Mark Boucher cleared the boundary and believed South Africa had reached safety. One delivery later, he defended. Then the rain ended the match, leaving the hosts stranded on the wrong side of a calculation they thought they understood.
South Africa’s 229/6 matched the Duckworth-Lewis par score after 45 overs. They needed 230 to win. The tie against Sri Lanka ended their home World Cup campaign.
That devastating finish earns this match its place in A Celebration of 5000 ODIs. Yet the confusion should never obscure the century and disciplined spin bowling that made Sri Lanka so difficult to beat.
TL;DR
- Sri Lanka made 268/9; South Africa finished on 229/6 after rain stopped play.
- The match tied under Duckworth-Lewis, eliminating South Africa.
- Player of the Match Marvan Atapattu scored 124.
- Aravinda de Silva contributed 73 and took 2/36.
- Boucher’s late six reached the tie score; the final delivery produced no run.
Match Information
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Match | South Africa vs Sri Lanka, 40th match, 2003 World Cup |
| Stage | Pool B |
| Date | March 3, 2003 |
| Venue | Kingsmead, Durban |
| Sri Lanka | 268/9, 50 overs |
| South Africa | 229/6, 45 overs |
| Result | Match tied, Duckworth-Lewis method |
| Player of the Match | Marvan Atapattu, 124 |
| Leading bowlers | Jacques Kallis 3/41; Aravinda de Silva 2/36 |
| Qualification impact | Sri Lanka advanced to the Super Sixes; South Africa exited |
Marvan Atapattu Builds the Innings South Africa Cannot Contain
Sri Lanka slipped to 90/3 before Atapattu and Aravinda rebuilt through a 152-run partnership.
Atapattu’s 124 from 129 balls contained 18 fours. His boundary frequency allowed Sri Lanka to maintain momentum without depending on repeated aerial hitting. While South Africa removed his early partners, they could not dislodge the batter controlling the innings.
His dismissal at 242/4 finally opened the lower order. By then, Sri Lanka had established a substantial platform.
Aravinda de Silva Changes Both Innings
Aravinda supplied 73 from 78 deliveries, then became equally influential with the ball.
His off-spin removed Graeme Smith for 35 and Gary Kirsten for eight. Eight overs costing 36 runs disrupted South Africa’s opening momentum and forced the middle order to rebuild.
Jayasuriya used his slower bowlers extensively after Dilhara Fernando’s solitary over conceded 14. Spin claimed all five wickets that fell to bowlers, rewarding that adjustment.
Jacques Kallis Keeps the Chase Manageable
Kallis returned 3/41, South Africa’s strongest bowling figures. His late wickets helped restrict Sri Lanka after the fourth-wicket partnership threatened a larger finish.
The hosts took six wickets after Sri Lanka reached 242/3. That recovery mattered, although Hall and Klusener conceded 93 runs across 14 overs, giving the visitors valuable scoring opportunities.
South Africa’s bowling had recovered enough to offer their batters a realistic chase.
Herschelle Gibbs Provides Hope Before Two Deliveries Change Everything
Gibbs scored 73 from 88 balls, supporting a 65-run opening stand with Smith.
His dismissal by Muttiah Muralitharan at 149/4 became a major turning point. Jayasuriya trapped Boeta Dippenaar lbw with the next delivery, leaving South Africa five down without another run added.
Boucher and Shaun Pollock repaired the damage with 63. Pollock’s run-out at 212/6, however, removed a settled partner as the weather tightened the equation.
Mark Boucher Reaches the Wrong Number
Boucher’s unbeaten 45 brought South Africa close enough for the final over before the interruption to decide their tournament.
He hit Muralitharan’s fifth delivery for six, taking the total to 229, then defended the sixth. The instructions reaching the batters had treated the par score as the winning target.
At six wickets down after 45 overs, 229 meant a tie. South Africa needed 230. Contemporary accounts and the retrospective explanation of the miscalculation document that crucial misunderstanding.
Rain prevented further play. Boucher’s restraint, intended to protect the position, left the hosts short of the victory qualification required.
Complete Match Scorecard
Sri Lanka Batting
| Batter | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marvan Atapattu | c sub (Peterson) b Hall | 124 | 129 | 18 | 0 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya (c) | run out (Kirsten) | 16 | 30 | 1 | 0 |
| Hashan Tillakaratne | c Boucher b Kallis | 14 | 28 | 2 | 0 |
| Mahela Jayawardene | c Boucher b Hall | 1 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Aravinda de Silva | c Smith b Ntini | 73 | 78 | 6 | 2 |
| Russel Arnold | b Pollock | 8 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Kumar Sangakkara (wk) | c Pollock b Kallis | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Chaminda Vaas | run out (Boucher) | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Muttiah Muralitharan | b Kallis | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Dilhara Fernando | Not out | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Pulasthi Gunaratne | Did not bat | ||||
| Extras | lb 2, w 11, nb 5 | 18 | |||
| Total | 50 overs, nine wickets | 268 |
Fall of wickets: 37/1, 77/2, 90/3, 242/4, 243/5, 258/6, 261/7, 266/8, 268/9.
South Africa Bowling
| Bowler | O | M | R | W |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shaun Pollock | 10 | 1 | 48 | 1 |
| Makhaya Ntini | 10 | 0 | 49 | 1 |
| Monde Zondeki | 6 | 0 | 35 | 0 |
| Jacques Kallis | 10 | 0 | 41 | 3 |
| Andrew Hall | 10 | 0 | 62 | 2 |
| Lance Klusener | 4 | 0 | 31 | 0 |
South Africa Batting
| Batter | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graeme Smith | c Gunaratne b de Silva | 35 | 34 | 5 | 0 |
| Herschelle Gibbs | b Muralitharan | 73 | 88 | 7 | 2 |
| Gary Kirsten | b de Silva | 8 | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| Jacques Kallis | b Jayasuriya | 16 | 19 | 1 | 0 |
| Boeta Dippenaar | lbw b Jayasuriya | 8 | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| Mark Boucher (wk) | Not out | 45 | 50 | 2 | 1 |
| Shaun Pollock (c) | run out (Sangakkara/Muralitharan) | 25 | 37 | 1 | 0 |
| Lance Klusener | Not out | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Andrew Hall | Did not bat | ||||
| Makhaya Ntini | Did not bat | ||||
| Monde Zondeki | Did not bat | ||||
| Extras | lb 4, w 12, nb 2 | 18 | |||
| Total | 45 overs, six wickets | 229 |
Fall of wickets: 65/1, 91/2, 124/3, 149/4, 149/5, 212/6.
Sri Lanka Bowling
| Bowler | O | M | R | W |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chaminda Vaas | 7 | 1 | 33 | 0 |
| Pulasthi Gunaratne | 6 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| Dilhara Fernando | 1 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Aravinda de Silva | 8 | 0 | 36 | 2 |
| Russel Arnold | 4 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Muttiah Muralitharan | 9 | 0 | 51 | 1 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya | 10 | 0 | 49 | 2 |
Scorecard checked against the complete match record.
Why Match 20 Still Hurts
South Africa’s three-run opening defeat against West Indies had already reduced their margin for error. Durban exhausted it.
The result recalled their 1992 rain-rule heartbreak and the 1999 semifinal tie. Here, misunderstanding the existing calculation proved decisive.
A day after Bichel and Bevan rescued Australia, another recovery ended in disbelief. Sri Lanka progressed and eventually reached the semifinals, as the ICC’s tournament overview records.
Within our 5000 ODIs collection and wider cricket coverage, Durban remains a painful study in decision-making under pressure.
South Africa had hit the boundary they wanted. They still needed the single they never attempted.