Chronicle Editor
SRI LANKA, needing 304 for victory, were under pressure on 83 for three when bad light stopped play in the final session of the third day of the first test against South Africa at Kingsmead in Durban yesterday.
Spinners Keshav Maharaj and Aiden Markram bowled three overs in the gloom on umpires’ orders but it was clear that skipper Faf du Plessis wanted his pacemen back into the attack and so play was called off at 4:30pm CAT (SA, GMT+2)
By then the South Africans had already inflicted major damage with Vernon Philander trapping Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne leg before for 20 and Kagiso Rabada having Lahiru Thirimanne caught by Du Plessis at slip after edging an expansive drive.
The third wicket found Kusal Mendis badly wanting when he flicked needlessly at a typically short delivery from Duanne Olivier, edging a catch to wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock.
Thirimanne’s wicket began the mini-collapse when three wickets fell for 10 runs in three overs after Sri Lanka had briefly looked menacing as he and Karunaratne had put on 42 for the first wicket.
The experienced Sri Lankan skipper, the prize wicket for the Proteas, can count himself a little unfortunate in the match as he was twice dismissed leg before by Philander after what can only be called marginal decisions where the ball was just flicking the leg stump.
“It’s probably their game plan to play a few shots,” said Olivier. “I do think it gives us opportunities to take wickets.”
The Sri Lankans still need another 221 to win, with Oshada Fernando (28) and Kusal Perera (12) having added an unbroken 31 for the fourth wicket, but the tourists’ vulnerable middle-order will have to bat considerably better than they did in the first innings if they are to approach their tough victory target.
Earlier, South Africa lost their last five second innings wickets for eight runs in 7.3 overs to collapse to 259 all out after at one stage looking likely to bat Sri Lanka out of the match.
The collapse began in the 73rd over in the middle of the afternoon when Philander – who had helped Du Plessis add 60 for the sixth wicket — was bowled by left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya.
It was the debutant’s fourth wicket of the innings and he went on to complete a memorable five-wicket haul when he had Rabada caught bat-pad for a duck.
His final figures of 26-3-66-5 would have thrilled him but also encouraged his South African counterpart, Maharaj, as the pitch has shown signs of taking significant turn, particularly when the ball landed in the footmarks.
“I was very happy to contribute to the team,” said Embuldeniya, who staked a claim to become Sri Lanka@s leading spinner following the retirement of Rangana Herath and the dropping of Dilruwan Perera.
“My plan was just to bowl line and length.”
Embuldeniya said that although the pitch was slower than on the first two days he had found the there was more bounce than in pitches in Sri Lanka.
The key wicket in the collapse was that of Du Plessis, who had earlier added 96 for the fifth wicket with De Kock – a crucial partnership after the Proteas had looked vulnerable on 95 for four on Thursday evening.
The elegant left-hander struck his second half-century of the match, cracking six fours in his 62-ball 55.
For his part, the South African captain had struck 11 fours in his vital innings of 90, which spanned four hours and 182 balls, when he was deceived by a delivery from paceman Vishwa Fernando to which he fatally padded up.
Fernando, who took four wickets in the first innings, contributed another four in South Africa’s second dig, polishing off the tail by bowling Maharaj and Steyn to finish with an impressive 4-71. — SuperSport
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