Sri Lanka struggling South Africa bowls over defending champs by 89 runs Click here for more on this story Posted: Tuesday June 29, 1999 09:05 AM   Lance Klusener bolstered the South African total with 52 runs off 45 balls, finishing the innings with successive sixes. Stu Forster/Allsport NORTHAMPTON, England (CNN/SI) -- South Africa's innings was rocked to its foundation Wednesday when it fell to 8-122 before an unbeaten 52 by Lance Klusener saved the World Cup favorites as he guided them to 199 for nine Wednesday. Sri Lanka folded in the face of the vaunted South African attack, and the defending champions appeared to abdicate their crown as they crashed to an 89-run loss. Klusener made a substantial contribution with the ball as he claimed three wickets, but it was an inspired spell of seam and swing bowling by Jacques Kallis that led South Africa to victory. After Klusener led a gallant middle-order recovery to steer South Africa to 199 for nine, Sri Lanka needing four runs an over, crashed to 110 all out in 35.2 overs. Kallis, who had fashioned South Africa's four-wicket win over India with 96 runs, took 3-2 in nine balls to destroy Sri Lanka's run chase. On a difficult wicket not ideal for one-day cricket, batsmen of both teams failed to come to terms with the alarming seam and swing it produced all day as 19 wickets fell for 309 runs. Klusener bolstered the South African total with 52 runs off 45 balls, finishing the innings with successive sixes off left-arm medium-pace bowler Chaminda Vaas. The last over cost 22 runs as Klusener plundered the attack. The all-rounder shared a face-saving 44 for the ninth wicket with Steve Elworthy (23) after the innings had nose-dived to 112 for eight after being sent in. Sri Lanka, faced with a must win situation to have any hopes of qualifying for the Super Six -- phase two of the tournament - was once again let down by poor top-order batting. In the tournament opener against England at Lord's, Sri Lanka collapsed to 65 for five and was eventually bowled out for 204 in an eight-wicket loss. Kallis had Romesh Kaluwitharana caught at first slip by Daryll Cullinan and three balls later forced left-hander Sanath Jayasuriya to play on. In his next over he had Marvan Atapattu playing a rash shot and had him caught behind as Sri Lanka slumped to 14 for three. Champion batsman Aravinda de Silva, dropped before he had scored, managed one run before falling victim to the second of two umpiring blunders of the day. De Silva was adjudged leg before wicket by umpire Steve Dunne as Sri Lanka crashed to 14 for four and then 31 for five in the 14th over when skipper Arjuna Ranatangu was out to Allan Donald. Roshan Mahanama batted gallantly for 36 but the rest of the batting lineup failed around him and the final five wickets fell for 79 runs -- Klusener picking up three wickets. Earlier in the South African innings, television umpire Ken Palmer controversially gave Pollock out. Pollock drove at Muttiah Muralitharan and the ball deflected to the spinner off the ankle of Ranatunga, fielding at silly point. Steve Dunne referred to Palmer as the Sri Lankans claimed the catch. After at least seven minutes and a dozen replays showing the ball hitting the turf before bouncing off Ranatunga, Palmer gave Pollock out. While its batting lineup failed, the Sri Lankan bowlers performed brilliantly to restrict South Africa's highly rated batting lineup. Left-arm swing bowler Chaminda Vaas and Pramodya Wickremasinghe each claimed two wickets as South Africa slumped from 22-0 after three overs to 53-4 after 15. Off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan chimed in with three wickets for 25 off 10 overs. Vaas also grabbed a third wicket with a vital breakthrough in the 45th over to dismiss Steve Elworthy to end a 44-run stand ninth-wicket stand and restrict South Africa to 166-9. South Africa scorched to 22 in three overs before crumbling to lose three wickets for three runs. Gary Kirsten blasted three successive boundaries and scored 14 off 14 balls before he got an inside edge onto his stumps off Vaas in the fourth over. Hershelle Gibbs was out in Vaas' next over, adjudged out by umpire Steve Bucknor when he chased a wide ball and got a faint edge to the 'keeper. South Africa slumped from 22-0 to 24-3 in the seventh over when a ball from Wickremasinghe snuck between bat and pad and dislodged the bail of No. 3 batsman Mark Boucher. Cullinan joined Kallis and the pair put on 26 before Wickremasinghe struck again in the 15th over. Kallis was out for 12, well caught at second slip by Mahanama. Captain Hansie Cronje was run out in the 21st over with the score at 69-5. The veteran of 161 of South Africa's 166 one-day internationals since returning to international cricket, was well out of his ground when a brilliant throw came in from the outfield and Romesh Kaluwitharana broke the stumps. Rhodes was dismissed next, caught by Roshan Mahanama attempting a sweep shot of Muralitharan in the 28th over, and he was soon followed back to the pavilion by Pollock and Cullinan. Klusener and Elworthy took the score from 122-8 to 166-9 before Elworthy got a slight edge off Vaas and was caught behind in the 46th over.   Related information Stories CNN/SI South Africa Team Page CNN/SI Sri Lanka Team Page England beats Sri Lanka by eight wickets Stats Profiles: South Africa Profiles: Sri Lanka Multimedia South Africa earned the win through some controversy.   • Start(852 K .MOV) Click here for the latest audio and video Search our site Watch CNN/SI 24 hours a day Sports Illustrated and CNN have combined to form a 24 hour sports news and information channel. To receive CNN/SI at your home call 1-888-53-CNNSI. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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