Perth: Sri Lanka's batting went from sizzle to fizzle as South Africa all but ended their hopes of playing in the limited-overs triangular series finals with a five-wicket win at the WACA ground on Tuesday.
After a quickfire opening partnership of 94 off 97 balls between Sanath Jayasuriya and Jehan Mubarak, Sri Lanka lost their last eight wickets for 85 runs.
They finished on a disappointing 221, with 14 balls remaining, and South Africa coasted to 224-5 off 45.1 overs in reply.
Jayusuriya made 86 from 65 balls, including nine boundaries and three sixes, before falling to a brilliant diving catch by Ashwell Prince at backward point off the bowling of South African skipper Graeme Smith.
Smith, sending down the gentlest of off-spinners, claimed his best-ever One-Day figures of 3-30 off 10 overs to start Sri Lanka's batting rot.
The South Africans also got their innings off to a flying start thanks to Smith and Boeta Dippenaar, who guided them to 84 in the 17th over.
The out-of-form Smith, who claimed the Man of the match award, had looked as though he was destined for his first 50 in the series, but he fell nine runs short when he was caught behind by Kumar Sangakkara off Muttiah Muralitharan.
It was the first of four dismissals in which Sangakkara was to figure, with Jacques Rudolph and Justin Kemp both stumped and Boeta Dippenaar also caught behind.
Dippenaar belted 87 runs off 94 balls, with seven boundaries and three sixes, before he fell to Muralitharan.
The Proteas suffered a mini-collapse of their own, with wily spinner Muralitharan playing a leading hand as they lost four middle-order wickets for 26.
But they never looked in danger of losing the match and simply took more chances as they pushed for a bonus point by winning within 40 overs.
Muralitharan, who finished with 3-44, and fellow spinner Malinga Bandara with 2-47 thwarted that goal.
Sri Lanka, on nine points, have just one match remaining while South Africa, on 12 points, have three.
Although technically possible, Sri Lanka face a daunting task if they are to meet Australia, who have already qualified, in the finals of the best-of-three series.
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