August 16  
Veteran de Silva gets the plaudits 

TANGIERS: Sri Lanka captain Sanath Jayasuriya credited veteran batsman and man of the match Aravinda de Silva with playing the key role in his team's crushing 93-run victory over South Africa in the third match of the Morocco Cup triangular tournament on Thursday. 

De Silva finished on 73 not out to lead his team to a commanding 267 for seven before Sri Lanka's bowlers bundled their opposition out for just 174 to win and secure a potentially crucial bonus point. 

"The fact that Aravinda went on to make 70 made the difference because then we could all chip in and contribute. Someone must make a bigger score, you can't all make 30s and 40s," a delighted Jayasuriya said. 

"We also bowled brilliantly today which made sure of victory. It was a much better performance all round," Jayasuriya said after Wednesday's 28-run loss to Pakistan. Coach Dav Whatmore said: "Aravinda is a player with a heck of a lot of experience and he showed us the way today." 

South African captain Shaun Pollock remained upbeat despite the setback, saying the tournament was "nicely set up now that each team has won and lost one game at the half way point." 

"Sri Lanka have an obvious advantage with the bonus point because it means they just probably have to win just one of their last two games to be sure of reaching the final," said Pollock. 

"But we also see it as an advantage playing the last two games of the group stage because we'll know exactly what we have to do." 

He added: "We had too many soft dismissals although the pitch did become more difficult to bat on as the day went on. 

"I hope the tournament doesn't come down to 'win the toss, win the game' but it certainly looks as though everyone will want to bat first from now on." 

Sri Lanka play Pakistan on Saturday with South Africa facing Pakistan on Sunday and Sri Lanka on Monday. The final will be played next Wednesday.