Watch: Marco Jansen bowled a beauty to Kusal Perera in South Africa’s World Cup opening match against Sri Lanka on October 8, finding express pace and cutting the ball back in to take out middle stump.

Sri Lanka were faced with a record chase in Delhi after South Africa posted the highest-ever World Cup total batting first. Quinton de Kock, Rassie van der Dussen and Aiden Markram all scored centuries, with Markram hitting the fastest ever hundred in a World Cup. That meant Sri Lanka needed 426 to win the match.

Jansen ensured they got off to a less than ideal start when he bowled Pathum Nissanka with his first ball in World Cup cricket. That one also rattled into the top of middle stump, sending Nissanka back for a duck.

However, Kusal Mendis ensured Sri Lanka stayed in the game with a blistering half-century off just 25 balls. He punished Jansen by hitting three consecutive boundaries off his bowling, including two sixes, the second of which took him to 50. Perera then joined the boundary-hitting bonanza, hitting a four through square leg off Jansen.

The tall speedster had his revenge, however, as he bowled an unplayable delivery to send Perera back to the dugout. He pitched the ball back of a length from over the wickets a beat Perera all ends up. The ball nipped back in off the surface and cut between Perera’s bat an pad, crashing into middle stump and sending the Zing bails flying.

That wicket left Sri Lanka 67-2 in the powerplay, still needing well over 300 runs to reach their target.

Watch: Marco Jansen takes out Kusal Perera’s middle stump

 

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