only to spoon a looping chance to the sub fielder Andile Phehlukwayo, who made good ground flinging himself forward at backward point. At 150 for 5 at start of the 21st, that 429 target is feeling even more distant now.
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South Africa end Mendis onslaught
I had a full entry laid out praising Kusal Mendis's onslaught, but it's been zapped by some technical gremlins unfortunately. Never mind, its glory lives on our ball-by-ball coverage.
Either way, Mendis's departure has surely zapped any chance of Sri Lanka doing the unthinkable, and producing another Kusal-inspired take-down of South Africa.
Instead, after blazing no fewer than eight sixes in his 42-ball 76, including a huge blow over deep square to bring up his 25-ball fifty, Mendis was prised from the crease by a brilliant fast, lifting delivery from Kagiso Rabada, that just lured him at pace outside the eyeline and induced a thin nick to the keeper.
Then, one over later, and in his maiden World Cup outing, Gerald Coetzee produced a cross-seamer from back of a length to induce a leading edge from Sadeera Samarawickrama, that Marco Jansen scooped up at mid-on.
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It's been an important display from Jansen so far. He's blasted out two wickets with his left-arm seam, bowling Pathum Nissanka first-ball and Kusal Perera, who - extraordinarily - hadn't managed a single run by the time Mendis reached his fifty, despite preceding him to the crease.
But just marvel at this run of ballistic batting from Mendis, from Nissanka's dismissal at the start of the second over, to the penultimate ball of the sixth. Perera managed a solitary leg-bye from the three deliveries he faced in that period.
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Power surge
Shiva Jayaraman writes:
It’s getting clearer with each passing day that power hitting has scaled new heights in white-ball cricket, especially in ODIs. While an overall scoring rate of 5.55 runs an over in the first innings doesn’t seem extraordinary, it’s still the second-highest scoring rate ODI cricket has seen in any calendar year. Scoring rates peaked at 5.57 an over in 2015 when at least in the first half of the year, totals were given top-up of sorts by the Batting Powerplay rule which allowed only three fielders outside the circle for five overs. A maximum of four fielders were allowed outside the circle at any stage of the innings during that time.
This year hasn’t been exceptional in terms of the number of 300-plus totals hit in the first innings. Just 28.3% of totals in the first innings have been scores of 300 or more. This is only the fifth-highest percentage of 300-plus totals in any calendar year. This number also peaked in 2015 when 32.1% of the first-innings totals were scores of 300 or more.
But what these numbers don’t tell us is that unlike earlier when batting teams have got helpful conditions, they’ve taken runs-scoring to a new level. The average score in a 50-over innings when teams have managed to cross 300 has been 347.3 in 2023, across 46 innings. This is the highest it has been in any year when more than one such total was made. The previous highest was in 2015, when such teams averaged 342.7. The highest such percentage in any year when the Batting Powerplay rule wasn’t in place was in 338.7 in 2010, nearly 10 runs lesser than this year. But only 16 300-plus totals were made that year. Given flat conditions, batting teams are going farther than they’ve ever gone before.
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South Africa’s three centurions break World Cup records
428 The highest World Cup total of all time
South Africa 428 for 5 (van der Dussen 108, Markram 106, de Kock 100) vs Sri Lanka
It is done. A simply sensational display of purposeful 50-over batting from South Africa, and they have posted 428 for 5, the highest total in World Cup history. The base was laid by Quinton de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen with a brilliant 204-run stand for the second wicket, before Aiden Markram pounded through the final 20 overs with a 49-ball century, the fastest in World Cup history. Heinrich Klassen and David Miller didn't stand on ceremony either, racking up 71 runs between them from 41 balls. Sri Lanka's bowlers... look away now.
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It's Miller time ...
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... isn't it always? Sri Lanka are four overs behind their required rate, so they've been punished with an extra fielder inside the ring. David Miller needs no second invitation to belt a massive six over deep midwicket to punish Rajitha's first ball of the 49th over. And then, after Rajitha telegraphed his intent with two wides, outside off stump, Miller steps into a clean wristy loft over the covers for a second six, before Marco Jansen smokes the final ball of the over high over long-off, to confirm the highest World Cup total of all time. Rajitha's World Cup debut ends with figures of 1 for 90, and they aren't even the worst of the innings. Ouch.
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Markram's fun is done
A toe-ended launch against a low full-toss. Can't get enough bat through the stroke and Aiden Markram departs for a magnificent 106 from 54 balls. Sri Lanka still have David Miller to contend with, but they might yet keep this innings closer to 400 than 450...
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The fastest World Cup hundred of all time!
102 from 49 balls, 14 fours and three sixes
What a preposterous innings this has been! Aiden Markram pulls his third six hard and flat through midwicket off Madushanka to reach his century from 49 balls, one quicker than Kevin O'Brien's iconic hundred for Ireland against England at Bangalore in 2011!
It's also the first time that three batters have made 100s in a World Cup innings, and the first time any team has managed it since England against the Netherlands in Amstelveen last year... and that was a notable total that they ended up with!
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Markram mashes it!
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... did I say under-stated? Look at this blaze of glory from Markram! That first four brought up his fifty... the solitary single was Klaasen handing back the strike, which doesn't happen often. Beyond that, Markram blazes 28 from seven legal deliveries, including a huge hacked six over backward square (and the one that got away skimmed down the leg-side for five wides).
Klaasen falls next ball, as it happens, holing out to long-off for 32 from 20 to give Rajitha some respite, but it scarcely seems to matter at 342 for 4 and with David Miller marching to the middle...
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Markram makes his mark
50 from 34 balls, with eight fours
It's been an understated masterclass from Aiden Markram. Stunning poise on his drives down the ground, and a pitch-perfect tempo as he keeps the heat on Sri Lanka without losing his shape on preposterously big shots. That said, one ball after scything Madushanka through point to reach his fifty, he unfurls his funkiest stroke yet, a reverse-scoop for four, straight out of Joe Root's playbook. And in Pathirana's next, he's cutting loose properly, including a brace of blistering drills through the covers. Bosh-tastic.
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Klaasen's eye is now in ...
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It didn't take long for Klaasen to find that range! A brace of smoked sixes in Wellalege's final over are dispatched high over midwicket - the second even requires the delivery of a replacement ball, before it is eventually returned from the upper tiers. Wellalege's 1 for 81 are the worst figures for a Sri Lankan on World Cup debut, and the fact that he's actually been one of their most potent threats today says it all.
Rajitha has also been intermittently excellent, but after handing Klaasen a second life with another tough dropped chance in his followthrough, he gets panned for four and six, the latter an inside-out launch over wide long-off to bring up the 300... 400 and plenty loading!
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Another half-chance...
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A low full-toss from Rajitha, outside off, Klaasen - yet to find his range - thumps hard back through the line and a low chance skims in and out of the bowler's grasp as he reaches down in his followthrough. That's been a feature of Sri Lanka's day. Intermittent half-chances, not taken. At least it's a rare boundary-less over as the final ten overs approach (and we all know what Klaasen can do in those...)
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Another fifty stand to the cause
50 Third-wicket stand, from 40 balls
It hasn't felt especially quick, but they are still cracking along at a rate of knots. And Klaasen and Miller still to come! Cripes...
In fact, here comes the cavalry right now! Rassie goes down-town, looking for the long-on boundary, but he gets underneath Wellalage's full length to hole out to Samarawickrama inside the rope. A magnificent innings ends... but Heinrich Klaasen might reckon it's the perfect moment to unleash some beast.
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Van der Dussen makes his hundred!
A full-length slower ball, punched through mid-off, and out comes a punch of the air as well. Van der Dussen joins de Kock in recording his maiden World Cup hundred, from 103 balls, and his fifth in ODIs. He made 95 in his last outing on this stage too, against Australia at Old Trafford in 2019. And South Africa won that game ... it'll take something truly remarkable for this to be in a losing cause.
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Sri Lanka stem the bleeding ... sort of
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De Kock's departure, and van der Dussen's impending landmark, combine to give Sri Lanka just a hint of breathing space. 13 legal deliveries without a boundary is definite traction at this juncture, but Aiden Markram leaps into a lofted drive off the final ball of Shanaka's fifth over to get the scoreboard moving again. And then, three more boundaries flow from Madushanka's next over, two scorched drives through long-off to get Markram into double-figures, then a bullet of a pull through backward square. I sense the respite will be brief.
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Hundred and out from Quinton de Kock
100 from 83 balls, de Kock's 18th in ODIs, and first in the World Cup
A tenderising pull for four through deep midwicket, and de Kock is already celebrating his 83-ball hundred as he completes his followthrough. His stand with Rassie van der Dussen extends to 204, which is already South Africa's highest partnership for any wicket against Sri Lanka, but that's as far as it will go. One ball later, de Kock swings through another pull, finds a top-edge this time, and it takes a good running catch from de Silva to send him on his way. Quite the stage has been set for Aiden Markram, emerging at No.4... and van der Dussen is a boundary away from a century of his own.
Incidentally, Sampath tells me that is a record of sorts for de Kock.
Mohammad Yousuf and Shai Hope scored 15 ODI hundreds each, but none have come at the World Cup.
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Should have been a run-out!
Dreadful mix-up as de Kock pokes to point and sets off for the single without asking nicely. Van der Dussen shapes to come but sends him back. And how does that under-arm shy miss?! Samarawickrama shaves the stumps with de Kock completely stranded ... and it's a predictably costly miss. After pinging down five wides from his slingy round-arm action, Pathirana's next ball gets hoisted dismissively off the hips for six over backward square. It's 196 for 1 after 29 overs at drinks. Did I say 350? To judge by South Africa's romp from a similar position against Australia last month, 450 could be more realistic...
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This innings has lift-off ... or does it?
Balls 22.3 to 24.6
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Balls 25.1 to 25.6
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With his fifty in the bag, de Kock signals the charge, as South Africa power past the 150 in another flurry of boundaries, including three in four balls to further dent Rajitha's figures. But then up pops Wellalage with an exceptional fourth over to van der Dussen, varying his length but watching the batter's movements like a hawk to serve up five consecutive dot-balls. "Bowling for the mistake," says Ian Smith on air, and sure enough, the error comes from the sixth, a premeditated reverse-sweep that carries to point but Nissanka can't cling on. A big miss in any circumstances, but doubly costly with this partnership so well set.
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De Kock's turn to reach fifty
A reverse-sweep off Wellalage for a cherry-picked single to deep backward point, and Quinton de Kock joins Rassie van der Dussen on fifty - from 64 balls with seven fours and a six, and with South Africa sitting pretty on 127 for 1 after 22, maybe this is now the moment for the innings to move up a gear.
Van der Dussen has a hairy moment against Dhananjaya, as he skims a leading edge just short of short midwicket, but QDK responds with a flurry of pure belligerence: an inside-out launch through the covers for four, a flat skimming slap for six over long-on's head, and another creamed boundary through the covers off Wellalage. Ominous.
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Fifty for van der Dussen
Another gorgeous drive from Rassie, his sixth four to go along with his solitary six, and he's cruised along to a 51-ball half-century, his 17th in ODIs, and his fourth in seven World Cup innings, following his impressive displays in England four years ago. He's well on course to extend his already stellar ODI average of 56.78, and could he even pass 2000 ODI runs today? If he does, South Africa will be cooking. Either way, his stand with Quinton de Kock is edging towards three figures, and with that powerhouse middle-order lurking, there's 350-plus in the post today...
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Steyn on South Africa's World Cup legacy
Time for a drink in Delhi ... and a sit-down too, to judge by the chairs being brought onto the outfield.
As everyone knows, South Africa's World Cup history is not for the faint-hearted ... how will this team cope with the legacy of its forebears? Dale Steyn, who was in the thick of the heartbreak in 2015, told ESPNcricinfo's Matchday show that they are well placed to go under the radar.
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Rassie raises the tempo against spin
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The first sighting of spin from Sri Lanka, and after a brief sighter, South Africa quickly click into a higher gear. Dhananjaya de Silva's fourth ball is lifted majestically over long-off, as Rassie van der Dussen picks the fuller length and reaches it with measured footwork and a high follow-through. The next ball is a touch unlucky, a genuine nick that flies through deep third, but no doubts about the follow-up, as Rassie rocks back to slam another four through the covers. The fifty stand comes up from a steady 56 balls, and though Sri Lanka have kept a lid on the scoring, that wickets column still looks potent.
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Sri Lanka join the dots after runaway start
Balls 0.6 to 2.2
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Balls 2.3 to 8.3
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I do love a ball-graphic, as you might have seen. But this tells a tale. All six of South Africa's fours (and their only wicket) came in the space of nine deliveries, as Sri Lanka strayed into the slot and got pumped for their sins. Since then, they've dragged it back superbly, giving nothing hittable whatsoever until, in his first over, Dasun Shanaka offers a thigh-height half-tracker that Quinton de Kock slams over deep midwicket. The lesson seems to be, nothing too short, nothing too full ... easy game really.
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Maiden to apply the brake
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After eight runs in his first two balls, van der Dussen now has one more from his next ten, as he sets out his stall to anchor this South African innings, even playing out a maiden from Rajitha in the process. A tidier length is the key for Sri Lanka, on or just back of full.
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QDK gets his innings moving
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Rajitha drags his length back to reduce the damage in his second over, but by then de Kock's innings is properly underway, with a brace of exquisite drives through the covers as he just leans out of his crease and lets the ball come onto the middle of his blade. South Africa are rushing along at nine an over after three, and little wonder, to judge by the head-to-head between batter and bowler.
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Bavuma falls after flying start!
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Short and sweet from Bavuma... he was looking in ominous form for his first four balls, but after rising onto his toes to pump Dilshan Madushanka through the covers for his second boundary, he was trapped on the crease by the fuller length, swinging in and cramping the captain on a tight leg-stump line. The review was to no avail and Sri Lanka have their opening. Still, Rassie van der Dussen arrives with a brace of boundaries (the second rather streaky) to confirm the impression that this could still be a riotous display.
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South Africa up and running
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Ominous signs in another otherwise tidy first over from Kasun Rajitha, which is met initially with an arrow-straight blade as Quinton de Kock gauges the pace of the wicket, before Temba Bavuma laces the final ball of the over for a sweetly timed four through deep third. The ball is coming onto the bat very nicely already. South Africa's powerful line-up will approve.
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Monga brings the atmospherics
Sid Monga, our man in Delhi, is lurking in the stands and surveying the scene before him.
"The Gautam Gambhir Stand, which is basically a multi-level car park, doesn't look as ugly as usual. After about five seconds I have realised why. The cladding is not chewing tobacco ads, but ICC signage.
Sri Lanka will be thankful they are not here post Diwali unlike the last time they played a Test here and were throwing up all over because of bad air. And yet, in an ironical kind of way, today is the first day of this season that the Delhi AQI has veered into the "poor" category."
All looks clear enough out there as the teams line up for the national anthems, flanked by their vast national flags stretched across the outfield. Once again the stadium isn't exactly packed, but it doesn't look quite so echoey as Ahmedabad for England-New Zealand earlier this week. Let's get cracking.
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Sri Lanka win the toss and bowl
Dasun Shanaka wins the toss, and chooses to bowl first. "Very good track, we want to restrict them to as low as possible. Apart from key injuries we're building up well."
Three fast bowlers, and three allrounders in for Sri Lanka, making for an eight-man batting line-up.
"We don't mind, we wanted to bowl first but we've got batting as our first responsibility," says Temba Bavuma. South Africa are going in with four fast bowlers, including Gerald Coetzee, and Keshav Maharaj as the specialist spinner.
South Africa 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Temba Bavuma (capt), 3 Rassie van der Dussen, 4 Aiden Markram, 5 Heinrich Klaasen, 6 David Miller, 7 Marco Jansen, 8 Gerald Coetzee, 9 Keshav Maharaj, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Lungi Ngidi.
Sri Lanka 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kusal Perera, 3 Kusal Mendis (wk), 4 Sadeera Samarawickrama, 5 Charith Asalanka, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva, 7 Dasun Shanaka (capt), 8 Dunith Wellalage, 9 Kasun Rajitha, 10 Dilshan Madushanka, 11 Matheesha Pathirana.
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South Africa, Sri Lanka get the ball rolling
Welcome to ESPNcricinfo's Live Blog for Match #4 of the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup. It's South Africa versus Sri Lanka at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi, and I'm Andrew Miller.
What narrative is in store for South Africa this time out? Of all the major nations competing at this World Cup, their World Cup history is surely riven with more heartbreak than any other. But they come to this campaign armed to the teeth with hardened campaigners, not least in the batting, where Quinton de Kock, Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller offer some of the most powerful strokeplay that any nation can hope to serve up.
As for Sri Lanka... they were Asia Cup finalists only last month (though the less said about that actual match the better). Their batting has been malfunctioning of late, and their bowling is injury-hit - the loss of Wanindu Hasaranga is particularly galling. But the surface at Delhi tends to favour the spinners, and they've still got plenty of those.
The toss is coming up at 2pm local time. In the meantime, here's Madushka's preview to fill the void.
If you're in the USA, do go to ESPN+ to watch the South Africa vs Sri Lanka game LIVE.
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Matchday Live with Steyn, Maharoof and Urooj
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