HAMBANTOTA: South Africa captain AB de Villiers hit a breezy 30 and his seamers pinned down Sri Lanka’s batsmen to produce a comfortable 32-run win over the hosts in a rain-shortened World Twenty20 match yesterday.
De Villiers faced 13 balls and led from the front with a four and two sixes in the Proteas healthy 78-4 total after rain reduced the last Group C match to seven overs per side. Dale Steyn (2-10) bowled well upfront as the hosts finished at 46-5.
The result did not stop both teams from advancing to the Super Eights after they recorded victories over Zimbabwe. Sri Lanka defeated the African team by 82 runs while South Africa won by 10 wickets.
Sri Lanka will be placed in Group 1 of the Super Eights while South Africa will be in Group 2.
It was an anti-climax for a sellout crowd of 35,000 at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, who waited for 2 1/2 hours to see the contest among two evenly matched teams.
Sri Lanka’s innings never found any sort of momentum with Tillakaratne Dilshan run out without a ball being faced and captain Mahela Jayawardene holing out in the deep after scoring just one boundary to became one of two victims for Steyn.
Kumar Sangakkara (13) was twice dropped but could not capitalize on the chances as all the South African bowlers — including spinner Johan Botha — bowled to a perfect line and length and never allowed Sri Lanka’s batsmen to get going.
Earlier, after being sent in to bat first, South Africa lost Richard Levi (4) in the very first over when Dilshan Munaweera took a brilliant running catch at wide mid wicket.
Hashim Amla (13) hit three boundaries before he was stumped by Sangakkara, but the arrival of de Villiers virtually silenced the big crowd.
De Villiers lofted Rangana Herath for a straight six and then dispatched Lasith Malinga over the mid wicket fence as he added a rapid 38 runs off 18 balls together with Faf du Plessis (13) by converting singles into twos.
JP Dumminy hit a four and a six off Thisara Perera’s last over of the innings that gave the Proteas enough runs to defend.
Proteas crushes Sri Lanka in 7-over rain-shortened match
Proteas crushes Sri Lanka in 7-over rain-shortened match
First female Japanese trainer targets the Saudi Cup
- Kyoko Maekawa to run Sunrise Zipangu in Riyadh on Saturday Feb. 14
RIYADH: Kyoko Maekawa broke new ground last year when she became the first female to hold a training license in Japan, and just 12 months later she is eyeing the world’s richest race with Sunrise Zipangu (JPN) in the group one $20 million Saudi Cup at King Abdulaziz Racecourse on Feb. 14.
The Japan Racing Association added her to the training ranks in March of 2025. And the former assistant to dual Saudi Cup-winning trainer Yoshito Yahgai made an immediate impact by landing a first win in her new role when Sunrise Ares (JPN) hit the target at Kochi on the 18th of that month.
Sunrise Zipangu has had only two starts for his new trainer. Last seen beaten by only two lengths over 2,500 meters on turf in the Arima Kinen, the 5-year-old will switch surfaces and drop to 1,800 meters for his first run outside Japan.
“Sunrise Zipangu has mainly been racing on turf recently, but he has the speed to perform well on dirt. I think that type of horse suits Saudi Arabia, and he also prefers racing anti-clockwise,” said Maekawa in a recent press release.
“The Saudi Cup was my first international race meeting with Yahagi two years ago, and I was deeply impressed by the hospitality — there was nothing to complain about. It is a wonderful country to be in, and it is a great honor to represent Japan at such an event.”
Having ridden dressage horses while at university, the 48-year-old then worked part-time at the Miho Training Centre, one of the two JRA training centers, which was her first real introduction to the horseracing industry.
“Training was always an option in my mind, but I didn’t take the trainer’s exam for nearly 15 years,” she said.
“I met Hanako Varian (wife of UK trainer Roger) in Newmarket, and she said to me, ‘Why don’t you try? Don’t overthink it.’ One of the barriers for me was the level of risk and responsibility trainers carry, especially toward their staff members.
“I am often asked if it is tough, but to be honest, I have received a great deal of support from many people. I have also gained much more media attention, which is essentially free advertising.
“That said, I still need to attract good owners and good horses for the sake of my staff. I must work hard on that, as I am not naturally a strong salesperson.”
Reflecting on her experience with the colorful Yahagi, who also landed the Saudi Cup with Panthalassa (JPN) in 2023, she said: “It was a very full and meaningful time.
“I traveled abroad nine times across six different countries, including Saudi Arabia. It was a precious experience for me to attend international race meetings and sales.
“Of course, my domestic experience with Yahagi Stable was also extremely valuable, but opportunities for that level of international travel are rare. I was also fascinated by how Yahagi Stable sometimes decides which race to enter at the last minute, after carefully studying the fields and form to give their horses the best possible chance.
“I race my horses quite frequently, probably more than most rookie trainers, which is something I learned directly from Yahagi.”
Like Sunrise Ares, Sunrise Zipangu races in the colors of Life House Co. Ltd. And it would be fitting should the owners who provide Maekawa with a first success were also behind the biggest of all should she strike in The Saudi Cup.
