PORT ELIZABETH: Three late strikes by South Africa’s fast bowlers on Thursday helped atone for a poor batting performance on the first day of the second Test against Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka were 60 for three at the close at St George’s Park after bowling out South Africa for 222.Earlier, Vishwa Fernando and Kasun Rajitha both took three wickets as Sri Lanka followed up their surprise win in the first Test in Durban with a disciplined bowling performance on a slow but well-grassed pitch.
Some of their good work was undone after Dimuth Karunaratne and Lahiru Thirimanne gave the Sri Lankan innings a reasonable start, putting on 25 for the first wicket.Captain Karunaratne was caught behind off Kagiso Rabada for 17 in the 12th over. Duanne Olivier then bowled Oshada Fernando and had Kusal Mendis caught behind.
South Africa, needing a win to share the series, made a poor start after winning the toss, losing three wickets with the total on 15, two of them off successive balls from Vishwa Fernando.They never recovered fully despite three half-century stands, two of which involved top-scorer Quinton de Kock, who made 86.
Aiden Markram and captain Faf du Plessis put on 58 for the fourth wicket but it was 73 for four when Du Plessis was bowled by Karunaratne, with the last ball before lunch.The hosts seemed to be recovering when Markram and De Kock put on 57 at almost a run a ball for the fifth wicket before Kasun Rajitha took three wickets in successive overs.
Markram was leg before wicket for 60 and Rajitha followed up with the wickets of new cap Wiaan Mulder for nine and Keshav Maharaj for nought.De Kock went to his third half-century of the series off 51 balls but was dropped on 55 when Dhananjaya de Silva could not hold a high chance at gully off Rajitha.
South Africa won toss
South Africa 1st Innings
D Elgar b Fernando 6
A Markram lbw b Rajitha 60
H Amla b Fernando 0
T Bavuma run out 0
*F du Plessis b Karunaratne 25
†Q de Kock b De Silva 86
W Mulder lbw b Rajitha 9
K Maharaj c Dickwella b Rajitha 0
K Rabada c Dickwella b De Silva 22
D Steyn not out 3
D Olivier c Dickwella b Fernando 0
Extras (b1, lb6, nb4) 11
Total (all out, 61.2 overs) 222
Fall: 1-15, 2-15, 3-15, 4-73, 5-130, 6-145, 7-157, 8-216, 9-221, 10-222
Bowling: Lakmal 13-2-33-0, Fernando 18.2-2-62-3, Rajitha 15-2-67-3, Embuldeniya 5.3-0-26-0, Karunaratne 4.3-1-12-1, De Silva 5-0-15-2
Sri Lanka 1st Innings
*D Karunaratne c De Kock b Rabada 17
L Thirimanne not out 25
O Fernando b Olivier 0
K Mendis c De Kock b Olivier 16
K Rajitha not out 0
Extras (lb1, nb1) 2
Total (3 wickets, 20 overs) 60
To bat: K Perera, †N Dickwella, D de Silva, S Lakmal, L Embuldeniya, V Fernando
Fall: 1-25, 2-34, 3-59
Bowling: Steyn 8-2-20-0, Rabada 7-3-14-1, Olivier 5-1-25-2
Umpires: Aleem Dar (Pakistan) and Ian Gould (England). TV umpire: Richard Kettleborough (England). Match referee: Richie Richardson (West Indies)
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