Thursday Dec 26, 2024
Thursday Dec 26, 2024
Saturday, 30 November 2024 00:20 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Sri Lanka were staring down the barrel of a heavy defeat in the first Test against South Africa, losing half the side for 103 by the close of the third day yesterday after being set a mammoth target of 516 to chase in seven sessions of play.
Shot out for their lowest total in Test cricket – 42 – Sri Lanka put up a much better performance in their second innings, but with two days of the match remaining, they still trail South Africa by 413 runs with only five wickets standing.
The South African bowlers bowled with a lot of pace, nip, and carry to leave Sri Lanka exposed once again. All the three seamers picked up wickets with Gerald Coetzee the most impressive, hitting the high 140kmph mark consistently.
Like in the first innings, Sri Lanka were guilty of a few poor shots as Dimuth Karunaratne and Kamindu Mendis chased wide deliveries outside off and fell. The night watchman Prabath Jayasuriya, sent in to protect the recognised batters, fell to a magnificent catch by Tony de Zorzi at short-leg. Only Dinesh Chandimal stuck it out for 62 balls to remain undefeated on 29 with Captain Dhananjaya de Silva on nought.
Sri Lanka faced a wicket-less first session as overnight pair Tristan Stubbs and skipper Temba Bavuma added runs, both reaching their respective hundreds before being dismissed.
Stubbs became the first South African in six years to score a Test hundred at Durban, making 122 off 221 balls (9 fours, 2 sixes). A powerhouse batter, Stubbs showed patience and resilience to play a Test innings of quality, curbing his aggressive nature to play a controlled innings and reach his second Test hundred in eight Tests.
Bavuma, who had to pass a fitness test before the match, followed his first innings knock of 70 with his third Test hundred. He was dismissed for 113, scored off 228 balls (9 fours) on the stroke of tea walking off the field to a standing ovation, at which point South Africa declared their second innings closed at 366-5.
Stubbs and Bavuma were involved in a record-breaking partnership of 249, the highest in Tests against Sri Lanka for the fourth wicket and equalling the record partnership at Durban. The pair virtually batted Sri Lanka out of the Test.
Sri Lanka’s bowling continued to be on the shorter side after taking the new ball and they failed to control the scoring rate as well. They had to wait for over 71 overs to get their first wicket of the day when Stubbs was bowled by Vishwa Fernando.
