South Africa 191 (Bavuma 70, Maharaj 24, Asitha 3-44, Kumara 3-70) lead Sri Lanka 42 (Jansen 7-13, Coetzee 2-18) by 149 runs
South Africa were batting again with half an hour to go in the second session and their openers put on 28 in six overs to extend the lead to 177.
Sri Lanka’s misfortunes were a combined result of incisive bowling with movement still on offer deep into the second day, and poor shot selection. Of the top seven, Pathum Nissanka, Angelo Mathews, Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva all played at deliveries they could have left.
Kagiso Rabada started the slide when Dimuth Karunatratne hung his bat out to a length ball outside off and edged to David Bedingham, at first slip. Four balls later, Jansen drew Nissanka forward and he reached for a ball he could have left. He was caught at third slip. And two overs after that, Dinesh Chandimal displayed questionable defence when he left a bat-pad gap that a Jansen delivery nipped through to bowl him. Mathews’ experience also let him down when he wafted at a ball that angled away and edged to Bedingham. Sri Lanka were 16 for 4 in the eighth over.
South Africa’s first, and as it turned out, only bowling change was to bring on Gerald Coetzee in place of Rabada. He started with a full toss that Kamindu drove for four. Coetzee soon had reward when Kamindu played a big shot, attempting to whack him through the covers, but edged to first slip.
Jansen’s two wickets in his sixth over brought him his second Test five-for. The first was de Silva missing a drive and bowled and the second Prabath Jayasuriya, who was kept on the back foot and prodded to Stubbs in the slips. Coetzee took the eighth of the next ball, an lbw that was confirmed on review before Jansen did another double in his last over to end the innings 78 minutes after it began. Sri Lanka were bowled out inside 14 overs and made South Africa’s first innings 191 look much bigger than it felt at lunch.
Earlier, South Africa recovered from 117 for 7 – and the possibility of their lowest total against Sri Lanka at home (128) – but fell nine short of 200 in their first innings at Kingsmead. While blue skies and sunshine meant batting conditions should, in theory, have been easier, Sri Lanka’s excellent attack took 6 for 111 in the morning session and will feel they have given their side the advantage.
After just 20.4 overs were possible on a rain-hit first-day, Vishwa picked up where he left off and found early movement. He appealed for an lbw against Kyle Verreynne second ball but replays showed an inside edge. Verreynne only faced three more balls before Kumara fired in a 141kph ball that beat him and rapped him on the front pad. At first glance it looked as though the impact may have been outside the line but Verreynne did not consult with Bavuma and walked off. Replays showed he was out anyway.
Three balls later, Sri Lanka wasted a review as Wiaan Mulder inside-edged onto his pad but his troubles were only just beginning. In Kumara’s next over, he was hit on the right hand as he tried to defend a ball that nipped back in. He received treatment on field and tried to continue despite struggling to grip the bat. He kept out the next ball he faced and immediately wrung his hand in pain, left the last ball of the over and then retired hurt. He batted again in the session but will be taken for an x-ray during the lunch break.
Marco Jansen got his first runs when he clipped a Vishwa full toss off his legs for four and then punched Kumara wide of fourth slip. Kumara’s impressive first morning spell ended when Bavuma pushed him through the covers for four and his figures read 8-1-51-3.
Sri Lanka went for a double-change with Asitha replacing Kumara and Jayasuriya’s spin coming on for Vishwa. Jayasuriya had success with his 10th ball when Jansen missed a tossed-up delivery and was hit on the pad in front of leg stump. He reviewed unsuccessfully. Gerald Coetzee was also drawn in by one that was tossed up and recklessly hit Jayasuriya to deep mid-wicket where Kamindu ran forward to take a good catch. South Africa had lost 3 for 34 in 9.1 overs at that stage, with no real batting to come.
Keshav Maharaj joined Bavuma on the back of four successive Test ducks, and made his highest Test score in nine innings. He showed some fight against Jayasuriya, whose fourth over he hit for 15 runs, including a stunning six, straight down the ground. When Jayasuriya was replaced by Vishwa, Maharaj did not rein his instincts in, reached for a wide ball and drove it aerially to Dhananjaya de Silva at mid-off.
Bavuma had only just reached fifty but was running out of partners and took matters into his own hands. He left his feet to ramp Kumara for six, then drove him through extra cover and back past him for four more. The fun didn’t last long and when Kumara was replaced by Asitha and Bavuma swiped across the line, he top-edged to midwicket, where Kumara judged the catch well in the wind. Bavuma was dismissed on the stroke of what should have been the scheduled lunch break but as he was the ninth wicket to fall, the session was extended by half an hour. Sri Lanka only needed 17 minutes of that time before Rabada hooked Asitha to deep backward square.
Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo’s correspondent for South Africa and women’s cricket
Discover more from Latest News Today
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
