SA vs SL 4th ODI: South Africa cruise to 4-0 lead, sound warning bells ahead of World Cup

South Africa defeated Sri Lanka by six wickets in the fourth ODI of the five-match series on Wednesday at Port Elizabeth. The Sri Lankan captain Lasith Malinga expressed his frustration on the defeat

"We are going on the same path, the wicket was very suitable for the bat, but the batsmen did not realise the value and the opportunity to play long innings. And with the ball, we could only get four wickets," International Cricket Council quoted Malinga as saying.

South Africa win the 4th ODI by 6 wickets. SA 190/4 (32.5 Ovs) Quinton de Kock 51, du Plessis 43 : Dhananjaya de Silva 3/41 v SL 189 (39.2 Ovs) #SAvSL pic.twitter.com/ywbbfC4Cq2

— Sri Lanka Cricket (@OfficialSLC) March 13, 2019

Sri Lanka could only post 189 runs on the board and at one stage they were staring down the barrel as they were six down for just 71 runs.

"Being six down inside 18 overs, it is very hard to come back, we always talk about taking responsibility and putting our hands up to bat through the full fifty overs, but the last few years, we have been struggling to do that," Malinga added.

Quinton de Kock, South Africa's wicket-keeper batsman continued to take advantage of his good form and he scored a breezy knock of 51 runs to make the chase easier for the team.

South Africa coast to victory in Port Elizabeth to go 4-0 up!

Quinton de Kock scores his fourth consecutive 50+ score as Sri Lanka's 189 is chased with 17.1 overs remaining for a six wicket win!#SAvSL scorecard  https://t.co/yAMrXZGPNH pic.twitter.com/dLcyuw1HtD

— ICC (@ICC) March 13, 2019

South Africa chased the below-par total of 189 inside 33 overs and as a result of this victory, the team has taken a 4-0 lead in the five-match ODI series against Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka would look to salvage some pride in the final ODI of the series.

Sri Lanka takes on South Africa in the final ODI of the five-match series on Saturday, March 16 at Cape Town.