Johannesburg – South Africa finished sixth of eight teams in the Women's Cricket World Cup after Sri Lanka gained revenge with a crushing 88-run victory in their fifth-place playoff in Cuttack, India on Friday.
The Proteas women had thumped their Sri Lankan counterparts two days earlier, bagging a 110-run win in their final Super Sixes match, but the sub-continent side hit back to snatch fifth spot overall.
Sri Lanka were held up by their middle order as they coasted to 244/7 after they won the toss and chose to bat.
In reply, South Africa were bundled out for 156 runs in the 41st over.
Shandre Fritz smashed her second half-century of the tournament, contributing 54 runs to anchor South Africa's chase after they were reduced to 49/4.
However, spin bowler Shashikala Siriwardene, who took 4/42, put paid to any fight back from the Proteas women, ripping through the tail as the South Africans lost their last four wickets for only 16 runs.
Earlier, Chamari Atapattu had led the way for the Sri Lankans with a patient 52 runs off 107 balls, sharing 84 runs with Siriwardene, who hit a valuable 44.
Deepika Rasangika and Eshani Kaushalya chipped in with 43 runs each.
The seam pair of Marcia Letsoalo and 19-year-old Chloe Tryon led the struggling South African attack, bagging two wickets each.
Meanwhile, in Mumbai, England defeated New Zealand by four wickets in the third-place playoff.
Australia face the West Indies in the tournament final in Mumbai on Sunday. – Sapa