| 0.0 : Hello and welcome to the second and final Test match between Sri Lanka and South Africa at R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium, Colombo. After the debacle of the first Test, the visiting team will be looking to put some skill in their performance. Their batsmen especially need to get into the game and show some resistance coming into the game. The home team, however, did everything right. Their batsmen used the home conditions to put up runs on the board, played both the spin and fast bow |
| The Lankan bowling was equally handy as well. They ran through the Protea batsmen twice and managed to keep the combined total under 200, which almost embarrassed them, to say the least. This match should be another test for the visiting team and it won't be a surprise if they stage a comeback given their class and record in the longest format. The action starts in a while in the capital city, hang around! |
| Toss - Sri Lanka win the toss and choose to bat. |
| Pitch Report - Russel Arnold doing the pitch report says it's a lot warmer here. Goes on to say that over the last couple of years, the surface has taken a lot of spin. Adds it's very dry, bare and has a lot of rough areas and also has a bit more pace and bounce compared to Galle. Continues saying there will be a lot of spin, so it will be a trial by spin again. Reckons the team winning the toss will bat first and they should put up a score around 270-300 and let the wicket do the rest. |
| Suranga Lakmal says the wicket looks good and it's a good batting track, hence the decision. Informs there is one change as Akila Dananjaya comes in for Lakshan Sandakan. Reckons the cricket they played in Galle was their best and they would like to put in a similar performance this time out too. |
| Faf du Plessis says they have worked on a few plans and they would try to implement them in this game. Mentions there are two changes - Theunis de Bruyn is in and there are three fast bowlers (The other change is Lungi Ngidi). States that on this wicket Sri Lanka will be more comfortable facing a second spin bowler, so wants to inject pace. Feels Test cricket takes a lot of application, unlike any other format, so they want to trust their defense more and get better results this time. |
| We are ready to begin. Danushka Gunathilaka and Dimuth Karunaratne will open the innings for Sri Lanka. Dale Steyn to kick things off with the new ball on this hot Colombo morning. Three slips and a gully in place for him. Here we go... |
| 0.1 : D Steyn to Gunathilaka, Steyn starts with a length ball outside off, left alone by Gunathilaka. |
| 0.2 : D Steyn to Gunathilaka, Similar channel from the fast bowler. Ignored by the batsman again. |
| 0.3 : D Steyn to Gunathilaka, Coming on to the off stump this time, Gunathilaka happy to defend from his crease. |
| 0.4 : D Steyn to D Gunathilaka, Nice push. A length ball on off, Gunathilaka comes on the front foot and punches it. The ball evades the short mid off fielder and runs towards the fence. Three runs result. |
| 0.5 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, Karunaratne chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| 0.6 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, Defended off the front foot again. Nice first over for both the teams. |
| Kagiso Rabada to bowl from the other end. |
| 1.1 : K Rabada to Gunathilaka, Rabada starts the proceedings with a back of a length ball around off, Gunathilaka cuts it to point. |
| 1.2 : K Rabada to Gunathilaka, The batsman tries flicking a ball that is down the leg side. |
| 1.3 : K Rabada to Gunathilaka, Angled across Gunathilaka by Rabada who lets it be. |
| 1.4 : K Rabada to Gunathilaka, A touch fuller on off this time, Danushka comes forward and pushes at it with a straight bat. The ball races to the long off but Maharaj cuts it down to three. |
| 1.5 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 1.6 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, Fullish around off, pushed to mid on. Similar overs from the opening bowling pair for South Africa. |
| 2.1 : D Steyn to Gunathilaka, Bouncer! Gunathilaka ducks in time to let that one go over him. |
| 2.2 : D Steyn to Gunathilaka, FOUR! Uppish but nicely timed. Gunathilaka gets his first boundary of the match with a beautiful cover drive. Steyn dishes this one on a fuller length outside and gives the batsman a chance to free his arms. A boundary results. |
| 2.3 : D Steyn to Gunathilaka, Around off, blocked. |
| 2.4 : D Steyn to Gunathilaka, A back of a length ball on middle and off, kept out off the back foot. |
| 2.5 : D Steyn to Gunathilaka, On middle and leg this time, pushed to the on side off the back foot by Danushka. |
| 2.6 : D Steyn to Gunathilaka, On a length outside off, Gunathilaka presents an angled bat and as a result the ball takes the outer half of the bat. It goes through backward point and Bavumba hares after it to keep the batsmen under two. |
| 3.1 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 3.2 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, FOUR! Short and punished. Karunaratne is into the act now. It seems the Protea bowlers are looking attack with the short bowling. However, the batsman was up to it this time. A boundary through square leg. |
| 3.3 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, Five Wides! Too short this time and evades jumping de Kock as well. The ball goes to the fence behind the keeper and the umpire signals wide as well. |
| K Rabada to Karunaratne, The batsman chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| 3.4 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, Half tracker once again, Karunaratne misses the pull and gets hit in the rib cage. |
| 3.5 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, Testing stuff from Rabada. Had there been a short leg in place, Karunaratne would've been walking back to the pavilion. Rabada bangs it in and makes him hop who gets a glove on it. The ball lobs in the air and falls in a safe area on the on side. |
| 3.6 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 4.1 : D Steyn to Gunathilaka, On the pads, clipped to square leg for a run. |
| 4.2 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, Similar delivery, it falls just short of Maharaj at short square leg. A wicket is around the corner it feels. |
| 4.3 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, Around off and another edge that falls shot. Karunaratne pushes at it and it takes the edge off the blade. The ball falls shot of the second slip fielder. |
| 4.4 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, And he finds the gap this time. On the pads again, Karunaratne clips it through mid-wicket region for three runs. |
| 4.5 : D Steyn to Gunathilaka, On off, pushed to covers. |
| 4.6 : D Steyn to Gunathilaka, Tucked to mid-wicket to end an interesting over. |
| 5.1 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, Around off, kept out off the front foot. |
| 5.2 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 5.3 : K Rabada to D Karunaratne, Fuller on middle and off, punched down the ground. |
| 5.4 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, Bouncer! Karunaratne does well to evade it. |
| 5.5 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, And a full ball to follow up the short ball. Driven to mid on for nothing. |
| 5.6 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, FOUR! Not the right line this time. Karunaratne clips it through mid-wicket nicely and finds the fence. A decent start for opening pair and Sri Lanka. |
| Lungi Ngidi is into the attack. |
| 6.1 : L Ngidi to Gunathilaka, Full ball on off, defended down the track. |
| 6.2 : L Ngidi to Gunathilaka, In line of the stumps from Ngidi, pushed through mid-wicket by Danushka. One run taken. |
| 6.3 : L Ngidi to D Karunaratne, Around the wicket outside off, takes the edge off Karunaratne's blade but just like the previous time, it falls short of the slip fielder. |
| 6.4 : L Ngidi to Karunaratne, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 6.5 : L Ngidi to Karunaratne, Is this out? It looks out from the naked eye but no says the umpire. A length ball coming into Karunaratne who misses the leg side flick. The ball raps him on his pad but perhaps the angle would have taken it down the leg side. No review taken by Faf. |
| 6.6 : L Ngidi to Karunaratne, A play and a miss. Nice testing channel from Ngidi keeping the batsman in check. A length ball outside off and entices Karunaratne to go after the widish delivery who does exactly that but misses. A promising over this from the third South Arican pacer. |
| 7.1 : K Rabada to Gunathilaka, Gunathilaka has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 7.2 : K Rabada to Gunathilaka, Fullish on off, pushed down the ground by Gunathilaka. |
| 7.3 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, Similar delivery and driven to mid on for nothing. |
| 7.4 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, On middle and off, flicked through square leg for a single. |
| 7.5 : K Rabada to Gunathilaka, Wow! Zippy. Perfectly aimed bouncer by Kagiso. Gunathilaka does well to actually evade that by swaying away from the line. |
| 7.6 : K Rabada to Gunathilaka, Gunathilaka shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 8.1 : L Ngidi to Karunaratne, On off, blocked off from the crease by the batsman. |
| 8.2 : L Ngidi to Karunaratne, Fullish around off, kept out with a straight bat. |
| 8.3 : L Ngidi to D Karunaratne, Another fullish ball outside off, Karunaratne pushes it to mid off. No run taken. |
| 8.4 : L Ngidi to Karunaratne, Easy pickings this. A back of a length ball on the hips, clipped to square leg for a single. |
| 8.5 : L Ngidi to D Gunathilaka, Outside off, driven by Gunathilaka through mid off for a run. |
| 8.6 : L Ngidi to Karunaratne, Outside off, blocked. |
| 9.1 : K Rabada to Gunathilaka, This one didn't bounce as much. Another short ball from Kagiso, he angles it across the batsman. Gunathilaka gets his body and bat away from the line and lets it be. |
| 9.2 : K Rabada to Gunathilaka, On the hips, on a back of a length, Danushka manages to keep it away from the short leg fielder. |
| 9.3 : K Rabada to Gunathilaka, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 9.4 : K Rabada to Gunathilaka, Outside off, left alone. |
| We are going upstairs for an LBW decison. Faf takes the review. Gunathilaka is the man in question. He looks out. Or is he? Let's wait and see! |
| 9.5 : K Rabada to Gunathilaka, Oh my word! A faintest of spikes on the Snicko saves him. It looked plumb had it not been for confusion there. So what happened is, Rabada bowled a full ball on leg, Gunathilaka misses to play it as it sneaks under the bat to hit the pad. Rabada was convinced that it is going to hit the stumps but the umpire isn't. The skipper, Du Plessis takes the review straightaway. The replays roll in. The ball goes off the bottom edge of the blade while taking its further journ |
| 9.6 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, Defended off the front foot by Karunaratne presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 10.1 : L Ngidi to Gunathilaka, Around off, pushed off the front foot. |
| 10.2 : L Ngidi to D Gunathilaka, FOUR! Edge but safe. A length ball around off, Gunathilaka pokes at it from the foot. The ball takes a thick outside edge and runs through the gap between slip cordon and gully. |
| L Ngidi to Gunathilaka, Full outside off, driven to covers. |
| 10.3 : L Ngidi to Gunathilaka, Wide! An attempted bouncer which was well over head height. The Umpire signals a wide. |
| L Ngidi to Gunathilaka, Was there an inside edge? It didn't sound like it but perhaps there was because the Proteas didn't really appeal. A length ball in line of the stumps, Danushka fails to defend the ball as it hits him on his pads. |
| 10.4 : L Ngidi to Gunathilaka, FOUR! Confidence oozing in this shot. A lofted cover drive over the infield and into the fence. |
| 10.5 : L Ngidi to Gunathilaka, In the air... and safe again! How lucky both the left-handers have been this morning. None of the catching are finding the hands of the fielder. Another one which goes off the edge off the bat and lobs towards point fielder but falls just short of Bavumba there. |
| 10.6 : L Ngidi to Gunathilaka, The batsman flicks it away with a wristy shot. |
| Dale Steyn is back on. |
| 11.1 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, On the pads, worked to the on side for nothing. |
| 11.2 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, A touch short, blocked off the back foot by Karunaratne. |
| 11.3 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, Driven aerially to mid on for nothing. |
| 11.4 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, FOUR! Effortless this from Karunaratne. A back of a length ball from Steyn, the batsman just punches it nonchalantly off his back foot and through the cover-point region. A boundary results. |
| 11.5 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, Ooh! Karunaratne fails to connect to the short ball as it hits him on his chest. These blows can be painful. |
| 11.6 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, Around off, blocked off the back foot for nothing. |
| 12.1 : L Ngidi to Gunathilaka, Around off, pushed down the track with a full face of the bat. |
| 12.2 : L Ngidi to Gunathilaka, Another half chance goes abegging. A back of a length ball on the pads, Gunathilaka flicks it to square leg and sets off for a run. Maharaj scampers to his left and has a shy at the striker's end. He misses and a run results. He would have been gone had he hit the stumps. 50-run stand comes up between the duo. |
| 12.3 : L Ngidi to Karunaratne, Hangs back and keeps it out off the front foot. |
| 12.4 : L Ngidi to Karunaratne, Close to the off pole but easily left alone. |
| 12.5 : L Ngidi to Karunaratne, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 12.6 : L Ngidi to Karunaratne, On middle and leg, worked to the on side by Karunaratne. |
| Drinks! Sri Lankan batsmen have tackled the first hour of the play successful. There were few half chances but they survived. The visitors shouldn't be too disappointed either as they were in with a chance almost every other over. |
| Change of end for Dale Steyn. |
| 13.1 : D Steyn to Gunathilaka, Comes from 'round the wicket and Gunathilaka pushes it to the on side for nothing. |
| 13.2 : D Steyn to Gunathilaka, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 13.3 : D Steyn to Gunathilaka, FOUR! Nicely flicked. Steyn errs in line and Gunathilaka makes his pay. A back of a length ball outside leg and on the pads, the batsman gets bat on ball and gets it fine to the fence. A boundary results. |
| 13.4 : D Steyn to Gunathilaka, On off, blocked off the front foot. |
| 13.5 : D Steyn to Gunathilaka, Similar delivery from Dale, easily defended by Gunathilaka. |
| 13.6 : D Steyn to Gunathilaka, Comes over the wicket for the last ball of the over. Gunthilaka leaves the ball outside off for the keeper. |
| Spin time! Keshav Maharaj is into the attack. |
| 14.1 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Starts with a flighted ball outside off, Karunaratne comes down the track and drives it through long on for a single. |
| 14.2 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Similar ball and similar shot from Gunathilaka this time. Another run. |
| 14.3 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Flatter outside off, kept out off the front foot. |
| 14.4 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, The batsman charges down the wicket. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 14.5 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, A tad shorter and it spins down the leg side, Karunratne flicks it to fine leg. |
| 14.6 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Tossed up delivery turned into a full toss. Danushka sweeps it through mid-wicket for a run. Not the start Maharaj would have hoped for. |
| 15.1 : D Steyn to Gunathilaka, Angled across, Danushka blocks it off the front foot. |
| 15.2 : D Steyn to Gunathilaka, Angled across Gunathilaka who lets it be. |
| 15.3 : D Steyn to Gunathilaka, Fuller ball in line of the stumps, punched down the ground by Gunathilaka for nothing. |
| 15.4 : D Steyn to Gunathilaka, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 15.5 : D Steyn to Gunathilaka, On the pads this time, flicked off the back foot by Gunathilaka. The goes through square leg and a brace results. |
| 15.6 : D Steyn to Gunathilaka, On a length on middle, pushed towards Steyn who gets his hand on it and stops it. |
| 16.1 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Faster and flatter outside off, Karunaratne waits for the ball to spin in and works it to the on side. |
| 16.2 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Tossed up on off, Karunaratne comes down the track and works it through mid-wicket for a run. |
| 16.3 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Shortish, punched off the back foot by Gunathilaka. One run results. |
| 16.4 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Shortish on middle and off, Karunaratne flicks to the on side for another easy run. |
| 16.5 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 16.6 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Another short ball outside off, it spins in after pitching and Danushka gets it to on side. |
| 17.1 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, On off, flicked through mid-wicket by Karunaratne. Three runs result. |
| 17.2 : D Steyn to Gunathilaka, In line of the stumps, pushed towards the bowler off the back foot. |
| 17.3 : D Steyn to D Gunathilaka, On the pads again, worked to the on side for a single. |
| 17.4 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, Karunaratne has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 17.5 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, Another block off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 17.6 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, Full on off, driven to mid off for nothing. |
| 18.1 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Defends it off the front with a straight bat. |
| 18.2 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Swept through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 18.3 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Lets the shortish ball spin in and gets it to the on side. |
| 18.4 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Similar delivery from Keshav, defended by Karunaratne. |
| 18.5 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Wrists it through the on side by Karunaratne. One run results. |
| 18.6 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, The ball is way wide on the leg side but Gunathilaka still goes after it but misses. |
| Kagiso Rabada is back. |
| 19.1 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, In line of the stumps, defended to the off side. |
| 19.2 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, On a length outside off, kept out to the off side for nothing. |
| 19.3 : K Rabada to D Karunaratne, Similar line and length from Rabada, Karunaratne gets an inside edge and the ball goes to fine leg. One run taken. |
| 19.4 : K Rabada to Gunathilaka, Outside off, left alone. |
| 19.5 : K Rabada to Gunathilaka, Kagiso goes around the wicket and bowls a fullish ball. Danushka drives it to covers off the front foot. |
| 19.6 : K Rabada to Gunathilaka, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 20.1 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Karunaratne fetches the flighted ball from outside off and gets it to the square leg region. Two runs taken. |
| 20.2 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Shortish outside off, cut through point off the back foot. |
| 20.3 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Hangs back and keeps it out. |
| 20.4 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Slower though the air this time on a similar line, Gunathilaka blocks it off the front foot. |
| 20.5 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 20.6 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Maharaj changes his angles and goes over the wicket. Gunathilaka works it to the on side for a single. |
| 21.1 : K Rabada to Gunathilaka, Bumper! Left alone by Danushka. |
| 21.2 : K Rabada to Gunathilaka, Gets on the front foot and keeps it out. |
| 21.3 : K Rabada to Gunathilaka, Gunathilaka shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 21.4 : K Rabada to Gunathilaka, Back of a length ball on off, Gunathilaka hops and keeps it down. |
| 21.5 : K Rabada to D Gunathilaka, Fuller on leg, driven to mid on for nothing. |
| 21.6 : K Rabada to Gunathilaka, A good ball around off, the ball pitches and moves away. Gunathilaka leaves it alone off a length. Good leave from the opener. |
| 22.1 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Stays back and keeps it out off the back foot. |
| 22.2 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Turning in from around off, Dimuth moves inside the line and works it away on the leg side. |
| 22.3 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Another one flicked away on the leg side. No run taken. |
| 22.4 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, The batsman flicks it away with a wristy shot. |
| 22.5 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Brings the wrists into the play and plays another flick shot. |
| 22.6 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Full on middle and off, Karunaratne comes forward to defend but gets it off the leading edge a bit square on the off side. Single taken. |
| Aiden Markram on to bowl. |
| 23.1 : A Markram to Karunaratne, Quicker through the air, on the stumps, Dimuth goes back and pushes it on the off side. |
| 23.2 : A Markram to Karunaratne, Full and slow, on the stumps, Karunaratne is forward to drive as he plays it back to the bowler. |
| 23.3 : A Markram to Karunaratne, Pushed away in front of covers off the back foot. |
| 23.4 : A Markram to Karunaratne, Bit uppish but it's just short. Short and turning away with some bounce, Karunaratne goes back and check his punch. It goes aerially towards the cover fielder but on the bounce. |
| 23.5 : A Markram to D Gunathilaka, Full on off, pushed to covers. Dimuth takes the run on as Maharaj fires the throw. He misses and nobody is backing up. The batsmen steal another run. |
| 23.6 : A Markram to Karunaratne, Beaten! Lovely first over from Markram. Tossed up around off, it spins ever so slightly and beats the outside edge of the bat. |
| 24.1 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Full on the pads, worked away on the leg side. |
| 24.2 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Some flight on this one, Gunathilaka defends it back down the track. |
| 24.3 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Full and loopy outside off, driven wide of mid off for a single. |
| 24.4 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Flicked with the spin through mid-wicket for a run. |
| 24.5 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Some extra bounce on the stumps, defended down in front of short leg. |
| 24.6 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, On the stumps, blocked down in front of him with a straight blade. |
| 25.1 : A Markram to Karunaratne, Landing on a driving length, Dimuth plays it off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 25.2 : A Markram to Karunaratne, Seeing the extra bounce, Karunaratne goes back and keeps it out. |
| 25.3 : A Markram to D Karunaratne, Floated up there, Dimuth comes forward and works it just wide of mid on for one. |
| 25.4 : A Markram to Gunathilaka, Punched off the back foot by the batsman. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 25.5 : A Markram to Karunaratne, A little too full from Markram, ends up bowling a full toss, driven to mid off for a single. |
| 25.6 : A Markram to D Gunathilaka, Another one towards mid off. Another single to end the over. |
| 26.1 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Flighted delivery around off, driven just wide of extra cover for a run. |
| 0.0 : A leg gully in place now. |
| 26.2 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Close. Quicker through the air on middle, Karunaratne brings his bat down to defend but it goes off the inner half on the leg side. |
| 26.3 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Full and straight, blocked. |
| 26.4 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, FOUR! The change in field brings about a different shot, but Karunaratne gets away with it. Tossed up on leg, he goes down and sweeps it fine down the leg side off the inner half. Across the fine leg fence and that's a boundary. |
| 26.5 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 26.6 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Works it away from inside the crease towards square leg for a run. |
| 27.1 : A Markram to Karunaratne, From around the wicket, Markram tosses it up outside off. Dimuth presses forward and pushes it to the covers. Elgar had to cover a lot of ground there, but still the batsmen did not pick up a run. |
| 27.2 : A Markram to Karunaratne, A double in the long off region. Karunaratne hits it in that region and comes back on strike. |
| 27.3 : A Markram to Karunaratne, Just behind a length, on off, guarded out safely. |
| 27.4 : A Markram to Karunaratne, Loopy and fuller in length around off, the batsman has nothing to do with it. |
| 27.5 : A Markram to Karunaratne, Outside off, pushed to the cover area for no run. |
| 27.6 : A Markram to Karunaratne, Drifting in from around off, Karunaratne pushes it off the front foot to covers. That will be LUNCH ON DAY 1! |
| The Sri Lankans will enjoy their lunch as both their openers remain unbeaten at the end of the first session. South Africa have found it hard to make much happen. Winning the toss, the hosts have used the conditions to their advantage and scored 93 runs. There were a few nervy moments, but otherwise Dimuth Karunaratne and Danushka Gunathilaka have done well. The surface isn't doing much to assist the bowlers, the seamers especially, so come the second session, Faf du Plessis will have to mix it |
| ... Day 1, Session 2 ... |
| We are back for the second session. Sri Lanka are in prime position here, so the tourists will need an early wicket to begin things. Karunaratne and Gunathilaka to continue, while Keshav Maharaj will take the ball first up. A slip and a short leg in place. Let's go... |
| 28.1 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Full delivery darted on the pads, Gunathilaka flicks it to the man at mid-wicket. |
| 28.2 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, A bit slower through the air on the pads, the batsman goes back and works it past FSL. |
| 28.3 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Nice flight on this occasion. Full and straight from Maharaj, Danushka comes forward and blocks. |
| 28.4 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Plays with the spin and tucks it just past short leg. Another dot. |
| 28.5 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, FOUR! Poor line, needs to do better there. Maharaj bowls it around leg, Gunathilaka goes back and tickles it fine down the leg side. Beats the keeper and goes across the fence for a boundary. |
| 28.6 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Well down leg again, swept straight to short fine leg. |
| Lungi Ngidi will bowl from the other end. |
| 29.1 : L Ngidi to Karunaratne, Short of a good length on off, Karunaratne rises and taps it down in front of short third man. |
| 29.2 : L Ngidi to Karunaratne, Hangs back inside the crease to the length ball and blocks it out. |
| 29.3 : L Ngidi to Karunaratne, On middle and leg, moves inside the line and works it down towards fine leg for a single. |
| 29.4 : L Ngidi to Gunathilaka, Gunathilaka shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 29.5 : L Ngidi to Gunathilaka, Length delivery on leg, defended. |
| 29.6 : L Ngidi to Gunathilaka, Full and straight from Ngidi, Danushka gets behind the line and blocks. |
| 30.1 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Karunaratne works this full delivery towards mid-wicket and a rare fumble from Faf there allows the batsmen to take the single. |
| 30.2 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Comes forward and pushes it just wide of mid off for one. The 100-run stand is up with that. |
| 30.3 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Uses the depth of the crease and nudges it on the leg side. |
| 30.4 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Flat, touch short and on leg, Karunaratne off the back foot clips this down towards fine leg. Gets two runs for doing so. |
| 30.5 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Landed just behind a driving length, the batsman gets to the pitch and wrists it to mid on. |
| 30.6 : K Maharaj to D Karunaratne, Reaches forward to the loopy delivery and pushes it towards mid on. Single to end the over. |
| 31.1 : L Ngidi to Karunaratne, Fifty for Dimuth Karunaratne. His 16th in this format. Good length delivery outside off, Karunaratne punches it square through point and gets three. Lovely knock so far. |
| 31.2 : L Ngidi to Gunathilaka, Maiden Test fifty for Danushka Gunathilaka! He too, like his partner, has played a fine knock so far. He flicks it off his pads on the leg side and takes a single to get to the milestone. |
| 31.3 : L Ngidi to Karunaratne, Good length delivery on off, it is blocked. |
| 31.4 : L Ngidi to Karunaratne, Dimuth swivels to this short ball and pulls it along the ground down to fine leg for one. |
| 31.5 : L Ngidi to Gunathilaka, Another pull, down to fine leg. One more taken. |
| 31.6 : L Ngidi to Karunaratne, Angling in on middle and leg, on a length, worked to square leg with soft hands. |
| 32.1 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Spinning in on leg, Gunathilaka goes and works it just wide of leg gully. Single taken. |
| 32.2 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Maharaj bowls this quicker through the air on the stumps, defended down on the leg side. |
| 32.3 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 32.4 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Punched off the back foot towards mid-wicket, where skipper Faf makes a good, quick stop. |
| 32.5 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Flicks it away on the leg side with the wrists. |
| 32.6 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Tossed up in line of the stumps, Karunaratne brings out the reverse sweep and plays it through point. Not entirely off the middle though, as it popped off the splice and landed safely in the cover-point area. The batsmen want the second, but then decide against it as the throw comes in fast. |
| 33.1 : L Ngidi to Karunaratne, Full and fired outside off, comes forward and blocks it in front of cover. |
| 33.2 : L Ngidi to Karunaratne, A bit of reverse there for Lungi, Karunaratne uses the angle and works it straight to square leg. |
| 33.3 : L Ngidi to Karunaratne, Full in length and angling in on middle and leg, flicked through mid-wicket for one. |
| 33.4 : L Ngidi to Gunathilaka, Keeps it on the stumps, blocked down on the leg side. |
| 33.5 : L Ngidi to D Gunathilaka, Comes ahead and drives the full delivery to mid off. |
| 33.6 : Ngidi to D Gunathilaka, FOUR! Edged and away! Short ball on middle and leg, the ball kicks off the deck. Gunathilaka takes the pull on but gets a top edge over the keeper's head. The ball cross the fine leg fence for a boundary. |
| 34.1 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Turned with the spin to FSL. |
| 34.2 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Uses the feet to get close to the pitch and mistimes the drive to mid off. |
| 34.3 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, OUT! Gone! South Africa finally have a wicket! Good stuff from Maharaj, a bit sloppy from Dimuth Karunaratne. Landed on leg, spinning down, the batsman looks to work it fine down the leg side but can only manage a faint edge behind. Quinton de Kock behind the stumps is sharp as a hawk as he moves to his right and collects it in his gloves. Partnership of 116 is broken. Can the Proteas pick up a quick wicket or two more here? |
| Dhananjaya de Silva walks in at no.3. |
| 34.4 : K Maharaj to Silva, Full and straight on the stumps, blocked off the front foot. |
| 34.5 : K Maharaj to Silva, Slower through the air on the stumps, blocked again. |
| 34.6 : K Maharaj to Silva, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. A successful over from Keshav Maharaj, he'll be happy with this one. |
| Dale Steyn is back into the attack. |
| 35.1 : D Steyn to Gunathilaka, Good length delivery in the channel outside off, arms are shouldered to this one. |
| 35.2 : D Steyn to Gunathilaka, Short of a length on off, blocked by standing tall and with a straight blade. |
| 35.3 : D Steyn to Gunathilaka, Banged in short, on middle and leg, Danushka ducks and evades quickly. |
| 35.4 : D Steyn to Gunathilaka, Full delivery on off, a hint of reverse, driven down the ground towards mid off. Dot ball. |
| 35.5 : D Steyn to Gunathilaka, Length delivery kicking off the surface a touch, blocked down with soft hands on the off side. |
| 35.6 : D Steyn to Gunathilaka, Fraction too straight in line, easily clipped in front of square leg. One run to end the over. |
| 36.1 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Almost a bat-pad. Maharaj is getting some decent purchase off the deck. Behind a driving length, Gunathilaka is down the track to work it on the leg side. Beaten in the flight, the ball takes the gloves, then the pad and falls short of FSL. |
| 36.2 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Goes back and works it down in front of short leg. |
| 36.3 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, OUT! Kagiso Rabada, take a bow, my good man! What an absolute beauty! The wicket truly belongs to fielder and not the bowler on this occasion. Maharaj tosses it up, Gunathilaka kneels down and brings out the sweep shot. Gets a top edge and the ball flies to deep mid-wicket. Rabada out in the deep covers a lot of ground to his left and dives forward to take a stunning catch. Both the openers are back in the hut now. Perfect chance for South Africa as two new batsme |
| Kusal Mendis to bat next. |
| 36.4 : K Maharaj to Mendis, Fuller in length, blocked by Mendis. |
| 36.5 : K Maharaj to Mendis, Spinning away from around off, pushed towards point. No run taken. |
| 36.6 : K Maharaj to Mendis, Teasing stuff from Keshav Maharaj. He flights it up around off, Mendis is down to sweep but the ball goes under his bat and towards the keeper. Another wicket-maiden from Maharaj. |
| 37.1 : D Steyn to Silva, Coming back in on a back of a length, de Silva rises on his toes and plays it back down the track. |
| 37.2 : D Steyn to Silva, On a length in line of the stumps, played towards mid on. Straight to the fielder. |
| 37.3 : D Steyn to Silva, Goes a little fuller, swings it back in, de Silva positions himself perfectly behind the line and keeps it out. |
| 37.4 : D Steyn to Silva, Short and outside off, Dhananjaya attempts to drag the pull on the leg side but only manages to get it towards mid-wicket off the inner half. |
| 37.5 : D Steyn to Silva, Shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 37.6 : D Steyn to Silva, FOUR! Shot! Short of a length with some width offered outside off, de Silva latches onto it in a flash with a superb punch. Gets it in the gap at cover-point and beats the chasing fielder with ease. He's off the mark with that. |
| 38.1 : K Maharaj to Mendis, Tossed up. Drifting in at first and then turning away, Mendis is forward to block but gets beaten. |
| 38.2 : K Maharaj to Mendis, FOUR! A little too full from Maharaj and Mendis puts it away with the sweep. Brings the broom out and places it through square leg for a boundary. |
| 38.3 : K Maharaj to Mendis, FOUR! A little too straight and too full in line, allows Mendis to play the slog sweep through mid-wicket. He earns consecutive boundaries with that. Nicely done. |
| 38.4 : K Maharaj to Mendis, Drifting in on middle and off and then straightening up with the spin, Mendis is forward to defend. |
| 38.5 : K Maharaj to Mendis, Goes back and offers a firm punch straight to point. |
| 38.6 : K Maharaj to Mendis, Another sweep, but this time just a single as it's placed to deep backward square leg. |
| 39.1 : D Steyn to Mendis, Keeps it close to off on a length, punched hard right at the cover fielder. |
| 39.2 : D Steyn to Mendis, Full this time, outside off, blocked to covers again. |
| 39.3 : D Steyn to Mendis, Length delivery on the fourth stump line, Mendis covers the line and lets it be. |
| 39.4 : D Steyn to Mendis, Keeps it nice and tight. Hits the deck hard, around off, doesn't offer Mendis much room. He can only tap it down beside him on the off side. |
| 39.5 : D Steyn to Mendis, Seaming away a touch around off, blocked down in front of point from within the crease. |
| 39.6 : D Steyn to Mendis, A maiden over from the Steyn Gun. Hurls it in the zone of apprehension, Kusal Mendis covers the line and shoulders his arms. |
| 40.1 : K Maharaj to Silva, From around the wicket, spinning away, de Silva goes back and mistimes the punch to short cover. |
| 40.2 : K Maharaj to Silva, FOUR! Too full from Maharaj, de Silva is down on his back knee and sweeps it with good timing through mid-wicket. Boundary results. |
| 40.3 : K Maharaj to Silva, A hint of turn away, on off, defended. |
| 40.4 : K Maharaj to Silva, Dhananjaya plants his front foot forward and blocks it with the full face of the bat. |
| 40.5 : K Maharaj to Silva, Full on the stumps, another block. |
| 40.6 : K Maharaj to Silva, Loud shout for a leg before, but the umpire turns it down! Maharaj was screaming for it. Dhananjaya dances a long way down the track in an attempt to block it. Wears it on the front pad and everyone goes up. Faf thinks of the review, but then decides against it. Wasn't too sure. |
| Kagiso Rabada returns to the attack. |
| 41.1 : K Rabada to Mendis, Good length delivery from Rabada, Mendis blocks. |
| 41.2 : K Rabada to Mendis, Pounded in short, ducked and evaded. |
| 41.3 : K Rabada to Mendis, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 41.4 : K Rabada to Mendis, Shaping back in on middle and leg, worked across the line to square leg for one. |
| 41.5 : K Rabada to Silva, A short-arm pull from Dhananjaya. He swipes it across square on the leg side for a single. |
| 41.6 : K Rabada to Mendis, Back of a length outside off, tapped away on the off side with an open face. |
| Drinks are on the field. South Africa have come back into the game with a couple of wickets courtesy Keshav Maharaj. Both the openers are back, meaning two new batsmen are in the middle. This next hour should be interesting. |
| 42.1 : K Maharaj to Silva, Short and wide outside off, de Silva hops back and cuts it to the man at cover-point. |
| 42.2 : K Maharaj to Silva, Loopy ball on leg, well blocked by de Silva |
| 42.3 : Maharaj to Silva, Stifled appeal but going down leg. Slower ball on leg, it spins in and beats the defense of de Silva. Nothing from the umpire. |
| 42.4 : K Maharaj to Silva, Tossed up ball on leg, flicked away to short mid-wicket. |
| 42.5 : K Maharaj to Silva, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 42.6 : K Maharaj to Silva, Flighted ball on the leg stump, driven back to the bowler. |
| 43.1 : K Rabada to Mendis, Back of a length ball outside off, Mendis stays back and bunts it down. |
| 43.2 : K Rabada to de Silva, Drives this towards mid off and hares to complete the run. The fielder has a shy at the non-striker's end but misses. |
| 43.3 : K Rabada to Silva, This one keeps a little low. Length ball in line of the stumps, de Silva gets behind the ball and sees it off. |
| 43.4 : K Rabada to Silva, The batsman picked that bouncer early and let it through to the keeper. |
| 43.5 : K Rabada to Silva, A short delivery which has been pulled away to deep square leg. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 43.6 : K Rabada to Mendis, Length ball around off, it swings away from Mendis. He looks to play at it but gets beaten. |
| 44.1 : K Maharaj to Silva, Quicker ball outside off, de Silva comes way down the track and blocks it with his pads. |
| 44.2 : K Maharaj to Silva, Fuller one on middle and leg, hits to mid on. |
| 44.3 : K Maharaj to Silva, Darts this once again on the similar line, given back to the bowler. |
| 44.4 : K Maharaj to Silva, Bowls this slower on the fourth stump channel, de Silva taps it in front of him. |
| 44.5 : K Maharaj to Silva, Quicker this time on off, well bowled back de Silva. |
| 44.6 : K Maharaj to Silva, De Silva has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 45.1 : K Rabada to Mendis, Digged in short around off, Mendis jumps and hits it back towards the bowler. |
| 45.2 : K Rabada to Mendis, Works this around the corner for a run. |
| 45.3 : K Rabada to Silva, Bangs this one short again. De Silva sways away it time. |
| 45.4 : K Rabada to Silva, Lands this on a good length on middle and leg, Silva shows his bat sticker and defends it. |
| 45.5 : K Rabada to Silva, Goes short again, De Silva ducks under it in time. De kock completes the formalities. |
| 45.6 : K Rabada to Silva, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 46.1 : Maharaj to Mendis, FOUR! Maharaj gives this air on middle, de Silva charges down the track and smacks it over the bowler's head for a boundary. |
| 46.2 : K Maharaj to Mendis, Sweeps this in front of square for a single. |
| 46.3 : K Maharaj to Silva, Gets behind the ball and blocks it well. |
| 46.4 : K Maharaj to Silva, Takes a step forward and blocks it with ease. |
| 46.5 : K Maharaj to Silva, Tossed up ball on middle, Silva leans forward and defends it. |
| 46.6 : K Maharaj to Silva, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 47.1 : K Rabada to Mendis, The ball is down the leg side but Mendis still goes after it. Fails to make any contact. |
| 47.2 : K Rabada to Mendis, Short ball on outside off, ducked away by Kusal. |
| 47.3 : K Rabada to Mendis, Mendis stays in his crease and bunts this back of a length ball. |
| 47.4 : K Rabada to Mendis, Pitches this one up around off, De Silva doesn't time his drive well. The ball rolls towards mid off. |
| 47.5 : K Rabada to K Mendis, Another fuller ball outside off. This time a more confident drive to the mid off fielder. |
| 47.6 : K Rabada to Mendis, FOUR! Ends the over with a boundary. Fullish ball by Rabada outside off. Mendis opens the bat face and guides it towards third man for a boundary. |
| 48.1 : K Maharaj to Silva, FOUR! Short and wide and duly punished by de Silva. Stays in his crease and cuts it to the deep cover-point region for a boundary. 150 comes up for Sri Lanka. |
| 48.2 : K Maharaj to Silva, Nudges this towards the square leg umpire for a run. |
| 48.3 : K Maharaj to Mendis, OUT! Maharaj gets his third and Sri Lanka lose another wicket. These two were playing the sweep very well and now they fall to it. Loopy ball on middle and leg, Mendis gets low and goes for another swipe. He gets a top edge to it and the ball balloons towards mid-wicket. Rabada gets under the ball and takes it comfortably. Sri Lanka have lost three wickets post lunch for 60 runs. Angelo Matthews is the new man in. |
| 48.4 : K Maharaj to Silva, Slower ball on leg, defended by de Silva. |
| 48.5 : K Maharaj to Silva, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 48.6 : K Maharaj to Silva, Flighted ball outside off, well left by de Silva. |
| 49.1 : L Ngidi to Mathews, Outside off on a good length, Mathews leaves it alone. |
| 49.2 : L Ngidi to Mathews, Just back of a length, closer to off this time, a mistimed punch from Mathews to the left of the bowler. |
| 49.3 : L Ngidi to Mathews, Full and angling back in, wristed away to short mid-wicket. |
| 49.4 : L Ngidi to Mathews, On a length, aiming the top of off stump, pushed back down the track from within the crease. |
| 49.5 : L Ngidi to Mathews, Full in length, outside off, a straight bat in brought down in defense. |
| 49.6 : L Ngidi to Mathews, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 50.1 : K Maharaj to Silva, Flatter ball on middle and leg, Flat-batted towards mid-wicket for a run. |
| 50.2 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Tossed up ball on middle, Mathews gets behind the ball and blocks it. |
| 50.3 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Similar ball and Mathews sees it off. |
| 50.4 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Quicker one on leg, Mathews goes on his back foot and turns his bat to the leg side. |
| 50.5 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Maharaj gives this air around off, Mathews leans forward and defends it. |
| 50.6 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Maharaj forces Mathews to go on the back foot once again to defend it. Good over from Keshav. |
| 51.1 : L Ngidi to Silva, Length ball outside off, de Silva taps it in front of him to the off side. |
| 0.0 : Ngidi just pulls out at the last moment before releasing the ball. Looks like his foot got stuck in an uneven surface on his run-up. The groundsmen are doing their work. |
| 51.2 : L Ngidi to de Silva, Wide! Too high and the umpire outstretches his arms. Nigidi looks to dig this one short but bends his back way too much. De Silva does not offer a shot and de Kock collects the ball. |
| L Ngidi to Silva, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 51.3 : L Ngidi to Silva, Hops a tad and whips this away towards deep square leg to get to the other end. |
| 51.4 : L Ngidi to Mathews, Fuller ball on the fourth stump channel, superbly driven to covers. |
| 51.5 : L Ngidi to Mathews, Angles this into Mathews in search of reverse swing. Mathews gives room and flicks it through mid-wicket for a brace. Gets off the mark. |
| 51.6 : L Ngidi to Mathews, Length ball outside off, gets it off the inner half back to the bowler. |
| 52.1 : K Maharaj to Silva, Slower ball outside off, guided towards backward point for a run. |
| 52.2 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Loopy ball on middle and leg, Mathews gets behind the ball and bunts it down. |
| 52.3 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Gives this one air too, around off, Mathews leans ahead and blocks it. |
| 52.4 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Off break on off, this time Angelo goes back to defend it. |
| 52.5 : K Maharaj to Mathews, FOUR! Drags his length back, Mathews rocks back and slaps it through cover-point for an easy boundary. He now needs two more runs to get to 5000 Test runs. |
| 52.6 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Bowls this slow on middle and leg, Mathews is solid in defense. |
| Probably, the last over before Tea. |
| 53.1 : L Ngidi to Silva, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 53.2 : L Ngidi to A Mathews, Punches this towards mid off and quickly gets to the other end. Faf has a shy but cannot hit the target. |
| 53.3 : L Ngidi to Mathews, FOUR! There it is, 5000 Test runs for Angelo Mathews. Cuts this back of a length ball through cover-point. No fielder there and the ball gets to the fence. |
| 53.4 : L Ngidi to Mathews, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 53.5 : L Ngidi to Mathews, Length ball outside off, play and a miss from Mathews. |
| 53.6 : L Ngidi to Mathews, Mathews chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. TEA ON DAY 1! |
| Once again South Africa fight back into the game post the Lunch session. They have picked up three wickets and all have come from one bowler - Keshav Maharaj. He is getting the ball to turn and asking the batsmen questions. The pacers from the other end are trying their best but not getting their rewards. |
| Sri Lanka will be unhappy especially with the loss of Mendis. He was going well but fell to a sweep shot. De Silva is looking confident and his partner, Mathews just got to a milestone. They will hope to bat another session. Join us in a while for the last session of the day. |
| ... Day 1, Session 3 ... |
| We're back for the third and final session of the day. The visitors will be hoping Keshav Maharaj along with other bowlers makes further inroads in this session. For the home team, Angelo Mathews and Dhananjaya de Silva need to stay out in the middle and bat out the day. Keshav Maharaj to start the proceedings with the ball. Let's go... |
| 54.1 : K Maharaj to Silva, Starts with a flighted ball around off, driven to covers for nothing. |
| 54.2 : K Maharaj to Silva, On the pads, flicked to the on side. One run taken. |
| Roshen Silva is the next batsman in. |
| 54.3 : K Maharaj to Mathews, OUT! Impact straightaway. The man, Keshav Maharaj, produces prodigious spin on this occasion to take his 4th. What a start to the session for the visitors. A flighted ball on middle and off, Mathews plays the line off the front foot but the ball spins a little to much for his comfort. It takes the shoulder of his bat and goes straight into the hands of Du Plessis at first slip. High fives all around for South Africa as Sri Lanka are losing the plot here. |
| 54.4 : K Maharaj to Silva, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| Keshav Manahraj got a high five on his face! Aiden Markram wanted to give him a high five but ended up slapping him on the eye. Laughs all around as South Africa celebrates. |
| 54.5 : K Maharaj to Silva, Silva gets on the front foot and blocks it out. |
| 54.6 : K Maharaj to Silva, Drives this one to covers. End of a successful over for Maharaj. |
| 55.1 : D Steyn to Silva, A back of a length ball around off, defended off the back foot. |
| 55.2 : D Steyn to Silva, On a length around off, pushed to mid off by Silva. |
| 55.3 : D Steyn to Silva, On the pads, worked to the on side for nothing. |
| 55.4 : D Steyn to Silva, Silva drives this through the covers. |
| 55.5 : D Steyn to Silva, Around off, punched to the off side. |
| 55.6 : D Steyn to Silva, Gets behind the line of the ball and keeps it out. A maiden to start with. |
| 56.1 : K Maharaj to Silva, FOUR! Soft hands from Silva saves him. A tossed up ball around off, Silva gets his bat in the line but again due to the spin, it takes the outside edge and runs to the right of Faf at first slip. A boundary results. |
| 56.2 : K Maharaj to Silva, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 56.3 : K Maharaj to Silva, On the pads, worked to the on side for a run. |
| 56.4 : K Maharaj to Silva, A tad shorter from Maharaj, Silva works it off the back foot. Another run taken. |
| 56.5 : K Maharaj to Silva, Around middle and off, pushed to the leg side for nothing. |
| 56.6 : K Maharaj to R Silva, Floated around off, pushed to point for a run. |
| 57.1 : D Steyn to Silva, Silva gets behind the line of the delivery and keeps it out. |
| 57.2 : D Steyn to Silva, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 57.3 : D Steyn to Silva, Outside off, left alone. |
| 57.4 : D Steyn to Silva, Roshen again leaves the ball outside his off stump. |
| 57.5 : D Steyn to R Silva, FOUR! Streaky but runs. A back of a length ball around off, Silva pokes at it from his crease and the ball goes off the outside edge of the bat. It goes through the slip cordon and gully to the fence. |
| 57.6 : D Steyn to Silva, Wide outside off, cut to point. |
| 58.1 : K Maharaj to Silva, Prodigious spin from fullish length, de Silva lets it be. |
| 58.2 : K Maharaj to Silva, On the pads this time, Dhananjaya flicks it through square leg for a single. |
| 58.3 : K Maharaj to Silva, A flighted ball turned into full toss by Roshen. He flicks it through square leg and a diving effort from the star fielder Rabada saves a couple for his team. |
| 58.4 : K Maharaj to Silva, Defended off the front foot by Roshen presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 58.5 : K Maharaj to Silva, FOUR! Some width on offer for Rohen and he creams the shot through cover-point. Runs coming thick and fast. |
| 58.6 : K Maharaj to Silva, Gets behind the line of this one and defends it. |
| 59.1 : D Steyn to Silva, Nice shot! Back of a length ball outside off, de Silva punches it off his back foot through the cover fielder for a brace. |
| 59.2 : D Steyn to Silva, Length ball on that fourth stump channel, Dhananjaya stands tall and sees it off. |
| 59.3 : D Steyn to de Silva, Fullish length outside the off stump, driven to mid off for nothing. |
| 59.4 : D Steyn to Silva, FOUR! Brave! Steyn bangs it short outside off, de Silva pulls it back of square to deep cow corner. A deserved boundary for Dhananjaya. |
| 59.5 : D Steyn to Silva, Strays this on the pads, de Silva nudges it to the on side for a couple of runs. |
| 59.6 : D Steyn to Silva, Length on the off this time, well blocked by de Silva. |
| 60.1 : K Maharaj to Silva, Sharp turn from from Maharaj. Lands this around off and settles in the hands of de Kock outside off. |
| 60.2 : K Maharaj to Silva, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 60.3 : K Maharaj to Silva, Forces de Silva to go on the back foot and play it to the off side. |
| 60.4 : K Maharaj to Silva, Dhananjaya defends it from within the crease. |
| 60.5 : K Maharaj to Silva, Gets behind the ball and blocks it solidly. |
| 60.6 : K Maharaj to Silva, Takes it on the full and flicks it away to deep square leg. Thinks of the single but both the batsmen deny against it. |
| 61.1 : D Steyn to Silva, Good length ball around off, de Silva hangs back and taps it to the off side. |
| 61.2 : D Steyn to Silva, Angles this into de Silva who works it away to deep square leg. They run the first one hard which enables them to come back for the second. |
| 61.3 : D Steyn to Silva, Uppish but safe. Dale targets the stumps, the ball holds back a bit. De Silva commits and plays it a bit early. Ends up hitting the ball aerially towards mid on. No damage done. |
| 61.4 : D Steyn to Silva, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 61.5 : D Steyn to Silva, Silva tucks this around the corner for one. 200 up for Sri Lanka and they get the deserved applauds from the crowd. |
| 61.6 : D Steyn to Silva, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 62.1 : K Maharaj to Silva, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 62.2 : K Maharaj to Silva, FOUR! Too short and punished. De Silva doesn't miss out on an easy opportunity. He punches it through covers and beats the fielder in the deep. |
| 62.3 : K Maharaj to Silva, FOUR! Clever from De Silva. He comes down the track knowing that Maharaj won't drop short this one. He turns it into a full toss and flicks it through mid-wicket for another boundary. |
| 62.4 : K Maharaj to Silva, Driven to long on for a run. |
| 62.5 : K Maharaj to R Silva, Flatter in line of the stumps, played to mid on for another single. |
| 62.6 : K Maharaj to Silva, Gets behind the line and gets it to the off side for nothing. 10 off this over. |
| Kagiso Rabada is on. |
| 63.1 : K Rabada to Silva, On the pads, played to mid-wicket for nothing. |
| 63.2 : K Rabada to Silva, Fullish on middle and off, played off the front foot. |
| 63.3 : K Rabada to Silva, Full ball on the pads, Silva misses the flick and gets hit on the pads. |
| 63.4 : K Rabada to Silva, Testing short ball from Rabada. He is mixing it up nicely. He makes Roshen hop who does well to get bat on it and keep it down. |
| 63.5 : K Rabada to Silva, Fuller in line of the stumps, played down the ground for a run. |
| 63.6 : K Rabada to Silva, Peach of a delivery this. A gentle length ball outside off, it holds its line and beats the outside edge of the bat on the way to keeper. |
| Dean Elgar is into the attack. |
| 64.1 : D Elgar to Silva, Flatter on the pads, played to the on side for no run. |
| 64.2 : D Elgar to Silva, Gets forward and defends it. |
| 64.3 : D Elgar to Silva, Floated wide outside off, pushed to covers for nothing. |
| 64.4 : D Elgar to Silva, Slower ball spinning away from the face of the blade. Roshen doesn't go after it. |
| 64.5 : D Elgar to Silva, Similar delivery from Elgar. Silva keeps his bat close to his pad to miss it again. |
| 64.6 : D Elgar to Silva, The batsman lets the ball go outside his off stump. |
| 65.1 : K Rabada to de Silva, Wide! Too short and over the top. The umpire signals wide. |
| K Rabada to Silva, On a length around off, blocked off the back foot. |
| 65.2 : K Rabada to Silva, Rabada is making the ball talk a bit. A widish ball outside off, De Silva goes after it but misses the line to get beaten. |
| 65.3 : K Rabada to Silva, Outside off on a length, tucked to the off side for a run. |
| A short leg in place now. |
| 65.4 : K Rabada to Silva, Another play and a miss. He shouldn't be fiddling with the wide deliveries. He goes after it again only to connect with air. |
| 65.5 : K Rabada to Silva, This time he leaves the ball outside his off stump to the keeper. |
| 65.6 : K Rabada to Silva, Consecutive leaves from De Silva outside his off pole. |
| 66.1 : D Elgar to Silva, Flatter outside off, pushed off the back foot. One run taken. |
| 66.2 : D Elgar to Silva, On the pads this time, worked to the on side for another run. |
| 66.3 : D Elgar to Silva, Slow and flat outside off, Silva pushes it through covers. One run added to the total. |
| 66.4 : D Elgar to Silva, Gets back to this one and punches it through the off side for another run. |
| 66.5 : D Elgar to Silva, This one stayed low and spun as well. Silva plays the line but fails to connect. |
| 66.6 : D Elgar to Silva, A tad shorter around off, punched off the back foot. The batsmen take a single. |
| 67.1 : K Rabada to Silva, Ouch! This is supposed to sting. He looks in some pain. Did he misjudged the line or the bounce wasn't true here? Rabada bangs this one half way but perhaps De Silva didn't expected it to bounce more than it did. As a result, he is late to take any evasive action and gets hit just under his right shoulder on his chest. His helmet is off in a jiffy and he moves away with his hand on the effected area. |
| 0.0 : Goodness me, that must have hurt. Dhananjaya de Silva is on the ground with his hand on his shoulder. The physio is in the field. Meanwhile, the umpires call for the drinks. |
| 67.2 : K Rabada to Silva, On a length around middle and off, pushed to mid-wicket. He looks better after some treatment now. |
| 67.3 : K Rabada to Silva, Gets behind the line and keeps it out to the off side. |
| 67.4 : K Rabada to Silva, On a back of a length around off, pushed to covers for nothing. |
| 67.5 : K Rabada to Silva, Full on off, driven down the ground straight to the fielder. |
| 67.6 : K Rabada to de Silva, Short outside off, De Dilva pulls it down to the attacking short mid-wicket. |
| 68.1 : D Elgar to Silva, Slower and a touch shorter, flicked to mid-wicket for a run. 50-run stand comes up between the two. |
| 68.2 : D Elgar to Silva, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 68.3 : D Elgar to Silva, Comes down the track to play it to the on side but couldn't pierce the field. |
| 68.4 : D Elgar to de Silva, Around off, pushed to covers for no run. |
| 68.5 : D Elgar to Silva, Comes down the track and pushes it to mid off. |
| 68.6 : D Elgar to Silva, FOUR! 3rd Test fifty for Dhananjaya de Silva. He gets to the landmark with a nice cut through cover-point. Elgar was generous as he bowled this one short and wide and de Silva makes most of it. |
| 69.1 : K Rabada to R Silva, Yorker! Dug out to the off side. |
| 69.2 : K Rabada to Silva, Another yorker from Kagiso, Roshen digs it out from the bottom of the bat. |
| 69.3 : K Rabada to Silva, On a length around off, blocked off the back foot. |
| 69.4 : K Rabada to Silva, Bouncer! The batsman does well to evade it. |
| 69.5 : K Rabada to Silva, Another short ball, Roshen sways away from the line and lets it be. |
| 69.6 : K Rabada to Silva, OUT! Gone! 139.1 kph and aimed at the stumps, fuller in length and it does the trick. Roshen plays all over the ball, it sneaks through his bat-pad, flicks the front pad and rattles the stumps. A fast bowler's delight to hear the sweet sound of furniture getting disturbed. Rabada has been everywhere, in the field, making the ball talk and now taking wicket as well. More than that, he set him up really nicely with the short balls first and then slings a full ball. Convent |
| Niroshan Dickwella makes his way to the middle. Also, Aiden Markram in for another spell. |
| 70.1 : A Markram to Silva, Off spinner a tad short outside off, punched to the off side for one. |
| 70.2 : A Markram to Dickwella, Flat again outside off, Dickwella guides it to the backward point fielder. |
| 70.3 : A Markram to Dickwella, Goes onto his back foot and hits it to sweeper cover for a run. |
| 70.4 : A Markram to Silva, Quicker this time, in line of the stumps, de Silva gets his bat down in time to get bat to it. |
| 70.5 : A Markram to Silva, Darts this on middle and leg. The ball spins and flicks the pads of de Silva. It goes fine towards fine leg for a brace. |
| 70.6 : A Markram to Silva, The batsman has flicked the ball off his pads. One run added to the total. |
| 71.1 : K Rabada to de Silva, Short ball on off, de Silva pulls it towards mid-wicket for a run. |
| 71.2 : K Rabada to Dickwella, Yorker outside off. Dickwella does well to get bat to it. |
| 71.3 : K Rabada to N Dickwella, Streaky! Dickwella will take it. Another short ball on off, Dickwella goes for the pull but gets an outside edge through the slip cordon. Has enough legs to touch the ropes. |
| 71.4 : K Rabada to Dickwella, Fuller this time on leg, played to mid on. |
| 71.5 : K Rabada to Dickwella, Takes pace off this and serves this around off, Dickwella cuts it to the off side. |
| 71.6 : K Rabada to Dickwella, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 72.1 : K Maharaj to Silva, FOUR! Deft. Quicker one outside off, de Silva waited for it and cut it late through backward point for a boundary. All elegance in that. |
| 72.2 : K Maharaj to Silva, The batsman has flicked the ball off his pads. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 72.3 : K Maharaj to Dickwella, Sharp turn. Slides in and takes an inside edge |
| 72.4 : K Maharaj to Dickwella, OUT! Fifer for Keshav Maharaj! His fifth 5-wicket haul in Test and the hosts lose their keeper. Gives this air and lands this on middle and leg. Pitches on the rough patch and takes Dickwella by surprise. He goes for the sweep, the ball hits his glove and balloons over the keeper's head. Faf at slips moves to his right and takes a good catch. Maharaj becomes just the second South African spinner to take a 5-wicket haul on this venue. |
| Dilruwan Perera strides out next. |
| 72.5 : K Maharaj to D Perera, Driven towards the mid off region. |
| 72.6 : K Maharaj to Perera, FOUR! What a way to get off the mark. No fear in using his feet and gets four runs. Charges to this slow ball and lofts it over the bowler's head. |
| 73.1 : L Ngidi to Silva, De Silva has worked it off his pads behind square. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 73.2 : L Ngidi to Perera, Kept low. Fuller ball on off, Perera does well to block it. |
| 73.3 : L Ngidi to Perera, Flicks this ball to the on side for nothing. |
| 73.4 : L Ngidi to Perera, Back of a length ball around off, Perera waits back and punches it through covers. They come back for the second run. |
| 73.5 : L Ngidi to Perera, Outside off, left alone. |
| 73.6 : L Ngidi to Perera, Length ball outside off, Perera cuts it towards point to retain strike. |
| 74.1 : K Maharaj to Perera, Flat ball outside off, enough time for Perera to rock back and cut it to deep backward point. Gets a run for it. |
| 0.0 : An LBW decision has been reviewed. Looks out or was there any inside edge? |
| 74.2 : Maharaj to Silva, OUT! That looked plumbed from the naked eye. Perhaps the umpire thought it took an inside edge. Maharaj serves this in line of the stumps. De Silva prods forward and looks to block it. Gets beaten and is wrapped on his pads. A strong appeal from the players but the umpire denies it. Faf straightaway takes it up. Replays show us three red lights. And that's the end of de Silva. Six wickets for Maharaj. |
| Akila Dhananjaya is the new batsman. |
| 74.3 : K Maharaj to A Dananjaya, FOUR! First ball and he drives Maharaj. Overpitched ball outside off, Akila leans ahead and drives it in the gaps through covers. Boundary. 250 up for Sri Lanka. |
| 74.4 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 74.5 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 74.6 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, Gets behind the ball and is solid in his defense. |
| 75.1 : L Ngidi to Perera, Outside off, played to point. |
| 75.2 : L Ngidi to Perera, Great ball. Yorks Perera, who does well to jam it out. |
| 75.3 : L Ngidi to Perera, Length around off, played back to the bowler. |
| 75.4 : L Ngidi to Perera, In the air.. just short. Short and wide from Ngidi. Perera square cuts and the ball falls just short of the backward point fielder. |
| 75.5 : L Ngidi to Perera, Gets it through that region this time. Cut away by Perera for two more runs. |
| 75.6 : L Ngidi to Perera, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 76.1 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, Comes in from over the wicket and lands this on middle and leg. Akila blocks it well. |
| 76.2 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, FOUR! A big shot was on the coming and Akila does just that. Charges to this tossed up ball and deposits just short of the ropes. Boundary. |
| 76.3 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 76.4 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, Defended off the front foot by Akila presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 76.5 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, Tossed up ball on off, well blocked. |
| 76.6 : K Maharaj to A Dananjaya, Akila drives this through the covers. |
| 77.1 : L Ngidi to Perera, FOUR! Length ball outside off, Perera guides this past the backward point fielder. The ball races to the boundary. The umpire signals four runs. |
| 77.2 : L Ngidi to Perera, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 77.3 : L Ngidi to Perera, Short ball outside off, deliberately lofted over the slip region by Perera. It falls safe and the batsmen will get three runs for it. |
| 77.4 : L Ngidi to Dananjaya, Length on off, blocked. |
| 77.5 : L Ngidi to Dananjaya, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 77.6 : L Ngidi to Dananjaya, Punches this ball towards covers. Dot ball. |
| 78.1 : K Maharaj to Perera, Loopy ball on off, driven to covers. |
| 78.2 : K Maharaj to Perera, Turns his bat to the leg side for nothing. |
| 78.3 : K Maharaj to Perera, Sharp turn pitched on middle, Perera goes for the cut but cannot make any contact. |
| 78.4 : K Maharaj to Perera, Leans ahead and drives this ball to the off side. |
| 78.5 : K Maharaj to Perera, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 78.6 : K Maharaj to Perera, Perera has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| Aiden Markram in for another spell. Meanwhile, the new ball is dew after this over. |
| 79.1 : A Markram to Dananjaya, Off breaker on off, cut towards point. |
| 79.2 : A Markram to Dananjaya, Stays back and plays this ball to the off side. |
| 79.3 : A Markram to Dananjaya, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 79.4 : A Markram to Dananjaya, Quicker one around off, pushed to the cover region. |
| 79.5 : A Markram to Dananjaya, Outside off, taps it in front of him. |
| 79.6 : A Markram to Dananjaya, Loopy ball outside off, well blocked. |
| 80.1 : K Maharaj to Perera, OUT! Maharaj strikes first ball to pick up his 7th wicket. What a day he is having. Bowls this full on leg, Perera goes for the swipe shot and connect it well. Unfortunately for him, he finds Ngidi at backward square leg. |
| 0.0 : Suranga Lakmal, the skipper walks out to bat. |
| 80.2 : K Maharaj to Lakmal, Slower ball on off, Lakmal gets forward and blocks it. |
| 80.3 : K Maharaj to Lakmal, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 80.4 : K Maharaj to Lakmal, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 80.5 : K Maharaj to Lakmal, What a catch! Superman stuff. Markram has a lovely pair of hands and he holds onto this to add to his CV. Flighted ball around off, Lakmal drives it uppishly towards mid off. Markram at silly mid off flies to his left and takes a one-handed stunner. Lakmal is stunt. And that's the best figures for a visiting spinner on this ground. |
| Rangana Herath is the last man to bat. |
| 80.6 : K Maharaj to Herath, Herath defends it from within the crease. |
| 81.1 : A Markram to Dananjaya, Flat ball on off, tapped to the off side. |
| 81.2 : A Markram to Dananjaya, Pushes this ball to the off side to give veteran the strike. |
| 81.3 : A Markram to Herath, Flighted ball on off, Herath gets bat to ball. |
| 81.4 : A Markram to Herath, Length ball around off, Herath goes for the cut but misses. |
| 81.5 : A Markram to R Herath, Cuts this through cover-point for a run. |
| 81.6 : A Markram to Dananjaya, Waits back and punches this ball to the mid off region to keep strike. |
| 82.1 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, Akila not holding back. Comes down the track and looks to clear the ground. Finds the fielder on the bounce at cow corner. One run taken. |
| 82.2 : K Maharaj to Herath, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 82.3 : K Maharaj to Herath, Sweeps this towards square leg and jogs to the other end. |
| 82.4 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, Darts this on middle and off, Dananjaya blocks it off his back foot. |
| 82.5 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, Slower ball on middle, Akila throws the kitchen sink at it but cannot connect. Gets hit on his back pad as the ball rolls to the off side. |
| 82.6 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, Dananjaya shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 83.1 : A Markram to Herath, Herath punches this ball to the off side. Picks up an easy run. |
| 83.2 : A Markram to Dananjaya, Around off, well blocked. |
| 83.3 : A Markram to Dananjaya, Akila rocks back and punches this through covers. Another run added. |
| 83.4 : A Markram to Herath, Rangana has attempted to put bat on ball - but fails. |
| 83.5 : A Markram to Herath, Pushed to the cover region by Herath. They pick up a single. |
| 83.6 : A Markram to Dananjaya, Outside off, play and miss from Akila. |
| New ball taken! Keshav Maharaj will continue to bowl! |
| 84.1 : K Maharaj to Herath, Sharp turn down leg, Herath tries flicking the ball but misses. |
| 84.2 : K Maharaj to Herath, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 84.3 : K Maharaj to Herath, Works this around the corner for a single. Useful runs these for the hosts. |
| 84.4 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, Dananjaya pushes this ball to covers. |
| 84.5 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, FOUR! Sri Lanka inch closer to the 300 mark. Slower ball down leg, Dananjaya just helps it on it's way. De Kock couldn't collect it and the ball tickles away to the fence. |
| 84.6 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| Dale Steyn is called onto bowl, in what could be the last over of the day. |
| 85.1 : D Steyn to Herath, Back of a length ball outside off, driven to the cover region. |
| 85.2 : D Steyn to Herath, Extra bounce! A length ball outside off, Herath sways away from it seeing the sudden bounce. |
| 85.3 : D Steyn to Herath, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 85.4 : D Steyn to Herath, Gets this off the inner half of the bat towards mid on. |
| 85.5 : D Steyn to Herath, Bouncer! Herath ducks in time to let that one go over him. |
| 85.6 : D Steyn to Herath, Length ball around off, well blocked by Herath. That's STUMPS ON DAY 1. |
| South Africa will be happy with the day's result after the start the home team had. They have one man to thank - Keshav Maharaj. The left-arm orthodox spinner took 8/116, which is the best for any visiting spinner in Sri Lanka and helped restrict Sri Lanka to 277/9. Perhaps now Faf du Plessis will regret the decision of not playing the second spinner. Kagiso Rabada got the other lone wicket, but had there been Tabraiz Shamsi in the playing XI, this would paint another picture. |
| Earlier in the day, Sri Lanka started on a positive note. Their openers stitched a 116-run stand and gave them the upper hand. However, they lost their way post Lunch with a couple of wickets. Dhananjaya de Silva along with Roshen Silva added 54 for the 5th wicket to get them back on track. The former then stroked his way to his 3rd Test fifty, however, there were no real contributions from the lower middle order. Akila Dananjaya is still in the middle with Rangana Herath and the hosts will hope |
| That's all from Day 1. The visitors will look to get the last wicket as soon as possible but they will have to bat really well to get into the game. The pitch is turning prodigiously and Sri Lanka have three quality spinners in their ranks as well. Do join us for all the action from Day 2 at 1000 local (0430 GMT). For now, you can switch tabs to catch the Zimbabwe-Pakistan match. Till then, cheers! |
| ... Day 2, Session 1 ... |
| Hello! Welcome to the second day of the second and final Test match between Sri Lanka and South Africa at Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo. Both the teams will be partially happy and partially sad after the action on Day 1 as both of them have an almost equal foothold in the game as of now. The home team has ended the first day on 277 on a pitch which started spitting venom in the very first hour of play. Considering the visitors could only score 199 in both the innings combined in the last Test, |
| Pitch report - Shaun Pollock along with Kepler Wessels is reporting from the pitch and says that there are rough areas on the good length area. Wessels asserts this is a track that will have fast and vicious spin and the ball will turn a lot. They further add that the left-handers will be troubled more by the patches on the middle of the surface and the three Lankan spinners will be really looking forward to bowl against the visiting batsmen. |
| We are set for the action to start. The players are out in the middle. Akila Dananjaya will take the strike and Keshav Maharaj has the newish ball in his hand. Here we go... |
| 86.1 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, Starts with a dangerous ball around middle and leg. Gives it air and draws Dananjaya forward who defends it off the inner half of the bat to the on side. |
| 86.2 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, Similar delivery from Maharaj, played just away from short leg. |
| 86.3 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, Slower on off, it spins in and hits Dananjaya on his pad. |
| 86.4 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 86.5 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, Ooh! Just manages to evade the short leg fielder. Maharaj is testing Akila straightaway. |
| 86.6 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, Akila survives the first over from Maharaj. He gets forward and blocks it out. |
| Kagiso Rabada to bowl from the other end. |
| 87.1 : K Rabada to Herath, Rabada starts with a back of a length ball around off, Herath gets it away off the back foot and takes a run. First run of the morning for Sri Lanka. |
| 87.2 : K Rabada to Dananjaya, Outside off, Dananjaya misses the cut. |
| 87.3 : K Rabada to Dananjaya, In line of the stumps, blocked off from his crease by Akila. |
| 87.4 : K Rabada to Dananjaya, FOUR! Cheeky from Dananjaya. A short ball from Rabada, Akila plays the ramp shot and gets it up and over the slip cordon. A boundary! |
| 87.5 : K Rabada to Dananjaya, Wide down the leg side, the batsman leaves it alone. |
| 87.6 : K Rabada to Dananjaya, Short ball towards the ribs, just goes past Bavuma at short leg. One run results. |
| 88.1 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, Comes down the track but misses the ball. |
| 88.2 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, Hangs back and defends it down the track. |
| 88.3 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, Shortish on leg, played down on the leg side for nothing. |
| 88.4 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 88.5 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, Faster this time, Dananjaya looks to poke at it and misses again. |
| 88.6 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, Pushed to the on side this time. Dananjaya is playing Maharaj relatively well. |
| 89.1 : K Rabada to Herath, Herath has done well to keep that yorker at bay. |
| 89.2 : K Rabada to Herath, FOUR! Herath slashes at it and earns a boundary. A full ball outside off, he throws his bat at it and manages to get it over backward point. |
| 89.3 : K Rabada to Herath, A wild slog across the line this time from Herath. He misses it. |
| 89.4 : K Rabada to R Herath, So cool this little man. A short of a length ball targeting the rib cage of Herath, he swivels and pulls it to fine leg for a single. Though one hand was off the handle but he still managed to play it well. |
| 89.5 : K Rabada to Dananjaya, Around off, played to the off side. |
| 89.6 : K Rabada to Dananjaya, The batsman shoulders arms to let that one through. |
| 90.1 : K Maharaj to Herath, Flighted around off, played off the front foot by Herath. |
| 90.2 : K Maharaj to Herath, Easy peasy. Experience coming into play here. Herath dabs it to the covers and runs a quick single. |
| 90.3 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 90.4 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, Flatter on off, pushed down the track for no run. |
| 90.5 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, Comes charging down the track and plays it towards mid-wicket. He is trying different things to play Maharaj it seems. |
| 90.6 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, That ball has struck Dananjaya on the thigh pad. A flighted ball outside off, it spins in and evades the bat of Akila. No harm done in the end. |
| 91.1 : K Rabada to R Herath, Rabada goes around the wicket and bowls a yorker on middle and off, Herath does well to dig it out. |
| 91.2 : K Rabada to Herath, Short and across Herath who does well to leave it for the keeper. |
| 91.3 : K Rabada to Herath, Defended off the back foot by Rangana. This one stayed a touch low but nicely tackled by the veteran. |
| 91.4 : K Rabada to Herath, Well played. Another length ball on off, Herath has a swipe against the line and manages to get it through mid-wicket. A brace results. |
| 91.5 : K Rabada to Herath, Herath closes the face of the bat early and gets a leading edge on that one. No harm done. |
| 91.6 : K Rabada to Herath, Uppish but safe. A length ball on middle and off, Herath pushes at it from his crease and gets it past the bowler. |
| 92.1 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, Again comes down the track but only connects with thin air, as he gets hits on the pads again. |
| 92.2 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, Flatter on middle and off this time, defended off the front foot. |
| 92.3 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 92.4 : Maharaj to A Dananjaya, FOUR! Edgy but effective. Dananjaya goes for the cut to the ball spinning in from a length. He only manages to get it from the outside half of his bat and the ball races to the third man fence. |
| 92.5 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, Works this one to the on side off the back foot. |
| 92.6 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, Hangs back and sees out the last ball of the over. Sri Lanka inching closer to the 300-run mark. |
| 93.1 : K Rabada to Herath, Chips the shortish delivery to the on side and changes strike. |
| 93.2 : K Rabada to Dananjaya, The batsman has attempted to put bat on ball but fails. |
| 93.3 : K Rabada to Dananjaya, Bouncer! Akila ducks in time to let that one go over him. |
| 93.4 : K Rabada to Dananjaya, Nicely tackled by Akila. A short ball in line of the stumps, Dananjaya hops and keeps it out. |
| 93.5 : K Rabada to Dananjaya, FOUR! 300 it is. Sri Lanka crosses the mark first time in the series and worries for South Africa. A full ball outside off, Dananjya throws his bat at it and gets it off the outer half of the blade through point. |
| 93.6 : K Rabada to Dananjaya, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 94.1 : K Maharaj to Herath, Faster and flatter targeting the sticks, Herath lunges forward and gets an edge but luckily for his, it goes left of Bavuma. He survives again. |
| 94.2 : K Maharaj to Herath, Gets behind the line of this one and defends it. |
| 94.3 : K Maharaj to Herath, Tossed up outside off, Herath goes near the ball and defends it again. |
| 94.4 : K Maharaj to Herath, Outside off, guided to third man for a run by Rangana. |
| 94.5 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 94.6 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, Hangs back and dishes it off the front foot. |
| Lungi Ngidi is on. |
| 95.1 : L Ngidi to Herath, Wide down the leg side, the batsman leaves it alone. |
| 95.2 : L Ngidi to Herath, Again going across the left-hander and it goes down the leg side. Herath misses it this time. |
| 95.3 : L Ngidi to R Herath, FOUR! He is making the bowler's pay for the average bowling. A length from Ngidi outside off, Herath punches it from his crease and gets it through cover-point for a boundary. |
| 95.4 : L Ngidi to Herath, Flicked aerially through square leg. One run taken. Herath is looking set for a long innings. |
| 95.5 : L Ngidi to Dananjaya, Short in line of the stumps, played off the back foot for nothing. |
| 95.6 : L Ngidi to Dananjaya, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 96.1 : K Maharaj to Herath, Flighted outside off, defended off the front foot. |
| 96.2 : K Maharaj to Herath, Similar delivery from Maharaj. Herath happy to block it. |
| 96.3 : K Maharaj to Herath, A touch faster in the same line, easily tackled by Rangana. |
| 96.4 : K Maharaj to Herath, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 96.5 : K Maharaj to Herath, Maharaj goes over the wicket and bowls a tossed a delivery around middle. Rangana looks to defends it but misses. An appeal ensues but the umpire ignores it. |
| The review for the LBW has been taken by Faf. Rangana Herath is the man in question. He looks out. |
| 96.6 : Maharaj to Herath, He survives! Herath, you lucky, lucky man. Had the ball not kissed the glove on the way to the pads, he would have been a goner. Intelligent from Maharaj, he keeps it in the same channel. Herath looks to play across the line this time but misses. The bowler is confident and he convinces his skipper to take the review who follows his advice. Perhaps not the right decision as the replays shows that the ball kissed the glove and that saved him. South Africa have lost both t |
| 97.1 : L Ngidi to Dananjaya, Ouch! He is down flat on his stomach. Dananjaya connected with the length ball well and it hits him straight on Ngidi's left ankle. It looked as if he got hand to it but not really. He looks in pain while going back to his bowling mark. |
| 97.2 : L Ngidi to Dananjaya, On the pads, flicked to the on side for a run. |
| There seems to be some problem with Lungi Ngidi. He got hit on his left ankle and looks in some pain. The physio is in the middle to check on him. Off he goes, SA not risking their premier fast bowler. Aiden Markram will finish the over for him. |
| 97.3 : A Markram to Herath, Ngidi is off unfortunately. Markran bowls a good flatter delivery on off, Herath gets behind the line and defends it. |
| 97.4 : A Markram to Herath, Reverse sweeps is out. Herath is putting all his arsenal on display here. A flighted ball around off, Herath changes hands and gets it off his gloves behind the keeper. One run taken. |
| 97.5 : A Markram to Dananjaya, A tad shorter, blocked off the back foot by Akila. |
| 97.6 : A Markram to Dananjaya, Again shorter outside off, cut through backward point for a brace. |
| 98.1 : K Maharaj to Herath, FOUR BYES! Tossed up on leg and spinning down, Herath looks to defend but it goes past the edge and fine down the leg side past the keeper. It runs away to the fence for a boundary. |
| 98.2 : K Maharaj to Herath, Floated around off, this one doesn't turn, Herath is forward is defense and gets beaten past the outside edge. |
| 98.3 : K Maharaj to Herath, Bit fullish in length and on the stumps, blocked from within the crease. |
| 98.4 : K Maharaj to Herath, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 98.5 : K Maharaj to Herath, Positions himself perfectly behind the line and blocks. |
| 98.6 : K Maharaj to Herath, Loopy in line of the stumps, turning into the batsman, Herath goes deep inside the crease before working it away on the leg side. |
| 99.1 : A Markram to Dananjaya, Slow on off, cut to covers. |
| 99.2 : A Markram to Dananjaya, Fuller on off, lofted over Rabada at long off by Herath. He manages to save a run for his team. |
| 99.3 : A Markram to Dananjaya, The batsman has driven that ball straight back. |
| 99.4 : A Markram to Dananjaya, Full toss on leg, swept through the on side. One run taken. |
| 99.5 : A Markram to R Herath, A touch short around off, played through point for a run. |
| 99.6 : A Markram to Dananjaya, Square cut the length ball to end the over. |
| 100.1 : K Maharaj to Herath, Gets behind the line to this one and keeps it out. |
| 100.2 : K Maharaj to Herath, Flatter in line of the stumps, played to the on side. |
| 100.3 : K Maharaj to Herath, Action replay from the bowler and the batsman. |
| 100.4 : K Maharaj to Herath, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 100.5 : K Maharaj to Herath, Fuller on off, pushed to covers for a quick single. |
| 100.6 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, A length ball outside off, driven through covers by Akila. They take two from the deep. |
| 101.1 : D Steyn to Herath, FOUR! Slapped! Welcome the crease Mr. Steyn. Herath is in no mood get bullied. He pulls across the length ball and gets it in the gap through mid-wicket. A boundary results. |
| 101.2 : D Steyn to Herath, Another short ball, pulled through square leg this time. One run takne. |
| 101.3 : D Steyn to A Dananjaya, And short again from Dale. Akila pulls it through mid-wicket for another single. It's all too easy for the Lankans now. |
| 101.4 : D Steyn to Herath, FOUR! BANG! Highest 10th wicket stand against South Africa for Sri Lanka. Herath or Sangakkara? It hard to differentiate right now. He is playing Steyn like a top-order batsmen and thrashing him everywhere. A length ball lofted of mid on and deposited into the boundary. |
| 101.5 : D Steyn to Herath, Bouncer! The batsman ducks under the bouncer at the last moment. |
| 101.6 : D Steyn to Herath, Bumper once again. Herath ignores it for the keeper. |
| 102.1 : K Maharaj to A Dananjaya, FOUR! Short and turning in from outside off, Dananjaya rocks onto his back foot in a flash and cuts it behind point fiercely. No stopping that, a boundary results. |
| 102.2 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, From around the wicket now, it's looped up on the stumps, Akila is forward in defense. |
| 102.3 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, Spinning on off stump, another solid front foot defense in response. |
| 102.4 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, Drags his length back just a bit, this time the batsman stays inside the crease and defends. |
| 102.5 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, Offers a straight bat in defense to this straighter one. |
| 102.6 : K Maharaj to Dananjaya, Back to over the wicket and it's bowled full outside off, Dananjaya prods forward and solidly keeps it out. |
| Drinks break. |
| 103.1 : D Steyn to Herath, Short of a length delivery on off, Herath rises on his toes and dabs it behind point for a single. |
| 103.2 : D Steyn to Dananjaya, Length delivery attacking the stumps, Akila close the bat face slightly and blocks it towards mid-wicket. |
| 103.3 : D Steyn to Dananjaya, Short ball which doesn't rise as much, Dananjaya swivels to pull but gets it off the glove through square leg for one. |
| 103.4 : D Steyn to Herath, Another pull on the leg side. One more to the total. |
| 103.5 : D Steyn to Dananjaya, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 103.6 : D Steyn to Dananjaya, Short ball banged in, ducked and evaded. |
| Review taken. Rangana Herath has been caught at leg slip and given out, but the review has been taken, probably because it's the last wicket and it's not going to harm anyone. |
| 104.1 : K Maharaj to Herath, OUT! The decision stands! Keshav Maharaj finishes with career-best figures in Test cricket. Tossed up on leg, Herath is down to sweep but gets it off the glove, then the pad and it pops up behind to Elgar at leg slip who takes a regulation catch. The finger goes up, but the batsman reviews it. The TV umpire comes into the pitcure and replays show Herath is gone. So, SRI LANKA ARE BOWLED OUT FOR 338! |
| So, finally, South Africa managed to take the final wicket of the Lankan innings, but it's probably come a little too late. They allowed the last pair to add 74 runs together, thereby allowing Sri Lanka to get close to 340, a score which is gargantuan on this turning surface. It was expected that the tourists would clean things up rather early this morning, but Rangana Herath and Akila Dananjaya played some attacking cricket and put their side in a strong position. |
| On Day 1, Sri Lanka started the day well with a good opening stand, but then had their momentum halted by Keshav Maharaj in the afternoon session, only to be revived again by Dhananjaya de Silva and Roshen Silva. Though, Maharaj had his say again and took 8 wickets in total at the end of the day, toppling the Lankan batsmen with ease. He scalped the last wicket today as well. |
| Taking into account the way the wicket is playing, plus the fact that the hosts have three quality spinners in their ranks, the Proteas have a difficult task ahead of them, to say the least. Their decision to not bowl Sri Lanka towards the end of Day 1 to avoid batting in those last few minutes could seriously come back to haunt them. They're going to have to play out of their skins now. The second innings will start shortly, don't go anywhere... |
| 0.1 : D Perera to Markram, Full and fast outside off, Markram moves across and dead-bats it. |
| 0.2 : D Perera to Markram, Immediate bite off the surface. Dilruwan lands it around off and it spins in with a lot of bounce. Markram goes back and barely manages to keeps it down beside short leg. |
| 0.3 : D Perera to Markram, Straighter one outside off, it goes off the outer half down to third man for three runs. |
| 0.4 : D Perera to Elgar, Switches to around the wicket, it's darted full on off, Elgar presses forward and buries it in its tracks. |
| 0.5 : D Perera to Elgar, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 0.6 : D Perera to Elgar, A lot of bounce for Dilruwan. Landed on a driving length, Elgar goes back to block and just about manages to do so taking his bottom hand off. |
| Akila Dananjaya to bowl from the other end. Spin all over the South Africans right from the start. |
| 1.1 : A Dananjaya to A Markram, Loopy and full, dipping in, Markram attempts to drive but it goes off the inner half on the leg side for a single. |
| 1.2 : A Dananjaya to Elgar, OUT! There's the first one! Sri Lanka are up and away and it's Dean Elgar who's the first one to fall. From around the wicket, it's tossed up around off, Elgar comes forward to defend but the ball takes a lot of turn away from him. Off the outside edge and towards second slip, where Dhananjaya de Silva dives low to his left to take a superb catch. |
| Theunis de Bruyn is in at no.3. Interesting move. |
| 1.3 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, Landed around off, turning in a touch, de Bruyn moves across his sticks and blocks it down. |
| 1.4 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, In line of the stumps, defended down with soft hands on the leg side. |
| 1.5 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, Stays right behind the line and keeps it out with a straight blade. |
| 1.6 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, Loopy and full on the sticks, blocked. |
| 2.1 : D Perera to Markram, Flatter around off, blocked off the back foot by Markram. |
| 2.2 : D Perera to Markram, The batsman flicks it away with a wristy shot. They pick up a single. |
| 2.3 : D Perera to Bruyn, Fuller this time, de Bruyn lets the ball come to him and defends. |
| 2.4 : D Perera to de Bruyn, Wristy! Shot. He gets closer to the flighted ball outside off and whips it through cover-point. Three runs taken. |
| 2.5 : D Perera to Markram, A tad shorter on the pads, flicked to the on side for nothing. |
| 2.6 : D Perera to Markram, Fuller in line of the stumps, flicked to short leg to end the over. |
| 3.1 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, Tossed up around off, de Bruyn is forward as he blocks it on the off side. |
| 3.2 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, OUT! The move to send de Bruyn up the order has failed. The all-rounder departs early. On a driving length outside off, de Bruyn comes forward to play for the turn when there is none. The edge is drawn, a faint one, and Dickwella behind the stumps takes a sharp catch. Sri Lanka already showing how deep South Africa are in the water. |
| Hashim Amla walks into the middle next. |
| 3.3 : A Dananjaya to Amla, Floated and dipping in on middle and off, Amla brings his bat ahead of his pad and defends. |
| 3.4 : A Dananjaya to Amla, Pushes this to the cover area and rushes to the other end for a single. He's off the mark. |
| 3.5 : A Dananjaya to Markram, Quite full, a front foot defense from Aiden Markram. |
| 3.6 : A Dananjaya to Markram, Too full yet again, worked in front of FSL. A successful over from Dananjaya comes to an end. |
| 4.1 : D Perera to Amla, Flighted delivery from Dilruwan, wristed away towards short mid-wicket. |
| 4.2 : D Perera to Amla, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 4.3 : Perera to Amla, Spinning in sharply, goes past the defense of the pads, bounces of the pad before lobbing on the leg side. |
| 4.4 : D Perera to Amla, Works it away with the spin towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 4.5 : D Perera to Markram, On the stumps, Markram tries to flick it away on the leg side but gets a soft leading edge in the bowler's direction. |
| 4.6 : D Perera to A Markram, Leans ahead nicely and drives it through the covers for a run. |
| 5.1 : A Dananjaya to Markram, Straighter one on the stumps, Aiden hangs back and blocks. |
| 5.2 : A Dananjaya to Markram, Well adjusted at the end. Was initially playing for the spin but then adjusted the position of his bat to play the straighter one out. |
| 5.3 : A Dananjaya to Markram, Full and straight from Akila, Markram is rock solid in defense. |
| 5.4 : A Dananjaya to Markram, Stays back and guards it out yet again. |
| 5.5 : A Dananjaya to Markram, Gets close to the pitch of this full delivery with a big stride forward and drills it back to the bowler. |
| 5.6 : A Dananjaya to Markram, Whipped away straight to the man at mid on. |
| Here he comes. The dangerman Rangana Herath comes into the bowling attack. |
| 6.1 : R Herath to Amla, Tossed up on the stumps, Amla keeps bat and pad close together while keeping it out. |
| 6.2 : R Herath to Amla, Slower through the air, Amla uses the opportunity to go deep inside the crease, create more time and then wrist it towards mid-wicket. |
| 6.3 : R Herath to Amla, No ball! Hmm... A rare no ball from Herath. Tossed up around off, Amla defends. |
| R Herath to Amla, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 6.4 : R Herath to Amla, Stays right behind the line and keeps it out. |
| 6.5 : R Herath to Amla, Full in line of the stumps, pushed out off the front foot. |
| 6.6 : R Herath to Amla, Dropped! Difficult chance but you could argue it should have been taken. Tossed right up there, outside off, Amla comes forward and drives it uppishly towards covers. Gunathilaka there dives to his left and gets to the ball, but spills a simple one. Should have been taken. Anyway, a single is taken and Hashim Amla completes 9000 runs in Test cricket with it. |
| 7.1 : A Dananjaya to Amla, Keeps it along the carpet this time, driven through the covers for one. |
| 7.2 : A Dananjaya to Markram, Arm ball outside off, Markram runs it down to third man with an open face for a single. |
| 7.3 : A Dananjaya to Amla, Spinning in sharply from outside off, Amla covers the line and lets it be. |
| 7.4 : A Dananjaya to Amla, Hashim Amla has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 7.5 : A Dananjaya to Amla, Gives this a lot of air and keeps it around off, Amla has no trouble pushing this away. |
| 7.6 : A Dananjaya to Amla, Works it down on the leg side using the depth of the crease. |
| 8.1 : Herath to Markram, OUT! Plumb! And the main does the trick. Markram misses a straight one from Herath. He looks so dead that it would have hit top of the middle stump. He doesn't bother to take the review either as he knows what a sin he has commited. Sri Lanka on top. |
| 0.0 : Captain Faf du Plessis is the next man in. |
| 8.2 : R Herath to Plessis, Pushed in from wide off the crease. Defended off the front foot by Faf. |
| 8.3 : R Herath to Plessis, Gets it away to the off side off the outer half of the bat. |
| 8.4 : R Herath to Plessis, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 8.5 : R Herath to Plessis, On the pads, flicked to on side. |
| 8.6 : R Herath to Plessis, Defends the last ball of the maiden wicket over. Herath is a beauty. |
| 9.1 : A Dananjaya to Amla, Quite full and outside off, turning in, Amla gets close to the pitch and blocks before the ball can turn much. |
| 9.2 : A Dananjaya to Amla, Short and wide, cut away to point for nothing. |
| 9.3 : A Dananjaya to Amla, Has some room on offer outside off, it's hit through towards sweeper cover for a double. |
| 9.4 : A Dananjaya to Amla, Seeing Hashim Amla moves across his stumps, Dananjaya bowls it on the leg stump line. The batsman looks to defend it but it goes past the bat and the keeper can't collect. |
| 9.5 : A Dananjaya to Amla, Blocked by getting behind the line of the arm ball. |
| 9.6 : A Dananjaya to Amla, Loud appeal for an lbw, but it's turned down. Maybe pitching outside leg? Even if it did, it would have surely gone on to miss the off stump. The leg break from Dananjaya, it takes a lot of bite off the deck and catches Amla on the back pad. The impact is well outside off though. |
| 10.1 : R Herath to Plessis, Full delivery attacking the stumps, du Plessis brings a straight bat down in defense. |
| 10.2 : R Herath to Plessis, A lot of air on this one, drifting in, Faf with a front foot defensive shot. |
| 10.3 : R Herath to Plessis, Pushed away defensively on the off side. |
| 10.4 : R Herath to Plessis, Neatly drives this full delivery towards mid off for a single. |
| 10.5 : R Herath to Amla, Makes use of the feet to step out and works it in front of mid-wicket. |
| 10.6 : R Herath to Amla, Full and straight from Herath, Amla blocks it off the inner half behind square on the leg side for a single. That's LUNCH ON DAY 2! |
| A morning which has undoubtedly belonged to Sri Lanka. First off, their final pair, Herath and Dananjaya put them in a commanding position with the bat with a 74-run stand. And now, have contributed with the ball as well. The spin duo has picked up three wickets inside the hour and jolted the Proteas into a state of dismay. Skipper Faf du Plessis and Hashim Amla are out there in the middle and it's going to be a herculean task to shore things up from here. They're in for a rough afternoon. Join |
| ... Day 2, Session 2 ... |
| We are back as the action continues. Faf du Plessis and Hashim Amla take their place out in the middle. These two are the more experienced batsmen and the whole dressing room will hope that they stick in there. Akila Dananjaya will continue to operate with the ball. How many more will he pick up? |
| 11.1 : A Dananjaya to Amla, Off break on middle and leg, taped around the corner |
| 11.2 : A Dananjaya to Amla, First run after Lunch. Turns this one to the on side to get to the other end. |
| 11.3 : A Dananjaya to Plessis, Sharp turn and big shout but clearly no bat on that. Faf looks to block it but the ball spins in and takes the pad before the fielder at leg slip takes the catch. |
| 11.4 : A Dananjaya to Plessis, FOUR! Well played! Takes on the spinner and gets his results. Sweeps this room around off towards deep square leg for a boundary. |
| 11.5 : A Dananjaya to Plessis, FOUR! Even better. Dhananjaya was a bit to short this time, Faf stands tall and punches this through covers to get to the fence. |
| 11.6 : A Dananjaya to Plessis, FOUR! Three in a row and Faf is on the charge. This time he sweeps it through mid-wicket and the ball races away. |
| 12.1 : R Herath to Amla, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 0.0 : Rangana Herath to continue his spell. |
| 12.2 : R Herath to Amla, Hits this towards mid on and quickly gets to the other end. The fielder there has a shy at the non-striker's end but cannot hit the target. |
| 12.3 : R Herath to Plessis, FOUR! Aggressive intent from Faf. Charges on this full ball and lofts it over mid on for another boundary. |
| 12.4 : R Herath to Plessis, Gets behind then ball and sees it off. |
| 12.5 : R Herath to Plessis, SIX! Wow! Faf has taken all of us by surprise. Puts on his dancing shoes and smokes this over covers. The ball sales all the way for the first maximum. |
| 12.6 : R Herath to Plessis, Tossed up ball on middle, well defended. |
| 13.1 : A Dananjaya to Amla, Strides forward and blocks this. |
| 13.2 : A Dananjaya to Amla, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 13.3 : A Dananjaya to Amla, Stays in his crease and taps this in front of him. |
| 13.4 : A Dananjaya to Amla, Flighted ball around off, Amla is solid in his defense. |
| 13.5 : A Dananjaya to Amla, Works this around the corner for a single. |
| 13.6 : Dananjaya to Plessis, Loud appeal but the umpire doesn't show any interest. Off break on middle and leg, Faf looks to help it on its way. He can't put bat to ball and the ball flicks the pad while settling in the gloves of the keeper. Dickwella goes up in appeal but the umpire says NO. |
| 14.1 : R Herath to Amla, Plays this in the gap towards square leg for a easy brace. |
| 14.2 : R Herath to Amla, Covers his stumps and blocks the ball. |
| 14.3 : R Herath to Amla, Uses his feet to play it towards mid on. Will get one for it. |
| 14.4 : R Herath to Plessis, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 14.5 : R Herath to Plessis, Takes a step ahead and defends it. |
| 14.6 : R Herath to Plessis, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 15.1 : A Dananjaya to H Amla, Leans ahead and drives this to extra cover for a comfortable two. |
| 15.2 : A Dananjaya to Amla, Stays inside the crease and plays it with soft hands. |
| 15.3 : A Dananjaya to Amla, Gives this air on middle, Amla closes the bat face early and gets a leading edge towards the bowler. Akila dives to his right but cannot prevent the run. 50 up for South Africa. |
| 15.4 : A Dananjaya to Plessis, Tucks this around the corner for nothing. |
| 15.5 : A Dananjaya to Plessis, FOUR! Lovely from the skipper. His intent has been amazing. Slower one from Dananjaya on off, Faf gets low on one knee and sweeps this uppishly through mid-wicket. |
| 15.6 : A Dananjaya to Plessis, Du Plessis has flicked the ball off his pads. One run added to the total. |
| Dilruwan Perera comes in for another spell. |
| 16.1 : D Perera to Plessis, Quicker one around off, hit to the off side for none. |
| 16.2 : D Perera to Plessis, Faf continues playing his shots. Gets out another sweep shot but this time finds the fielder in the deep mid-wicket region. They cross. |
| 16.3 : D Perera to Amla, Turns his bat to the leg side and places the ball. |
| 16.4 : D Perera to Amla, The batsman flicks it away with a wristy shot. |
| 16.5 : D Perera to Amla, Ohh! This one kept straight. Flatter one on middle, Amla blocks it with a straight bat. The ball goes under his leg almost goes onto to hit the timber. |
| 16.6 : D Perera to Amla, Amla has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| Rangana Herath gets a change of ends. |
| 17.1 : R Herath to Plessis, Fuller and quick in line of the stumps, well blocked by Faf. |
| 17.2 : R Herath to Plessis, FOUR! Brings out yet another sweep shot and gets four more. Gets just about enough on the bat and helps it towards fine leg for a boundary. |
| 17.3 : R Herath to Plessis, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 17.4 : R Herath to Plessis, FOUR! Faf has moved on to 37 off just 31 balls. Sweeps another one from outside off towards cow corner. Making his game plan very clear. |
| 17.5 : R Herath to Plessis, There it is! Sharp turn. Pitched on middle, Faf gets ahead to block it but doesn't get behind the ball. The ball almost takes the outside edge of his bat. |
| 17.6 : R Herath to Plessis, Drives this through covers and will retain strike for the next over. Also, the 50-run stand between these two is up. In no time. |
| 18.1 : D Perera to Plessis, Comes forward and blocks this with his leg. The ball flies to the slip region where Mathews takes the catch. They appeal but then realize they don't need to do it. |
| 18.2 : D Perera to Plessis, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 18.3 : D Perera to Plessis, Flicks this off his pads towards the square leg region for a run. |
| 18.4 : D Perera to Amla, Hashim has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 18.5 : D Perera to Amla, Stays in the crease and blocks this. |
| 18.6 : D Perera to Plessis, Defended a little wide of the square leg fielder for a easy run. |
| 19.1 : R Herath to Amla, Covers this stumps and taps it in front of him. |
| 19.2 : R Herath to Amla, Charges down the wicket and gets it off the inner half towards mid on for one. |
| 19.3 : R Herath to Plessis, Hits this through mid on for one more. |
| 19.4 : R Herath to Amla, Fuller ball, driven to covers. |
| 19.5 : R Herath to Amla, Flicks this away with a wristy shot towards the on side. They cross. |
| 19.6 : R Herath to Plessis, Hits this from outside off from the inner half back towards the bowler. |
| 20.1 : Perera to Amla, Turn and bounce on leg, Amla get forward to block but hits his leg. The ball goes to the leg slip fielder who takes the catch. An appeal to no avail. |
| 20.2 : D Perera to Amla, Slider in line of the stumps, keeps his bat close to his pad and blocks it. |
| 20.3 : D Perera to Amla, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 20.4 : D Perera to Amla, Defended off the front foot by Amla presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 20.5 : D Perera to Amla, Covers his stumps and is solid in his defense. |
| 20.6 : D Perera to Amla, OUT! Amla goes! Sri Lanka get their wicket and the drop doesn't cost them much. Perera gets them the breakthrough and after a quick 50+ stand the partnership is finally broken. Fuller ball around off, Amla strides forward in defense. Bat-pad and the ball flies to Kusal at silly mid-wicket who dives forward to collect it. Amla walks and Sri Lanka are ecstatic. |
| Temba Bavuma walks out to the middle. |
| 21.1 : R Herath to Plessis, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. run. |
| 21.2 : R Herath to Plessis, Covers his stumps and blocks this well. |
| 21.3 : R Herath to Plessis, Hangs back and sees this delivery off. |
| 21.4 : R Herath to Plessis, Prods forward and taps the ball to the off side. |
| 21.5 : R Herath to Plessis, Works this around the corner and picks up a run. |
| 21.6 : R Herath to Bavuma, Bavuma goes onto his back foot and defends this. |
| 22.1 : D Perera to Plessis, Tossed up delivery on middle and off, quite slow through the air, Faf gets low and drags the sweep through to backward square leg for a brace. |
| 22.2 : D Perera to Plessis, Floated right up there, du Plessis comes forward to block. |
| 22.3 : D Perera to Plessis, Plays this with the spin and works it wide of the mid-wicket fielder for a single. |
| 22.4 : D Perera to Bavuma, Landed on leg, spinning down, catches Bavuma on the thigh before going into the hands of leg slip. Muted appeal, nothing much to it. |
| 22.5 : D Perera to Bavuma, FOUR! On the stumps, Bavuma sweeps this through square leg and finds the fence with ease. |
| 22.6 : D Perera to Bavuma, The batsman plays a sweep shot. One run added to the total. |
| 23.1 : R Herath to Bavuma, Tossed up ball on off, well blocked. |
| 23.2 : R Herath to Bavuma, Flighted one around off, driven to covers. |
| 23.3 : R Herath to Bavuma, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 23.4 : R Herath to Bavuma, Ouch! That must have hurt. Bavuma brings out the sweep from outside off. The ball goes on to hit Kusal Mendis at short leg. The ball rolls further down the on side where they take the run. Mendis fine, and good to go. |
| 23.5 : R Herath to Plessis, Faf has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 23.6 : R Herath to Plessis, Charges down the wicket and confidently blocks it. |
| 24.1 : D Perera to Bavuma, Unconventional. Picks up the length early and tries to reverse sweep this. Finds the man at backward point. |
| 24.2 : D Perera to Bavuma, Sweeps this in front of square to rotate strike. |
| 24.3 : D Perera to Plessis, Comes down the track and works this towards mid on. |
| 24.4 : D Perera to Plessis, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 24.5 : D Perera to Plessis, FOUR! No half measures from Faf. Gets on one knee and smokes this over mid-wicket for another boundary. Moves closer to his 50. |
| There is a review for caught behind. Faf is the man in the picture. Is this the wicket Sri Lanka need? |
| 24.6 : D Perera to Plessis, OUT! Sri Lanka get their man. Faf has to go after a very well played innings. How happy are the hosts! Perera bowls this slower to the air around off, Plessis goes for another swipe. The ball spins in and takes the bottom edge of Faf's bat. Dickwella takes a good and the umpire straightaway raises his finger. Faf is not sure and takes it up. Replays shows us there is a definite nick. The skipper misses out on his fifty but now Sri Lanka will look to rattle this lower m |
| Quinton de Kock comes in to replace his skipper. |
| 25.1 : A Dananjaya to Bavuma, Bavuma bunts this into the ground. |
| 25.2 : A Dananjaya to Bavuma, Works this from around his pads to the leg side for a run. |
| 25.3 : A Dananjaya to Kock, Turn and bounce. De kock comes forward to block it but gets beaten. |
| 25.4 : A Dananjaya to Kock, Driven straight to the fielder at covers. |
| 25.5 : A Dananjaya to Kock, FOUR! Off the mark is de Kock. Sweeps this from outside off over square leg for a boundary. Effective. |
| 25.6 : A Dananjaya to Kock, FOUR! Once again. He got out in the last match playing the sweep, but is not short of confidence here. Swipes another one towards the backward square leg region for back-to-back boundaries. |
| 26.1 : D Perera to Bavuma, In the air..but safe. Bavuma will be thanking his heavens he did go hard at this. Off spinner on middle, Bavuma looks to play this to the leg side but gets a leading edge towards mid on, well short of the fielder. They take the run. |
| 26.2 : D Perera to Kock, Goes for yet another sweep but fails to make any contact. |
| 26.3 : D Perera to Kock, That ball has taken the inside edge of the batsman and thudded into his pads. |
| 26.4 : D Perera to de Kock, DROPPED! Dhananjaya de Silva has put down de Kock at second slip. Quinton gets another life. Loopy ball around off, de Kock looks to block this but gets an outside edge towards de Silva at second slip. He dives to his right but the ball does not stick. Mathews at first slip tries to take it on the rebound but cannot get any of it. |
| 26.5 : D Perera to Kock, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 26.6 : D Perera to Kock, Flicks this through square leg far of the fielder. Comfortable couple for the batsmen. |
| Drinks break! |
| 27.1 : A Dananjaya to Bavuma, Milks this through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 27.2 : A Dananjaya to Kock, Good shot! Brings up the 100 for the visitors. Slower ball on off, de Kock dances down the wicket and lofts this to extra cover. Doesn't quiet middle it but will get two for it. |
| 27.3 : A Dananjaya to Kock, Gets a soft leading edge back to the bowler trying to work it on the on side. |
| 27.4 : A Dananjaya to Kock, FOUR! Quinton showing his intent now, perhaps got a word or two from his captain. Steps down the wicket and lofts this over mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 27.5 : A Dananjaya to Kock, Sweeps this from outside off to the on side for a run. |
| 27.6 : A Dananjaya to T Bavuma, Gives this to the mid on fielder to collect. |
| 28.1 : D Perera to Kock, Slower through the air, fuller around off, de Kock is down to drag the sweep but gets it off the bottom half of the bat. |
| 28.2 : D Perera to Kock, Tossed up outside off, de Kock once again kneels down to sweep, but gets it off the toe end on the off side. |
| 28.3 : D Perera to Kock, A little too full, allows de Kock to flick this away on the leg side for a double. |
| 28.4 : D Perera to Kock, Another sweep and a miss. Slower through the air around off, the South African keeper is down to play the shot but the ball goes under his bat. |
| 28.5 : D Perera to Kock, Drifting in on the stumps, blocked with the full face of the bat. |
| 28.6 : D Perera to Kock, Uses the angle to his advantage as he clips this through the mid-wicket area for a couple. |
| 29.1 : A Dananjaya to Bavuma, Flat and short, turning in from around the wicket, Bavuma punches it off the back foot to short mid-wicket. |
| 29.2 : A Dananjaya to Bavuma, Camps onto his back foot once more and nudges it past short leg for a single. |
| 29.3 : A Dananjaya to Kock, Takes the aerial route this time and gets a couple of runs for it. Quinton de Kock charges out and lofts the floated ball over covers. Comes back for the second to keep strike. |
| 29.4 : A Dananjaya to Kock, Drifting in from around off, de Kock pushes it away into the off side and gets to the other end. |
| 29.5 : A Dananjaya to Bavuma, Loopy and full on the stumps, met with the full face of the bat. |
| 29.6 : A Dananjaya to Bavuma, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 30.1 : D Perera to Kock, Spinning away from off, on a bit of a fuller length, kept out off the outer half on the off side. |
| 30.2 : D Perera to Kock, Uses the depth of the crease and tucks it square on the leg side. Single results. |
| 30.3 : D Perera to T Bavuma, OUT! Some extra bounce on this occasion has undone Temba Bavuma. This is superb bowling, and an even better catch from Kusal Mendis. Served on a shorter length and it kicks off the deck, Bavuma goes back to work it on the leg side but the ball just gets a little too big on him. Straight to Mendis at short leg who takes a sharp catch. Nicely done. |
| Keshav Maharaj to bat next. |
| 30.4 : D Perera to Maharaj, Slower through the air, on middle stump, Maharaj plants his front foot forward and defends. |
| 30.5 : D Perera to Maharaj, Gets off the mark with a nice push through the vacant cover region. Two runs taken. |
| 30.6 : D Perera to Maharaj, Pitches around leg and it's spinning down, Maharaj goes back and pads it away. Muted appeal, which immediately dies down. |
| 31.1 : A Dananjaya to Kock, Coming into the batsman from around the wicket, Quinton de Kock is down on his rear knee as he sweeps it behind square leg. The man out in the deep moves to his left and makes a good tumbling stop. Two to the total. |
| 31.2 : A Dananjaya to Kock, Drifting in at first and it then spins away, de Kock blocks with the full face of the bat. |
| 31.3 : Dananjaya to Kock, Landing on off, spinning away sharply, de Kock misses his sweep and gets caught on the front pad. Shouts for a leg before, but it was always missing off. |
| 31.4 : A Dananjaya to Kock, Driven towards the mid on region. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| Keshav Maharaj is caught out, but the umpire isn't sure if it's a bump ball. He takes it upstairs but the soft signal is out. |
| 31.5 : A Dananjaya to Maharaj, OUT! Another wicket down for South Africa! They're facing a similar fate to what they did in Galle. Another collapse. Full and darted on the stumps, Maharaj plays across the line and lobs it off the splice towards backward square leg, where Karunaratne takes a simple catch. The umpire isn't exactly sure if it's a bump ball or not, so he takes it upstairs and replays confirm the hero with the ball is gone. |
| Kagiso Rabada makes his way out to the middle. |
| 31.6 : A Dananjaya to Rabada, Ripper! Flighted on middle and it turns a long way, Rabada is forward in defense and gets beaten comprehensively past the outside edge. |
| 32.1 : D Perera to Kock, Leans ahead to this full ball and knocks it to long off for a single. |
| 32.2 : D Perera to Rabada, Absolute peach from Dilruwan! Dear me... gave Rabada no chance on that. He pitches this on leg and it turns away sharply. Rabada is ahead to defend but is completely beaten past the edge. |
| 32.3 : D Perera to Rabada, Stays right behind the line of this one and blocks it out. |
| 32.4 : D Perera to Rabada, Pushes this to the cover region and earns a single. |
| 32.5 : D Perera to Kock, Tossed up delivery, de Kock sweeps it off the top edge down towards fine leg. Nobody out there, it falls safely. Three runs taken. |
| 32.6 : D Perera to Rabada, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the deliver. |
| 33.1 : A Dananjaya to de Kock, Full in length, on the stumps, blocked. |
| 33.2 : A Dananjaya to Kock, OUT! Quinton de Kock is out of here! Akila Dananjaya doing well after coming into the side for this game. Drifting in on middle and leg, it doesn't turn much, almost holds its line and catches de Kock on the front pad, who misses his front foot block. Maybe he leaned a little too far across and that became his undoing. Caught flush and the finger goes up in an instant. |
| Dale Steyn is the new man in. |
| A review is taken for an lbw decision against Dale Steyn. Height could be a factor. |
| 33.3 : A Dananjaya to Steyn, Not out! Height has saved him on this occasion. Dropped short on off, turns back in a touch, Steyn goes on the back foot and is caught on the back pad. Big appeal, but the umpire doesn't raise his finger. It's taken upstairs by the fielding side and the replays show that the ball is indeed going over the stumps. Steyn survives. |
| Now Steyn takes the review. For an lbw decision again. All happening here. Looks to be gone this time. |
| 33.4 : A Dananjaya to Steyn, OUT! The review won't save him this time. Dale Steyn is gone and this is the 2nd Test 5-fer for Akila Dananjaya. Fuller and it's the off break around off, Steyn is forward to block but misses and is rapped on the front pad. Big shout, this time the finger goes up. The batsman opts to review the decision this time but it goes in vain as it shows the ball to be clipping the leg stump, so the on-field call stays. South Africa still haven't avoided the follow-on. Can they |
| Lungi Ngidi to be the new batsman in. |
| 33.5 : A Dananjaya to Ngidi, Quicker one around off, Ngidi gets a bottom edge on the leg side. |
| 33.6 : A Dananjaya to Ngidi, Presses forward to play at this but is struck high on the pads. Height's always an issue, hence the appeal wasn't as strong either. |
| 34.1 : D Perera to Rabada, Landed short on off, turning away, Rabada goes back and taps it down under his nose. |
| 34.2 : D Perera to Rabada, Loopy and full from the bowler, Rabada is forward as he blocks it out. |
| 34.3 : D Perera to Rabada, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 34.4 : D Perera to Rabada, Keeps it outside the line of off stump, pushed tamely to the cover region. |
| 34.5 : D Perera to Rabada, OUT! There's the final wicket, Dilruwan wraps it up! Loopy and full with some nice shape on it, around off, Rabada drives this away from his body and gets an edge behind. Mathews at first slip moves to his right and takes a safe catch. SOUTH AFRICA HAVE BEEN BOWLED OUT FOR 124! |
| A clinical bowling performance from the Sri Lankans. It took them just under one and a half sessions to clean up the Protea batting order. Misery for them, they once again failed to hang on for long. Officially, TEA HAS BEEN CALLED ON DAY 2! |
| The three spinners did it all by themselves. Shared the 10 wickets between them, with Dananjaya taking 5, Dilruwan bagging 4 and Herath getting 1. Skipper du Plessis and Amla provided some resistance, with de Kock doing his small bit, but nobody could carry on and dig in their heels. The move to bring Akila in this game has paid dividends, and the hosts will surely be reaping them further. They will come out to bat and swell their lead even further. The signs don't look good for the Proteas at a |
| 0.1 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Starts with a spinning delivery going down the leg side. Danushka fails to make contact. |
| 0.2 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Fuller ball on off, driven to mid on for a run. |
| Not surprising South Africa starts the innings with spin. But sadly for them, they only have one conventional spin bowler in their playing XI. |
| 0.3 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Hangs back and blocks the ball out to the off side. |
| 0.4 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, On the pads, flicked through square leg for a run. |
| 0.5 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, This one is down the leg side and the batsman leaves it alone. |
| 0.6 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Gets behind the line of the flatter ball and defends it to end the first over. |
| Kagiso Rabada is on. |
| 1.1 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, Starts with a full toss, Karunaratne whips it to mid-wicket. One run taken. |
| 1.2 : K Rabada to Gunathilaka, Another full toss outside off, driven to mid off for another single. |
| 1.3 : K Rabada to D Karunaratne, FOUR! Classy. Full in line of the stumps and driven straight down the ground. Impact straightaway! |
| 1.4 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, Drives this one to mid off. |
| 1.5 : K Rabada to D Karunaratne, Outside off, caressed to covers off the front foot. |
| 1.6 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, In line of the stumps on a back of a length, flicked through mid-wicket for a run. |
| 2.1 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Flatter on middle, eased through mid-wicket. One run taken. |
| 2.2 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, FOUR! Gunathilaka is no mood to hang around! He gets into the act and whips the slog sweep the flighted ball on off and gets it through long off. A boundary! |
| 2.3 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 2.4 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Flighted around off, Danushka comes forward to play it but gets hit on the pad after missing it. |
| 2.5 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Hangs back and bunts it out the off side. |
| 2.6 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Carefully tackled off the back foot by Gunathilaka. |
| 3.1 : K Rabada to D Karunaratne, FOUR! Edge but safe! It was on a good length around off, Dimuth gets an outside edge and it goes through square on the off side for a boundary. |
| 3.2 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, Outside off, left alone. |
| 3.3 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, Around off this time but similar leave from Karunaratne. |
| 3.4 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, And now gets beaten off the length ball. He looks to cut it fiercely but connects with thin air. |
| 3.5 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, Short outside off, he looks to pull but misses it. He looks in some hurry. Perhaps SL want to put SA into bat as early as possible. |
| 3.6 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, No run. |
| 4.1 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Gets off the inner half back to the bowler. |
| 4.2 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Off spinner down leg, Gunathilaka tries flicking the ball but misses. |
| 4.3 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Turned around the corner for nothing. |
| 4.4 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, FOUR! Just over Rabada! Picks up the length early, gets into position and reverse sweeps this over backward point. Boundary |
| 4.5 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, FOUR! Loopy ball down leg, Gunathilaka gets on one knee and looks to paddle sweep this. Gets a faint edge to this and the ball trickles down towards the fine leg region for back-to-back boundaries. |
| 4.6 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Gunathilaka has nudged the ball fine down the leg side. One run added to the total. |
| 5.1 : K Rabada to Gunathilaka, FOUR! Driven on the up through mid off and it races to the fence for a boundary. |
| K Rabada to Gunathilaka, Rabada goes over the wicket to angle it across and manages to beat Gunathilaka's willow on the outside. |
| 5.2 : K Rabada to Gunathilaka, The batsman shoulders arms to let that one through. |
| 5.3 : K Rabada to Gunathilaka, Kagiso goes 'round and Danushka gets it away from his crease. |
| 5.4 : K Rabada to Gunathilaka, A back of a length delivery targeting the rib cage, Gunathilaka hops and gets it to mid on for a run. |
| 5.5 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, On the hips coming in with the angle, pushed to the on side for a run. |
| 5.6 : K Rabada to Gunathilaka, Short of length again, played to the on side for no run. |
| 6.1 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Flatter on a good length, worked to through square leg. One run taken. |
| 6.2 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Comes charges down the track to block this one. He is showing intent. |
| 6.3 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, SIX! Some more intent this time. He is the aggressor in this innings for the home team. A tossed up ball on middle and off, Gunathilaka gets down on his knee and slogs it over mid-wicket fence. A maximum results! |
| 6.4 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Faster in line of the stumps, kept out to the on side. |
| 6.5 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Wide down the leg side, No trouble at all for the batsman. |
| 6.6 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Tossed up on length and it spin away from the leg stump. Gunathilaka looks to flick but it misses everything it seems and thuds into de Kock's gloves. Maharaj appeals but the umpire ignores it. |
| 7.1 : K Rabada to D Karunaratne, Short around the shoulder height, pulled through mid-wicket for no run. |
| 7.2 : K Rabada to D Karunaratne, Follows the short ball with a length ball. Karunaratne pushes it through mid on. |
| 7.3 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, Another short ball around the grille area, Karunaratne dabs it to mid-wicket for another run. |
| 7.4 : K Rabada to Gunathilaka, The batsman rocks onto the back foot and punches the ball. |
| 7.5 : K Rabada to Gunathilaka, Hangs back to the back of a length ball and eases it through the on side for a single. |
| 7.6 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, Drives the full ball through covers. The fielder at mid off scampers to his right and stops it but not cleanly. Two runs taken. |
| 8.1 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Swept handsomely through deep square leg for a brace. It's all too easy for the Lankan batsmen right now. |
| 8.2 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Ooh! Clever, very lever from Maharaj. He saw Gunathilaka coming down the track and hence, he fired this one outside off. But kudos to the batsman who saw this plot and got his foot back in time. Good stuff this. |
| 8.3 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Flatter outside off, Gunathilaka gets forward to block it. |
| 8.4 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Gunathilaka fails to get bat on that one and is hit on the pad. |
| 8.5 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, moves away from his stumps to play it off the back foot through cover-point. One run added to the total. |
| 8.6 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Dimuth offers no stroke and is wrapped on the pads. The fielding side is asking the question. The Umpire decides the batsman is not out as it might have been missing the sticks. |
| Aiden Markram is into the attack as the second spinner. |
| 9.1 : A Markram to Gunathilaka, Pushes this one around off, it pitches and spins away just a tad from the left-hander. Gunathilaka tries to poke at it but misses. |
| 9.2 : A Markram to Gunathilaka, Fuller on off, drive to mid off for no run. |
| 9.3 : A Markram to Gunathilaka, Lunges forward to the tossed up ball and blocks it down the track. |
| 9.4 : A Markram to Gunathilaka, Copy-paste stuff from the bowler and the batsman. |
| 9.5 : A Markram to D Gunathilaka, Moves away from his wickets and punches it through covers. One run taken. |
| 9.6 : A Markram to Karunaratne, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 10.1 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Charges down the track to get to the pitch of the ball and defends it. |
| 10.2 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Good fielding effort this from Elgar to save a run for his team. Gunathilaka flicks this one off his pads and gets it fine. The ball race towards the fence but Elgar runs after it, puts in a timely dive in the deep and saves a run for his team. He knows the value of each and every run! 50-run stand comes up between the duo. |
| 10.3 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, FOUR! Out comes the slog sweep once again. Most potent weapon for most of the batters. A flighted ball around off, Karunaratne gets down on his knee and smashes it through the wide long on region. |
| 10.4 : Maharaj to Karunaratne, Flatter around off, it spins back and hits the batsman on his pad. The fielding team asks the question but the umpire denies it again. |
| 10.5 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, On the pads, flicked through the leg side for nothing. |
| 10.6 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Mistimed reverse sweep goes to the point region. |
| 11.1 : A Markram to Gunathilaka, Hangs back and bunts it out. Markram is easier to handle considering the Lankan batters play better spin the nets. |
| 11.2 : A Markram to Gunathilaka, A tad shorter, defended. |
| 11.3 : A Markram to Gunathilaka, A full toss from Aiden, Gunthilaka couldn't get it past the short square leg fielder. |
| 11.4 : A Markram to Gunathilaka, A full toss from Aiden, Gunthilaka couldn't get it past the short cover fielder. |
| 11.5 : A Markram to Gunathilaka, On the pads, worked to the on side for no run. |
| 11.6 : A Markram to Gunathilaka, Fullish around off, defended off the front foot by Gunathilaka. |
| 12.1 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Quicker through the air outside off, it turns in, Dimuth moves across and blocks it out. |
| 12.2 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Sweeps this full ball behind square on the leg side for a single. |
| 12.3 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Big appeal for an lbw, but correctly shut down. Flighted outside off, it spins in and catches Gunathilaka on the pads as he moves a long way across his stumps. Impact clearly outside off, could see all three sticks. |
| 12.4 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Plants his front foot forward and meets it with a straight bat in defense. |
| 12.5 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Works it away with the spin on the leg side. No run taken. |
| 12.6 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Makes his way down the track to this flighted ball and knocks it down to long on for one. |
| 13.1 : A Markram to D Gunathilaka, Flighted on middle, driven through covers for a brace by Gunathilaka. |
| 13.2 : A Markram to Gunathilaka, In line of the stumps, blocked back to the bowler. |
| 13.3 : A Markram to Gunathilaka, Edge but safe! A flighted ball on a length, Gunathilaka pushes hard at it and gets it off the outside edge and through the third man region. Amla runs after it from the first slip and keeps them under three. |
| 13.4 : A Markram to Karunaratne, Comes down the track this time and plays it to the off side. |
| 13.5 : A Markram to Karunaratne, Slower around off, Karunaratne puts it in the gap through cover-point for a single. |
| 13.6 : A Markram to Gunathilaka, Short and wide, cut through backward point by Gunathilaka. A misfield from the fielder there allows them to take two. |
| 14.1 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Fuller, swept but couldn't get it past FSL. |
| 14.2 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Another full ball and another sweep shot. This time he gets it to mid-wicket for a single. |
| 14.3 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, In line of the stumps, defended off the back foot down the track for nothing. |
| 14.4 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Lunges forward and blocks it out! |
| 14.5 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Around off, Gunathilaka lunges forward once again but doesn't get his bat behind the line cleanly. |
| 14.6 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, SIX! In the air... and it's a SIX! Elgar helped him there as well. Markram bolwed a flighted ball outside off, Gunathilaka slogs it aerially to the mid-wicket fence. Dean standing there misjudges it and is late on it. He ends up missing it altogether. The ball lands directly on the ropes. Nothing going SA's way. |
| Theunis de Bruyn is on. |
| 15.1 : de Bruyn to Karunaratne, Comes ahead to play it to the off side. |
| 15.2 : de Bruyn to Karunaratne, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 15.3 : de Bruyn to Karunaratne, On the pads, flicked to the on side by Dimuth. |
| 15.4 : de Bruyn to Karunaratne, Hangs back to the shortish ball and pushes it off the back foot. |
| 15.5 : de Bruyn to Karunaratne, Shows the full face to the flatter ball and keeps it out. |
| 15.6 : de Bruyn to Karunaratne, On the leg side, worked fine by Karunartne. Two runs results. |
| Aiden Markran is back on. |
| 16.1 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Comes down the track and gets it through long on. A run taken. |
| 16.2 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Some air on this one, Karunratne gets to the pitch of the ball and punches it through long on. Another single taken. |
| 16.3 : K Maharaj to D Gunathilaka, FOUR! Fortune favors the brave and Gunathilaka has been! He looks to cut the faster ball but ends up getting an outside edge. The ball evades the keeper's gloves and the first slip moved the wrong to let it past between the two. A boundary through the third man fence to get to his 2nd fifty. Lead is getting bigger and bigger for SA. |
| 16.4 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, The batsman gets to the pitch of the ball and connects. |
| 16.5 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Sweeps the full ball through square leg and takes a brace. |
| 16.6 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Wide outside off stump, Gunathilaka leaves it alone. |
| 17.1 : de Bruyn to Karunaratne, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 17.2 : de Bruyn to Karunaratne, A tad shorter and slower from de Bruyn, blocked off the back foot. |
| 17.3 : de Bruyn to Karunaratne, Gets behind the line of this one and defends it down the track for nothing. |
| 17.4 : de Bruyn to Karunaratne, Fuller ball driven through covers bu Karunaratne. Lead swells to 299. |
| 17.5 : de Bruyn to Gunathilaka, FOUR! Lead is 300 now! Gunathilaka reverse sweeps the full ball once again and finds the gap through the cover-point region. Innovation to get to the landmark! |
| 17.6 : de Bruyn to Gunathilaka, Around off, blocked! |
| 18.1 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Flicks this through mid-wicket for a brace. |
| 18.2 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, Uses his feet and works this towards cow corner. Another comfortable brace. |
| 18.3 : K Maharaj to Gunathilaka, OUT! Finally a wicket for South Africa. They have been made to work for it and Maharaj is the man once again. 10-fer for the left-arm orthodox. He gives this one air on middle and leg. Gunathilaka dances down the track and looks to clear the field. Can't get hold off it and finds Elgar at deep cow corner who dives to take a very good catch. |
| Drinks have been taken! Also, Dhananjaya de Silva walks out to bat. |
| 18.4 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, FOUR! A wicket of the previous ball and Karunaratne brings out the sweep. Fetches it from outside off and sweeps it over backward square leg for a boundary. |
| 18.5 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Karunaratne has flicked the ball off his pads. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 18.6 : K Maharaj to Silva, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 19.1 : de Bruyn to Karunaratne, Shorter on middle, eased through mid-wicket for a couple of runs. |
| 19.2 : de Bruyn to Karunaratne, Comes down the track to play this one. He gets it to mid on uppishly. |
| 19.3 : de Bruyn to Karunaratne, A touch short in length, Karunaratne defends it off the back foot. |
| 19.4 : de Bruyn to Karunaratne, FOUR! Another short ball and punished by Karunaratne this time. He rocks back and pulls this one to the square leg fence. |
| 19.5 : de Bruyn to Karunaratne, Misses to play this one and gets hit on his pads. |
| 19.6 : de Bruyn to Karunaratne, A lot of air on this one, DK waits for it to play it off the back foot. |
| 20.1 : K Maharaj to Silva, Tossed up ball on leg, de Silva comes down the track and looks to flick it but gets hit on the pads. Appeal to no avail. |
| 0.0 : An LBW decision is taken up. South Africa look confident. But, is there a bat? |
| 20.2 : Maharaj to Silva, OUT! No bat and de Silva has to take the long walk back. A great review from South Africa and Maharaj gets another one. Loopy ball on leg, just like the previous ball. Once again de Silva comes down looking to work it on the on side. The spin back in and hits de Silva low on his back leg. A strong appeal from the bowler but the umpire stays put. They have a chat and Faf takes it up. Replays show us that there was no bat and the ball would have gone to hit the middle of mi |
| 20.3 : K Maharaj to Mendis, Mendis gets behind the ball and blocks it. |
| 20.4 : K Maharaj to Mendis, Sharp turn. Mendis hangs back and looks to block it but gets beaten. |
| 20.5 : K Maharaj to Mendis, Drives this towards the off side for a run. |
| 20.6 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Half-tracker on middle, Karunaratne pulls this to mid-wicket. |
| 21.1 : D Steyn to Mendis, Length ball around off, Mendis hits it back towards the bowler. |
| 21.2 : D Steyn to Mendis, Good length ball outside off, Kusal looks to cut it but cannot put bat to ball. |
| 21.3 : D Steyn to Mendis, Hangs back in his crease and bunts it down. |
| 21.4 : D Steyn to Mendis, Covers his stumps and blocks it with a straight bat. |
| 21.5 : D Steyn to Mendis, Stays back once again and shows his solid defense. |
| 21.6 : D Steyn to Mendis, Length outside off, Kusal shows Steyn the sticker of his bat maker. |
| 22.1 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Comes down the track and works it to mid on. |
| 22.2 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Turns his bat to the leg side for nothing. Dot ball. |
| 22.3 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 22.4 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 22.5 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, FOUR! That will get him to 44. Comes dancing down, takes it on the full and drives it towards extra cover. No fielder there and he will get his boundary. |
| 22.6 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Tickles this to the on side to retain strike for the next over. |
| 23.1 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, Good length ball on that fourth stump channel, Karunaratne is happy to place the ball. |
| 23.2 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 23.3 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, Digs this in short on middle, Karunaratne is not in total control and looks to pull it away. He misjudges the bounce and gets hit on his shoulder. |
| 23.4 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, FOUR! Delicately done. Waits for the ball to come to him and cuts it late past the backward point fielder. Another boundary. |
| 23.5 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, Fuller this time outside off, pushed to the cover region. |
| 23.6 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, Another fuller ball on off, driven to covers. Sri Lanka's lead now is 326 runs. |
| 24.1 : K Maharaj to Mendis, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 24.2 : K Maharaj to Mendis, FOUR! They have been playing the sweep so very well. Catches this from outside off and slogs it through mid-wicket. No fielder there and no one to chase the ball. Boundary. |
| 24.3 : K Maharaj to K Mendis, FOUR! Another one! This time with the turn. On the up, not an easy shot to play. Tossed up ball from Maharaj around off, Kusal lofts it uppishly towards extra cover for back-to-back boundaries. |
| 24.4 : K Maharaj to Mendis, Kusal has flicked the ball off his pads. |
| 24.5 : K Maharaj to Mendis, Defended off the front foot by Mendis presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 24.6 : K Maharaj to Mendis, Covers his stumps and blocks this ball comfortably. |
| 25.1 : D Steyn to D Karunaratne, Pitched up ball on off, Dimuth drives it to covers. |
| 25.2 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, Karunaratne lets the ball go outside his off stump. |
| 25.3 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, Pushed to the cover region by DK. |
| 25.4 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, Another ball driven towards that region. |
| 25.5 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, FOUR! Fourth fifty in a row for Karunaratne and his 17th overall. What a series he is having. Another fuller ball from Steyn on off, Dimuth drives it in the gap to get to the landmark. |
| 25.6 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, The ball is way outside the off stump, easy leave for Dimuth. |
| 26.1 : K Maharaj to Mendis, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 26.2 : K Maharaj to Mendis, Prods forward and taps it in front of him. |
| 26.3 : K Maharaj to Mendis, Works this towards square leg for a run. |
| 26.4 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Sharp turn down leg, Karunaratne flicks it to the square leg fielder. |
| 26.5 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Flighted ball on off, DK pushes this towards mid on and jogs to complete the run. |
| 26.6 : K Maharaj to Mendis, Loopy ball on middle and leg, played towards mid on. |
| 27.1 : D Steyn to D Karunaratne, Steyn bangs it short first up, Dimuth pulls it through mid-wicket for one. |
| 27.2 : D Steyn to Mendis, Length outside off, Mendis blocks it with a straight bat. |
| 27.3 : D Steyn to Mendis, Outside off, Kusal gets behind it and taps it down. |
| 27.4 : D Steyn to Mendis, Outside off, Mendis plays it to the off side. |
| 27.5 : D Steyn to Mendis, Tries to york him bowls a fuller ball on middle, Kusal hits it towards mid on. |
| 27.6 : D Steyn to Mendis, Fuller on leg, flicked away to square leg for a brace. |
| 28.1 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Flat ball on leg, Karunaratne rocks back and pulls it in front of square. Will get just the one for it. |
| 28.2 : K Maharaj to Mendis, FOUR! No one in the deep and Mendis adds another boundary to his name. Takes on the preditable Maharaj and plays an inside out shot over the cover region. |
| 28.3 : K Maharaj to Mendis, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| Now then! A run out appeal is been referred up. De Kock thinks he has his man. Kusal Mendis is waiting in anticipation. |
| 28.4 : K Maharaj to Mendis, OUT! A miss communication from the batters and Kusal is well short of his mark. A short ball from Maharaj outside off, Kusal rocks back and places his cut shot in the deep. They jog for the first and suddenly think they can get the third run. The duo sprint for the second and set off for the third. Kusal is then set back by his partner. Markram in the deep gives it back to the keeper who stretches his arm to dislodge the bails. The umpire takes it up and even a dive co |
| Angelo Mathews is the new man in. |
| 28.5 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Angelo has flicked the ball off his pads. The batsmen have run through for a single. He is off the mark. |
| 28.6 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| Lungi Ngidi comes on for his first over this innings. |
| 29.1 : L Ngidi to Mathews, Length ball outside off, well blocked by Mathews. |
| 29.2 : L Ngidi to Mathews, Fuller this time on middle and off, driven back to the bowler. |
| 29.3 : L Ngidi to Mathews, Length outside off, cut away to the point region. |
| 29.4 : L Ngidi to Mathews, Lands it full once again on off, pushed to covers. |
| 29.5 : L Ngidi to Mathews, Driven through mid off by the batsman. |
| 29.6 : L Ngidi to Mathews, FOUR! Class! pure class! Overpitched ball around off, Mathews leans forward and unleashes the cover drive to perfection. |
| 30.1 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Karunaratne has flicked the ball off his pads. |
| 30.2 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Loopy ball on leg, tucked away to the on side. |
| 30.3 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Milks this through mid on for an easy run. |
| 30.4 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Played with soft hands towards square leg for a run. |
| 30.5 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, DK has played it towards mid-wicket. One run added to the total. |
| 30.6 : K Maharaj to Mathews, FOUR! The Sri Lankan players are attacking Maharaj more in this second innings. Makes room and lofts this over covers for a beautiful loft. |
| 31.1 : L Ngidi to Karunaratne, Gets behind the ball and taps it to the off side. |
| 31.2 : L Ngidi to Karunaratne, Played to the point region by Dimuth. |
| 31.3 : L Ngidi to Karunaratne, Back of a length ball on off, defended off the back foot by Karunaratne. |
| 31.4 : L Ngidi to Karunaratne, Turns this ball to the square leg fielder. |
| 31.5 : L Ngidi to Karunaratne, Hit back towards the bowler. Dot ball. |
| 31.6 : L Ngidi to Karunaratne, Length down the leg side, Karunaratne tries flicking it but misses. |
| 32.1 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 32.2 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Rocks back and punches this ball towards cover-point for an easy single. |
| 32.3 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Pitched way outside off, Dimuth gets to the ball and pads it out. |
| 32.4 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Flighted ball around off, Karunaratne is solid in defense. |
| 32.5 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 32.6 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Prods his pad out and blocks the ball well. |
| Dean Elgar is given the ball to bowl the last over of the day. |
| 33.1 : D Elgar to Mathews, Slower ball on off, pushes to the off side. |
| 33.2 : D Elgar to Mathews, Ohh! Turn from Elgar! Where was he all day? Lands this on middle, Angelo comes ahead to block it but almost gets an outside edge on this one to the keeper. |
| 33.3 : D Elgar to Mathews, Mathews has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 33.4 : D Elgar to Mathews, Pushes this towards mid on and gets to the other end. |
| 33.5 : D Elgar to Karunaratne, Gets low and bunts this ball out well. |
| 33.6 : D Elgar to Karunaratne, Short ball down leg, Karunaratne pulls it through mid-wicket for a run. Sri Lanka lead by 365 runs and that's STUMPS ON DAY 2. |
| If not the first, the second day is surely won by Sri Lanka. They outplayed the visitors in all the departments to get more than an upper hand in this game. The openers once again gave them the headstart stitching 91 together. Dimuth Karunaratne who became just the fourth Sri Lankan to get 4 back-to-back fifties in each Test innings is showing some character. Kusal Mendis ran himself out but the former skipper, Angelo Mathews ensured Sri Lanka did not slip further. |
| The technique of 'how to play spin on these sub-continent pitches' will have to be answered by the South African batters. It took just 34.5 overs for the home team to get them all out. Akila Dananjaya picked up his 2nd 5-wicket haul and Dilruwan Perera gave him good company taking 4 wickets. For the visitors, only their skipper Faf du Plessis and keeper Quinton de Kock showed some intent with the bat. The rest were just mentally not prepared to tackle spin as there was just one fifty-plus stand. |
| It's all Sri Lanka for the moment. If they had enforced the follow-on, maybe the game would have got over early on Day 3. South Africa will have to try and figure out a way to get the hosts bundled out and at least put up a fight in their last innings. Looking at the way they batted throughout the series, one would say there doesn't seem to be much scope for them. |
| That's all from us on Day 2. Will there be a Day 4 in this Test remains to be seen! But Day 3 is certain. You can join in for that which begins at 1000 local (0430 GMT). Enjoy your weekend, cheers! |
| ... Day 3, Session 1 ... |
| Hello and welcome to the third day of the second and final Test match between Sri Lanka and South Africa at Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo. The home team is on top. It went through the Proteas' line-up on Day 2 and extended its dominance with more runs on the board. The lead has swelled up to 365 runs, which is more than handy. The interesting thing now is to see when will they declare and put South Africa in to bat. There are two more days left in this Test, but perhaps we might not require the |
| Pitch report - Shaun Pollock and Kepler Wessels are reporting from the middle. They say that the pitch has dried up even more, puff of dust is coming off from the surface when the ball lands and it's going to assist spinners more than the fast bowler. Kepler asserts that the Sri Lankan spinners will be looking forward to bowl on this track and the batting is going to be difficult. Pollock ends by saying if nothing works, the sweep will be the best option. |
| We're set for the play. The players are out in the middle. Keshav Maharaj starts the proceedings with the ball. Dimuth Karunaratne and Angelo Mathews continue with the bat. Here we go... |
| 34.1 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Starts with a nice bouncy delivery outside off. It lands and takes extra bounce and Karunaratne works it to the on side. |
| 34.2 : K Maharaj to D Karunaratne, Flighted on off, driven to mid on for a run. |
| 34.3 : K Maharaj to Mathews, On the pads, flicked to fine leg. |
| 34.4 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Floated around off, defended to the off side. |
| 34.5 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Fuller, driven back to the bowler. |
| 34.6 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Similar delivery on off, pushed back to the bowler by Mathews. End of the first over. |
| Kagiso Rabada to bowl from the other end. |
| 35.1 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, Kagiso starts with a length ball around off, defended. |
| 35.2 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, Almost bounced on top of the stumps. Another length ball outside off, Dimuth defends it from his crease and the ball sneaks under his bat, hits his elbow and goes over the stumps. Lucky! |
| 35.3 : K Rabada to D Karunaratne, FOUR! Perfectly placed! A tad shorter from rabada around off, it gets the outside edge through the keeper and the wide first slip. First boundary! |
| 35.4 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 35.5 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, FOUR! Full on the pads, flicked through mid-wicket for another boundary. |
| 35.6 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, On a length, driven past the bowler for no run. |
| 36.1 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Tossed up on middle and off, defended off the outer half of the bat. |
| 36.2 : K Maharaj to Mathews, On middle and off, eased to covers by Mathews. |
| 36.3 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Shorter and width on offer, Mathews cuts it through cover-point. A brace results. |
| 36.4 : K Maharaj to A Mathews, Faster this, not much of a spin there, Mathews does well to get inside half of the bat to it. The ball goes towards fine leg. A run taken. |
| 36.5 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, The batsman flicks it away with a wristy shot. |
| 36.6 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, On the pads, tucked to the on side. |
| 37.1 : K Rabada to Mathews, On the pads, flicked to fine leg. One run taken. |
| 37.2 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, Dimuth has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 37.3 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, Around off, defended. |
| 37.4 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, A back of a length ball on the pads, flicked to short square leg for nothing. |
| 37.5 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, Outside off, pushed to point. |
| 37.6 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, In line of the stumps, pushed to mid-wicket. |
| 38.1 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Flatter on off, defended to the off side. |
| 38.2 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Similar ball and Mathews is happy to block. |
| 38.3 : K Maharaj to Mathews, A touch short, cut through cover-point. A run taken. |
| 38.4 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Charges down the track to push it through mid-wicket for another run. |
| 38.5 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Not that short this, Mathews rocks back and cuts it late to third man. |
| 38.6 : K Maharaj to Mathews, In line of the stumps, kept out down the track. |
| 39.1 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, Outside off, left alone. |
| 39.2 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, Fuller on middle, pushed uppishly to mid on. |
| 39.3 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, On off, played to the on side for no run. |
| 39.4 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, FOUR! Caressed. Rabada errs in line and Karunaratne makes him pay. A back of a length on the hips, the batsman flicks it fine and gets a boundary. |
| 39.5 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 39.6 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, FOUR! Too easy to miss out this. A full toss in line of the stumps, Karunaratne checks his drive and hits it straight down the ground. Second boundary of the over. |
| 40.1 : K Maharaj to Mathews, On the pads, worked to the on side. |
| 40.2 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Flighted on off, driven to covers. |
| 40.3 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Nicely done. A slower ball on the stumps, it lands and just kicks off the pitch. Mathews does well to play it through covers with soft hands. A run taken. |
| 40.4 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, On the pads, pushed to the on side. One run taken. |
| 40.5 : K Maharaj to Mathews, On the pads again, Mathews pushes it to mid-wicket. |
| 40.6 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Around off, defended. |
| 41.1 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, A back of a length ball outside off, kept out to the off side. |
| 41.2 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 41.3 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, Too straight, Dimuth tucks it fine and changes strike. |
| 41.4 : K Rabada to Mathews, Fullish on middle and leg, defended to mid-wicket. |
| 41.5 : K Rabada to Mathews, Fuller outside off, Mathews fetches it and gets it to slip fielder. |
| 41.6 : K Rabada to Mathews, Similar ball from Kagiso, Mathews goes after this one again and this time he gets it pass the gully fielder. A brace results. |
| Dale Steyn is on. |
| 42.1 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, Fuller around off, pushed to the off side. |
| 42.2 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, In line of the stumps, defended to silly mid on. |
| 42.3 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, On a length on off, blocked back to Dale. |
| 42.4 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, Outside off, Dimth resolute in defence. |
| 42.5 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, Outside off, left alone. |
| 42.6 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, On middle pole, flicked through square leg region. One run taken. |
| Keshav Maharaj changes ends. |
| 43.1 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Pushed around off, defended off the front foot. |
| 43.2 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Turns the flighted ball into a full toss, punched through long on for a run. |
| 43.3 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Goes around the wicket on the third ball. He ball a shortish delivery which Mathews could get through covers. |
| 43.4 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Pushed to the cover region by the batsman. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 43.5 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Prodigious spin. It pitches outside and turns down the leg side. Dimuth misses the flick. |
| 43.6 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, On the pads, flicked through fine leg. |
| 44.1 : D Steyn to A Mathews, FOUR! Width and gets the desired result. Mathews cut the wide and short ball and gets it up and over the slip cordon. A boundary results. Lead is 400 now. |
| 44.2 : D Steyn to Mathews, Around off, defended. |
| 44.3 : D Steyn to Mathews, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 44.4 : D Steyn to Mathews, Around off, defends it off the back foot. |
| 44.5 : D Steyn to Mathews, Presents the full face of the bat and blocks it. |
| 44.6 : D Steyn to Mathews, Outside off, pushed through backward point. Mathews keeps the strike. |
| 45.1 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Width on offer, cut through backward point. A run taken. |
| 45.2 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Pushed through outside off, blocked off the front foot. |
| 45.3 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Too much spin and too easy. karunaratne works it to the leg side for a brace taken. |
| 45.4 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, The batsman dances down the track but decides to defend it. |
| 45.5 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Sweeps it through the square leg region. Two more runs. |
| 45.6 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, On the pads, flicked through mid-wicket. |
| 46.1 : D Steyn to Mathews, Short of a length on middle and off, tucked through mid-wicket by Mathews. Two run. |
| 46.2 : D Steyn to Mathews, Around off, punched through covers for no run. |
| 46.3 : D Steyn to Mathews, FOUR! Easy peasy for Mathews. Poor from Steyn. A full ball on the pads, flicked through fine leg for a boundary. |
| 46.4 : D Steyn to Mathews, Punched off the back foot by the batsman. They pick up a single. |
| 46.5 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, On a length around off,pushed to point. |
| 46.6 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, Short ball in line of the stumps, defended off the back foot. |
| 47.1 : K Maharaj to A Mathews, Short and wide, cut away square on the off side. |
| 47.2 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Nicely tossed up from around the wicket, on the stumps, Mathews comes forward and blocks. |
| 47.3 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Coming in with the arm, catches Angelo on the thigh pad. |
| 47.4 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Stays right behind the line and blocks it out. |
| 47.5 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 47.6 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Not much turn on this occasion, Mathews stays inside the crease and blocks it out. |
| Lungi Ngidi into the attack now. |
| 48.1 : L Ngidi to Karunaratne, OUT! Impact straightaway from Ngidi! Unfortunate for Karunaratne, he misses out on what would have been a well-deserved ton. Length ball angling across, Dimuth plants his front foot forward in an attempt to push it away from his body to the covers. Gets a faint edge behind and Quinton de Kock collects it with ease. Partnership of 63 comes to an end. |
| 0.0 : Drinks break. |
| Roshen Silva is the new man in. |
| 48.2 : L Ngidi to Silva, Dead ball signalled by the umpire as Silva was looking to leave the ball. He tried to leave ball on his pad but the ball hit his pad and went to fine leg. As there was no shot offered, the umpire has to signal this as a dead ball. |
| 48.3 : L Ngidi to Silva, Fuller ball outside off, left alone. |
| 48.4 : L Ngidi to Silva, Full in line of the stumps, defended off the inner half of the bat. |
| 48.5 : L Ngidi to Silva, Similar ball on middle and leg, kept out by Silva. |
| 48.6 : L Ngidi to Silva, Oh! A beauty this. Almost had another in this over. Ngidi angles this from wide of the crease and lands it on a length just outside and manages to straighten it from there. Silva did well to block it away though he was late on it. |
| 49.1 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 49.2 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Gets forward and bunts it out. |
| 49.3 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Flatter around off, defended off the front foot. |
| 49.4 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Just outside off, Mathews goes for the cut but misses. |
| 49.5 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Eases this one to long on for a run. |
| 49.6 : K Maharaj to Silva, Waits for the ball and defends it down the ground. |
| 50.1 : L Ngidi to Mathews, On a length outside off, Mathews pushes it away from his body. |
| 50.2 : L Ngidi to Mathews, Yorker! Dug out by Mathews towards mid-wicket. |
| 50.3 : L Ngidi to Mathews, On off, defended gingerly by Angelo. |
| 50.4 : L Ngidi to Mathews, Fuller on middle, Mathews happy to defend. |
| 50.5 : L Ngidi to Mathews, The batsman has driven that ball straight back. |
| 50.6 : L Ngidi to Mathews, Fuller again, driven back to the bowler. |
| 51.1 : K Maharaj to Silva, Slower ball on middle and off, defended with a straight bat by Silva. |
| 51.2 : K Maharaj to Silva, Similar delivery from Keshav, blocked. |
| 51.3 : K Maharaj to Silva, Around off, pushed to the off side for nothing. |
| 51.4 : K Maharaj to Silva, Faster one on the pads, pushed through mid-wicket for a run. |
| 51.5 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Enticing ball around off, Mathews punches it to covers. |
| 51.6 : K Maharaj to Mathews, FOUR.! Shot! Intentional from Mathews. He gets a flighted ball on off and lofts the ball to the vacant deep cover region off the front foot. A boundary for Mathews. He moves to 39. |
| 52.1 : L Ngidi to Silva, Full outside off, defended. |
| 52.2 : L Ngidi to Silva, On middle this time, Silva works this through mid-wicket for a run. |
| 52.3 : L Ngidi to Mathews, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 52.4 : L Ngidi to Mathews, Around off, pushed off the back foot by Mathews. |
| 52.5 : L Ngidi to Mathews, On the hips, flicked through fine leg. A run taken. |
| 52.6 : L Ngidi to Silva, Ngidi makes Roshen hop with a short ball who does well to get it to the on side. A run results. |
| 53.1 : K Maharaj to Silva, No luck for Maharaj! It turns away from the defensive blade off Silva's bat. |
| 53.2 : K Maharaj to R Silva, FOUR! In the air.. and just flicks the fingers of Markram at second slip. A flighted ball on off, Silva goes it with hard hands. An edge is enduced but he is lucky to have placed it through the first and secodn slip. |
| 53.3 : K Maharaj to Silva, The batsman drives the ball straight down the ground. |
| 53.4 : K Maharaj to Silva, Roshen lets the ball go outside his off stump. |
| 53.5 : K Maharaj to Silva, FOUR! Silva pushes it through cover-point and Bavuma helps Silva to get this to a boundary. |
| 53.6 : K Maharaj to Silva, Pushed to the cover region by the batsman. Roshen have run through for a single. |
| 54.1 : L Ngidi to Silva, The ball is way wide on the leg side but the batsman still goes after it but misses. |
| 54.2 : L Ngidi to Silva, Full around off, Silva gets an inside edge on to the track. No harm done. |
| 54.3 : L Ngidi to Silva, Outside off, left alone. |
| 54.4 : L Ngidi to Silva, On a length on the pads, Silva misses the shot and gets hit on the pads. |
| 54.5 : L Ngidi to Silva, Inside edge saved him there. Ngidi skids this one from over the wicket into Silva. He is late on the shot and an inside saved him as he gets hit on the pads. |
| 54.6 : L Ngidi to Silva, Pheew! A good short ball and equally well left by Silva. |
| 55.1 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Flighted around middle, tucked to the on side. A run taken. |
| 55.2 : K Maharaj to Silva, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 55.3 : K Maharaj to Silva, Around off, pushed to the off side for one run. |
| 55.4 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Mathews has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 55.5 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Hangs back and bunts it out. |
| 55.6 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Tossed up around off, Mathews pushes at it and gets an outside edge. The ball goes towards third man but no run is taken. |
| Dale Steyn is back on. |
| 56.1 : D Steyn to Silva, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 56.2 : D Steyn to Silva, Shows the face of the bat and defends it off the front foot. |
| 56.3 : D Steyn to Silva, A length ball jagging back in, Silva is late on it and as a results the ball hits the inside edge of the bat to the keeper. |
| 56.4 : D Steyn to Silva, Outside off, left alone. |
| 56.5 : D Steyn to Silva, Bumper! Left alone by swaying away from the line. |
| 56.6 : D Steyn to Silva, Fuller around off, pushed to covers. |
| 57.1 : K Maharaj to Silva, Shortish ball on off, Mathews rocks back and cuts it through point. The batsmen sets off for a run, meanwhile, Bavuma there throws the ball back in, De Kock removes the bails but the batsman is in. The umpire goes upstairs but he is safely in. |
| 57.2 : K Maharaj to Silva, Shortish outside off, Silva cuts it through point for a run. |
| 57.3 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Mathews has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 57.4 : K Maharaj to Mathews, A play and a miss. Mathews goes after the flighted wide delivery but misses. |
| 57.5 : K Maharaj to Mathews, A leading edge to the cover region ends in a single. It's too easy for SL. |
| 57.6 : K Maharaj to Silva, Hangs back and keeps it out to the off side. |
| 58.1 : D Steyn to Mathews, Down the leg side, flicked away for a single. |
| 58.2 : D Steyn to Silva, On a length outside off, Roshen looks to punch but gets a bottom edge towards point. |
| 58.3 : D Steyn to Silva, The batsman opens the face of the bat and helps it to third man. |
| 58.4 : D Steyn to Silva, A bouncer now, Roshen ducks under it. |
| 58.5 : D Steyn to Silva, This is a bouncer but it stays low... Roshen has to crouch a bit to play it to the off side. |
| 58.6 : D Steyn to Silva, Down the leg side, flick shot missed. |
| 59.1 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Short around off, punched through covers by Mathews for a run. |
| 59.2 : K Maharaj to Silva, On off, Silva gets it to the third man region for another run. |
| 59.3 : K Maharaj to Mathews, A touch short again in line of the stumps, Mathews rocks back and defends it under his eyes. |
| 59.4 : K Maharaj to Mathews, FOUR! Mathews says thank you as he pushes this full toss on middle through mid-wicket. It all too easy for the Lankan batsmen. With this boundary Mathews moves to 49. |
| 59.5 : K Maharaj to Mathews, The batsman offers no stroke and is wrapped on the pads. |
| 59.6 : K Maharaj to Mathews, FIFTY FOR MATHEWS! One after a longggggggggggg time for him. But that is more because he has been in and out from cricket. This is his 29th Test fifty. Maharaj bowls this one on the pads, he works this to square leg for a run to reach the landmark. Meanwhile, Maharaj gets to his own landmark as well. He has now conceded 261 runs in this Test - MOST BY A SOUTH AFRICAN BOWLER IN A TEST MATCH - going past Imran Tahir's 0/260 against Australia in Adelaide in 2012. Well, a |
| 60.1 : D Steyn to Mathews, On a length around off, kept out off the back foot. |
| 60.2 : D Steyn to Mathews, Stays in the line of the ball to defend it nicely. |
| 60.3 : D Steyn to Mathews, Full from Dale and Mathews is happy to block it. |
| 60.4 : D Steyn to Mathews, Swinging full ball on off, Mathews drives it straight and Steyn gets his hand on it to parry it to mid on. |
| 60.5 : D Steyn to Mathews, On the pads, flicked through mid-wicket for a run. |
| 60.6 : D Steyn to Silva, Nicely played by Silva. Keeps his balance right. A full ball on the pads and tucked through square leg for a brace. |
| 61.1 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Flatter and faster around off, Mathews misses the cut. |
| 61.2 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Similar ball from Maharaj, Mathews rocks back and cuts it through point. One run taken. |
| 61.3 : K Maharaj to Silva, Flighted ball on off, kept out off the front foot. |
| 61.4 : K Maharaj to Silva, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 61.5 : K Maharaj to Silva, Turn! Silva plays the line but misses as the ball turns away from the face of his blade. |
| 61.6 : K Maharaj to Silva, Guides this slower ball through the third man region. Silva keeps strike. |
| 62.1 : D Steyn to Silva, Short pitch stuff from Steyn as he has Markram at FSL. Silva flicks this back of a length ball to the deep square leg region for a run. |
| 62.2 : D Steyn to Mathews, Fuller in line of the stumps, defended. |
| 62.3 : D Steyn to A Mathews, Full outside off, driven to mid off for another single. |
| 62.4 : D Steyn to Silva, Nicely targeted short ball from Steyn and perhaps too ambitious from Silva. He thinks there is an opportunity to play the ramp shot but ends up missing it. |
| 62.5 : D Steyn to Silva, Wide down the leg side, no trouble at all for the batsman. |
| 62.6 : D Steyn to Silva, Bumper! Silva ducks under it. That's LUNCH ON DAY 3, SRI LANKA LEAD BY 451!!! |
| Well, not much to say other than the resoluteness of the Sri Lankan batters on this morning. Angelo Mathews and Dimuth Karunaratne started the proceedings well to put up 63-run stand but the latter got out on 85 to miss out on a well deserved century. Then, Mathews joined hands with Roshen Silva to keep the bowlers at bay. He got to his 28th fifty as well and helped extend the already extended lead to 451. |
| The bad day, match and tour continues for South Africa. They struggled this morning as well, with Lungi Ngidi getting the lone wicket. Maharaj got some turn but nothing else to show for the other bowlers. 'Sri Lanka can do what they wish after Lunch!' exclaimed a joyful Russel Arnold on air. Indeed, they can. It is a matter of when they declare now. Join us back at 1240 local (0710 GMT) for the second session... |
| ... Day 3, Session 2 ... |
| The second session is on the way. The players are out in the middle. Angelo Mathews and Roshen Silva will continue with the bat while Keshav Maharaj start the session with the ball for visitors. |
| 63.1 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Starts with a flatter ball on middle, Mathews defends it off the front foot. |
| 63.2 : K Maharaj to Mathews, A touch shorter outside off, cut through point for a run. |
| 63.3 : K Maharaj to Silva, On the pads, Silva happy to tuck it through the on side for another run. |
| 63.4 : K Maharaj to Mathews, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 63.5 : K Maharaj to Mathews, In line of the stumps, blocked. |
| 63.6 : K Maharaj to A Mathews, Punched through long on for a run. Keshav Maharaj has bolwed 73 overs in this match as of now. Tough work! |
| Lungi Ngidi to bowl from the other end. The only wicket-taker for South Africa this morning. Has been frugal so far - 6-4-7-1. |
| 64.1 : L Ngidi to Mathews, On a length around off, defended by Mathews. |
| 64.2 : L Ngidi to Mathews, Around middle and off, Mathews defends it from his crease. |
| 64.3 : L Ngidi to Mathews, Outside off, pushed to covers. |
| 64.4 : L Ngidi to A Mathews, Fuller outside off this time, Mathews gets it to mid off. His one hand came off the bat but no harm done. |
| 64.5 : L Ngidi to Mathews, Mathews resolute in defence to the shortish ball around off. |
| 64.6 : L Ngidi to Mathews, Full, Mathews flicks it to short mid-wicket. No run. A maiden to start with from Ngidi. |
| 65.1 : K Maharaj to Silva, Tossed up delivery outside, the ball spins away after pitching and evades the bat of Silva. Another play and miss. |
| 65.2 : K Maharaj to Silva, Silva defends this one nicely by getting behind the line. |
| 65.3 : K Maharaj to Silva, Uff! How many times is he going to make the batsman miss the ball without getting the edge he is desperately looking for? 'N' number of times he has tossed this around off, spun it away from Silva who looks to play the line but misses again, just like many previous occasions. |
| 65.4 : K Maharaj to Silva, Come down the track and pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 65.5 : K Maharaj to Silva, Faster and full, Silva looks to flick but misses it. An appeal ensues but the umpire declines it. |
| 65.6 : K Maharaj to Silva, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| Ha ha... something different to talk about other than just block and leave. Russel Arnold has a chat with Pommie Mbangwa on air, regarding superstitions - where to sit, how to sit, etc... A certain Sourav Ganguly will have something to say about that - if you remember, some 17 years ago, in 2001, when the 'invincible' Aussie team had landed on Indian shores - about to seal the Test series At Eden Gardens, Kolkata - Ganguly sat shirtless on the balcony of the Indian dressing room, with his upper |
| 66.1 : L Ngidi to Mathews, On the pads by Lungi, Angelo works it through the leg side. One run taken. |
| 66.2 : L Ngidi to Silva, On the pads again, flicked to the on side for nothing. |
| 66.3 : L Ngidi to Silva, Angles this full ball on middle and leg, Silva tucks it straight to the fielder at short square leg. No run. |
| 66.4 : L Ngidi to Silva, Nice change up from Ngidi. A slower full ball around off, Silva manages to get an inside edge on to the pitch. |
| 66.5 : L Ngidi to Silva, Bouncer! Roshen ducks under it. |
| 66.6 : L Ngidi to Silva, Short and wide, cut to point to end the over. Just one of this over. |
| 67.1 : K Maharaj to A Mathews, FOUR! One one the first instances showing the signs of fatigue. Tired Maharaj bowls this slower ball outside off and it has a lot of room for Mathews. He cuts it through backward point and gets a boundary. |
| 67.2 : K Maharaj to Mathews, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 67.3 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Now a sad feeling is arising in me to say that the ball shouldn't spin that much that it misses the edge of the bat more than hitting it. Maharaj, the unlucky sod, tossed it around off and made it spin away from the defended blade of Mathews. |
| 67.4 : K Maharaj to Mathews, On middle and leg, flicked through the on side for a run. |
| 67.5 : K Maharaj to R Silva, Fullish, driven to mid off for nothing. |
| 67.6 : K Maharaj to Silva, Another miss from Silva. Similar ball as 67.3 and this time the lucky man is Roshen Silva. |
| 68.1 : L Ngidi to Mathews, A back of a length ball, Mathews defends it off the back foot. |
| 68.2 : Ngidi to Mathews, The batsman just manages to keep the yorker out. Good ball bowled by the bowler. |
| 68.3 : L Ngidi to Mathews, Too straight and easily worked to the leg side for a single by Mathews. |
| 68.4 : L Ngidi to Silva, On a length around off, Silva is late on it as he gets a bottom edge on that one on to the pitch. |
| 68.5 : L Ngidi to Silva, Full on middle, flicked to mid-wicket. |
| 68.6 : L Ngidi to Silva, Wide outside off, left alone. |
| 69.1 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Short around off, Mathews opens the face and gets it to third man for no run. |
| 69.2 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Good effort from Bavuma. Saved a certain boundary there. Mathews cuts the short ball to point region where Bavuma puts in dive to his right and cuts it out. |
| 69.3 : K Maharaj to Mathews, On off, defended. |
| 69.4 : K Maharaj to Mathews, In line of the stumps, worked to the leg side for no run. |
| 69.5 : K Maharaj to Mathews, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 69.6 : K Maharaj to A Mathews, Fuller, driven to covers. Just the third maiden from Maharaj. |
| Aiden Markram is on. |
| 70.1 : A Markram to Silva, Sharp turn in. Silva goes across to play and just gets it away from his body. |
| 70.2 : A Markram to Silva, Was there a chance? A difficult one but certainly a chance. Another shortish ball turning into Silva, he tucks to the left of FSL who tries to get his hand to it but it goes off after brushing his fingers. No harm done in the end. |
| 70.3 : A Markram to Silva, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 70.4 : A Markram to Silva, 1 run. |
| 70.5 : A Markram to Mathews, Spinning on to the pads, flicked off the pads for a run by Mathews. Brings up the 50-run stand as well. |
| 70.6 : A Markram to Silva, Tucked through square leg region by Silva to bring up 250 for his team. |
| 71.1 : K Maharaj to Silva, Another play and miss to the ball around off. |
| 71.2 : K Maharaj to Silva, A tad shorter outside off, cut to point for no run. |
| 71.3 : K Maharaj to Silva, He looks to cut the fuller ball and misses it again. Silva hasn't looked convincing but he is still out there in the middle though. |
| 71.4 : K Maharaj to Silva, Drives this one to covers for a run. |
| 71.5 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Mathews lets the ball go outside his off stump. |
| 71.6 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Rocks back and punches it through covers for another run. I am not really sure how many runs Sri Lanka really want on this pitch. It is already more than enough. |
| 72.1 : A Markram to Mathews, On the pads, defended. |
| 72.2 : A Markram to Mathews, Flatter on middle, Angelo wrists it away to the on side for nothing. |
| 72.3 : A Markram to Mathews, This one kicks off from the length. Mathews gets it down with soft hands to the fine leg region. One run added to the total. |
| 72.4 : A Markram to Silva, The batsman flicks it away with a wristy shot. |
| 72.5 : A Markram to Silva, On the pads, tucked to the on side by Markram. |
| 72.6 : A Markram to Silva, Silva has offered no stroke to an incoming delivery. |
| 73.1 : K Maharaj to Mathews, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 73.2 : K Maharaj to Mathews, In line of the stumps, defended off the front foot. |
| 73.3 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Copy-paste stuff from the bowler and the batsman. |
| 73.4 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Eased back to the bowler off the front foot. |
| 73.5 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Fast and short, Mathews goes for the cut but misses it. |
| 73.6 : K Maharaj to Mathews, Gets behind the line of this one and bunts it out. |
| 74.1 : A Markram to Silva, Shortish around off, punched off the back foot by Silva. |
| 74.2 : A Markram to R Silva, Full, driven to mid on for nothing. |
| 74.3 : A Markram to Mathews, Slower and short, negated off the back foot. |
| 74.4 : A Markram to Mathews, The batsman rocks onto the back foot and punches the ball. |
| 74.5 : A Markram to Mathews, Another single from the long on region for Mathews. |
| 74.6 : A Markram to Silva, Markram goes around the wicket, Silva flicks it to mid-wicket |
| 75.1 : K Maharaj to Mathews, On the pads, flicked through the on side for a run. |
| 75.2 : K Maharaj to Silva, Sharp turn this. Silva misses yet another one. He has done well to miss most of these. Another slow flighted ball on off, he goes for the push but connects with thin air. |
| 75.3 : K Maharaj to Silva, Now Silva chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| 75.4 : K Maharaj to R Silva, Full toss, flicked through mid-wicket. Two runs taken from the deep. |
| 75.5 : K Maharaj to Silva, Full, driven to covers. |
| 75.6 : K Maharaj to Silva, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 76.1 : A Markram to Mathews, Hangs back to push it away. No run. |
| 76.2 : A Markram to A Mathews, Pushed through by Markram, Mathews drives it to mid on for a run. |
| 76.3 : A Markram to Silva, Silva shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 76.4 : A Markram to R Silva, Tosses this one again but Silva happily drives it to mid on for another run. |
| 76.5 : A Markram to Mathews, Driven through mid-off by Angelo. |
| 76.6 : A Markram to Mathews, Worked to mid on. One run taken. |
| 77.1 : K Maharaj to A Mathews, This is Maharaj's 80th over of the match and he going on and on. Another flighted ball around off and Mathews fails to put bat to ball. |
| 77.2 : K Maharaj to Mathews, On a length, driven to mid off. One run added to the total. |
| 77.3 : K Maharaj to Silva, Silva has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 77.4 : K Maharaj to Silva, Roshen chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| 77.5 : K Maharaj to Silva, Fuller around off, driven to covers for no run. |
| Theunis de Bruyn is on. |
| 77.6 : K Maharaj to Silva, Gets behind the line and bunts it out. |
| 78.1 : de Bruyn to Mathews, Slow off spin on off, Mathews punches it to short mid-wicket for no run. |
| 78.2 : de Bruyn to Mathews, Mathews is late to play the off spinner but does well in the end. |
| 78.3 : de Bruyn to Mathews, On middle, tucked to the on side for no run. |
| 78.4 : de Bruyn to Mathews, Flatter in line of the stumps, punched to mid on for a run. |
| 78.5 : de Bruyn to Silva, The batsman offers no stroke and is wrapped on the pads. |
| 78.6 : de Bruyn to Silva, Down the leg side, Silva misses the flick. |
| 79.1 : K Maharaj to Mathews, OUT! Finally! What a marathon it has been for Maharaj. He has been on that off stump channel consistently. The batsman played and missed on so many occasions but this time, he has his man. He should be a relieved man with sore fingers. A flighted around off, he gets Mathews forward and induces the outside edge off his blade. Du Plessis takes a diving catch to his right and rest on the ground with a happy face. A 64-run partnership has been broken by Keshav Maharaj who |
| 0.0 : Drinks! |
| Niroshan Dickwella comes out to bat. |
| 79.2 : K Maharaj to Dickwella, Dickwella leaves the first ball outside his off stump. |
| 79.3 : K Maharaj to N Dickwella, Floated around off, pushed to the off side. |
| 79.4 : K Maharaj to Dickwella, Cheeky Niroshan is into the act. He looks to play the ramp shot and gets it off the splice off his bat to fine leg. One run taken. |
| 79.5 : K Maharaj to Silva, Casual from Bavuma at second slip to allow the batters to change strike. A shortish delivery around off, Silva looks to guide it past slip but wasn't able to. However, a misfield from Bavuma there allowed them to take the run. |
| 79.6 : K Maharaj to Dickwella, FOUR! Too full and Dickwella isn't going to miss out on these. He gets forward and drives it through the empty cover region. A boundary results. |
| 80.1 : de Bruyn to Silva, Rocks back and cuts it through cover-point for a run. |
| 80.2 : de Bruyn to Dickwella, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 80.3 : de Bruyn to Dickwella, Niroshan works it down the leg side. They pick up a single. |
| 80.4 : de Bruyn to Silva, Rocks on the back foot to push it to covers. |
| 80.5 : de Bruyn to Silva, That is a superb piece of fielding by Kagiso Rabada. It is landed outside off, the ball from de Bruyn, that is, Silva first comes forward and then rocks back to play the shot. It is on the leg stump and he works it fine. Rabada runs after it, puts in a slide and stops it just inside the fence to save a run for his team. Pommie Mbangwa on air mentions - 'Tell you what- that is the first time I am seeing Kagiso Rabada slide..' is it???? |
| 80.6 : de Bruyn to Dickwella, On the pads and worked to the on side for a run by Dickwella. |
| Suranga Lakmal is waving his hands from the balcony and he is calling his players back which means only one thing - Sri Lanka have finally declared! The Tired South African team walks back quicker because their opening duo does not have much time as they have to come out to bat quickly. |
| So, after 18 overs in this session, Sri Lanka have finally decided to end South Africa's misery in the field. They lost Angelo Mathews for 71 in this session just before the drinks, however, the wickets were never going to bother them. They have piled on a lead of 489 and set a humongous total for the visitors. Keshav Maharaj after much await got his 12th wicket of the match and ended the second innings with the figures of 40-4-154-3, bowling total of 81 overs in this match. |
| 0.1 : R Herath to Elgar, Looped up nicely by Herath, Elgar is well forward in defense. |
| 0.2 : R Herath to Elgar, Tossed up with some nice shape on it, Elgar steps out of the crease and works it away to mid-wicket for a single. Off the mark with that. |
| 0.3 : R Herath to Markram, Drags his length back a touch, Markram is forced to go back and block it out. |
| 0.4 : R Herath to Markram, Goes full again, nice and loopy around off, Markram is rock solid in defense. |
| 0.5 : R Herath to Markram, Presses forward and smothers the ball in its tracks. |
| 0.6 : R Herath to Markram, Beaten! This is scintillating bowling from the veteran. Tossed up outside off, spins away just a touch and beats the outside edge of Markram's bat. Dickwella collects the knocks the stumps from its roots. |
| Dilruwan Perera to bowl from the other end. |
| 1.1 : D Perera to Elgar, Floated on leg, Elgar gets his back behind the line and blocks it. |
| 1.2 : D Perera to Elgar, Similar ball on middle, defended. |
| 1.3 : D Perera to Elgar, That ball has taken the inside edge of the batsman and thudded into his pads. |
| 1.4 : D Perera to Elgar, Dangerous this from Elgar. He looks to play the sweep against the spin. He gets it off his arm behind the keeper. In the end, no harm done. |
| 1.5 : D Perera to Elgar, Flatter outside, goes past the blade. |
| 1.6 : D Perera to Elgar, FOUR! Plonked by Elgar. A touch too full from Perera and Elgar slogs it across the line and gets it through mid-wicket. First boundary of the South African innings. |
| 2.1 : R Herath to A Markram, So close! Had Lamkal hit the stumps at the bowler's end, Markram would've been a goner. A fullish ball around off, Markram pushes it to mid on and sets off for a run. Lakmal there was quick to react, picks it up and has a shy. Luckily, Markram survives to fight another day. |
| 2.2 : R Herath to Elgar, The batsman fails to put bat on ball. |
| 2.3 : R Herath to Elgar, In the air... and dropped! Perera the culprit. Herath made Elgar play the sweep once again. The ball however went high in the air towards square leg. Perera runs from fine leg towards square leg, reaches there in time, puts both his hand to it but fails to collect it. In the end, one run is taken. |
| 2.4 : R Herath to Markram, Markram has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 2.5 : R Herath to Markram, Outside off, left alone. |
| 2.6 : R Herath to A Markram, FOUR! Edge but in the gap. How many chances in this over? At least three. This one was bowled fuller around off, slower through the air and got the edge of Markram's bat. But kudos to the batsman who played the bat with soft hands which saved him eventually. The ball goes through the slip cordon and rushes to the boundary. |
| 3.1 : D Perera to Elgar, Gets behind the line and defends it. |
| 3.2 : D Perera to Elgar, Shortish around off, cut to point. |
| 3.3 : D Perera to Elgar, So close to the off pole but it will be considered a very good leave from Elgar. |
| 3.4 : D Perera to Elgar, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 3.5 : D Perera to Elgar, Rocks back and bunts it out to the on side. |
| 3.6 : D Perera to Elgar, Goddamm! This one spun, bounced and beat the outside edge. vicious from Perera. He keeps this just outside off, Elgar comes forward but fails to connect to the ball. |
| 4.1 : R Herath to Markram, No run. |
| 4.2 : R Herath to Markram, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 4.3 : R Herath to Markram, Hangs back and bunts it out. |
| 4.4 : R Herath to Markram, Goes past the blade again. It pitches, grips and spins away from the right-hander. |
| 4.5 : R Herath to A Markram, Fuller, driven to covers for no run. |
| 4.6 : R Herath to Markram, Defended off the front foot by Aiden presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 5.1 : D Perera to Elgar, Full and darted on the pads, worked behind square leg for nothing. |
| 5.2 : D Perera to Elgar, Nicely drifting in at first around off before turning away, Elgar covers the line and leaves. |
| 5.3 : D Perera to Elgar, Quicker and attacking the stumps, blocked with a straight blade. |
| 5.4 : D Perera to Elgar, Nicely done. Gets right behind the line and keeps it out. |
| 5.5 : D Perera to Elgar, BOWLED BUT IT'S A NO BALL! Elgar's safe! He will be feeling lucky. Big time.. From around the wicket, Dilruwan drifts in from around off, this one doesn't turn away and keeps coming in with the angle. Elgar kneels down and brings out the big slog sweep, to everyone's surprise, and he pays the price for that as the stumps are rattled behind. The umpire just checks upstairs for the front foot no ball and... much to Dean's delight, the offie has overstepped. He'll want to ma |
| D Perera to Elgar, Keeps it out off the inner edge this time. |
| 5.6 : D Perera to Elgar, Flicks this through leg slip for no run. |
| 6.1 : R Herath to A Markram, Dropped! That's a sitter. Mathews of all people should have taken that. Now both the South African openers have got a life. Herath beautifully tosses it up around off and it turns away ever so slightly. Markram is forward and gets an edge behind. Should have been a regulation catch for Angelo, but he drops it. |
| 6.2 : R Herath to Markram, Quicker and shorter on off, Aiden goes deep inside the crease and guards it out. |
| 6.3 : R Herath to Markram, Tossed up delivery well outside off, left alone. |
| 6.4 : R Herath to A Markram, Flights this well up outside off, draws Markram forward and beats the outside edge. Mathews collects it this time, but to his dismay there was no edge. |
| 6.5 : R Herath to Markram, Full and just outside off, blocked. |
| 6.6 : R Herath to Markram, FOUR! A bit too full from Rangana Herath, Markram whips it hard through mid-wicket and finds the fence. Eventful over comes to an end. |
| 7.1 : D Perera to Elgar, Flatter on middle, defended. |
| 7.2 : D Perera to Elgar, Shortish around off, guided to the third man region for a run. |
| 7.3 : D Perera to Markram, Around off, Markram lunges forward to block it. |
| 7.4 : D Perera to Markram, FOUR! Good use of the feet from Markram here. He gest to the pitch off the ball and hits it straight past the bowler. A boundary results from the long off region. |
| 7.5 : D Perera to Markram, On the pads, tucked to mid-wicket for a run. |
| 7.6 : D Perera to Elgar, No Ball! No ball shouts the umpire. A length ball around off, cut to covers for no run. |
| D Perera to Elgar, Flatter on off, defended. |
| In comes Theunis de Bruyn at no. 3. |
| 8.1 : Herath to Markram, OUT! Out! Herath has his man this time. Markaram though should be criticized for this lose shot. He played across the full ball to the and missed it altogether. He looks at his partner who perhaps told him that he can't be more plumb than this. So, finally, Sri Lanka have the first wicket after handing out a couple of chances. |
| 8.2 : R Herath to Bruyn, De Bruyn lets the ball go outside his off stump. |
| 8.3 : R Herath to Bruyn, Comes in with the angle, de Bruyn gets and inside edge on to his pad. No harm done. |
| 8.4 : R Herath to Bruyn, FOUR! He picked this one up nicely. A flighted ball in line of the stumps, de Bruyn sweeps it hard and gets it through the mid-wicket region. A boundary to him. |
| 8.5 : R Herath to Bruyn, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 8.6 : R Herath to Bruyn, Gets behind the line of this one and blocks it. |
| 9.1 : D Perera to Elgar, Elagr goes on the back foot and taps it to off side. |
| 9.2 : D Perera to Elgar, Gets forward and bunts it to the on side for no run. |
| 9.3 : D Perera to Elgar, A touch short this, tucked to the on side by Dean. |
| 9.4 : D Perera to Elgar, Comes forward to the flighted ball and defends it. |
| 9.5 : D Perera to Elgar, Elgar was beaten and missed the line of the delivery. |
| 9.6 : D Perera to Elgar, Too straight on the pads, flicked to the fine leg region for a run. Elgar keeps the strike. |
| 10.1 : R Herath to Elgar, Fails to connect his reverse sweep to the fullish ball. |
| 10.2 : R Herath to Elgar, FOUR! Just as the fielder from point was moved finer, Elgar executed the reverse sweep to perfection. Herath bowled this one outside off on a length, it spins further into the stumps but Elgar has other ideas to play it. If the conventional sweep doesn't work, than reverse sweep should. And it has. |
| 10.3 : R Herath to Elgar, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 10.4 : R Herath to D Elgar, Toos full, eased to mid on for a run. |
| 10.5 : R Herath to Bruyn, FOUR! Second boundary of the over. De Bruyn has swept Herath clean through mid-wicket. He isn't going to just block, block and block. |
| 10.6 : R Herath to Bruyn, Goodness me! Vicious spin from Herath. He drags his length back a touch, the ball lands and spins further away from the off stump. Good over for South Africa though. |
| 11.1 : D Perera to Elgar, Driven through mid-off by Elgar. |
| 11.2 : D Perera to Elgar, Gets behind the line of this one and keeps it out. |
| 11.3 : D Perera to Elgar, The batsman flicks it away with a wristy shot. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| A review has been taken. Theunis de Bruyn is the man in question for the LBW. |
| 11.4 : D Perera to Bruyn, FOUR LEG BYES! He survives. But what a beauty this has been from Perera. He bowls this from 'round the wicket, and straightens this one from the leg stump. De Bruyn plays for the line but misses it to get hit on his back pad. An appeal ensues from Dickwella but the bowler doesn't look too interested. He forces Lakmal for the review who goes for it. The replays comes in. The ball lands on leg stump, goes with the angle, hits him in line but just clips the outside half of |
| Another review from Sri Lanka. Same man in question for the LBW decision. |
| 11.5 : D Perera to Bruyn, And he survives again! What is going, de Bruyn? He has no idea where the ball is going to turn. Perera bowls the similar deluivery to the last one and de Bruyn misses it in a similar fashion. Only change was that he got hit a touch lower on his back leg as he was crouching down. This time the bowler looks confident though and Lakmal takes the review once again. The replays roll in. It stats the same story as the previous ball. It lands on leg stump, goes towards f, hits |
| 11.6 : D Perera to Bruyn, This one goes the other. De Bruyn is bamboozled. He comes on to the front foot to play the defensive shot but it hits him on his pads. The ball lobs to leg gully who takes a diving catch. Nothing doing says the umpire. THAT'S TEA ON DAY 3. |
| An eventful session to say the least. After setting a massive target of 490 in front of the Proteas, the Lankans came out with intent. The spin arsenal dismissed Markram, but they easily could have had one or two more. Elgar survived a scare, and de Bruyn is barely hanging in right now too. It's going to be a damning challenge for the visiting team, one of the toughest they have faced. It's going to take all they have to survive the trail by spin. Join us in a very short while for the final sess |
| ... Day 3, Session 3 ... |
| We're back for the last session of the day. Theunis de Bruyn and Dean Elgar is out in the middle along with Rangana Herath who will continue with the ball. |
| 12.1 : R Herath to Elgar, On off, blocked to the on side. |
| 12.2 : R Herath to Elgar, Gets behind the line and bunts it out off the front foot. |
| 12.3 : R Herath to Elgar, Around off, easily defended by Elgar. |
| 12.4 : R Herath to Elgar, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 12.5 : R Herath to Elgar, On the pads, flicked through mid-wicket by Elgar. One run taken. |
| 12.6 : R Herath to Bruyn, Fuller in line of the stumps, de Bruyn gets an inside edge and it falls wide of FSL. End of first over after the Tea break. The over rate should be excellent considering the spinners will be bowling from both the ends. |
| Dilruwan Perera to continue from the other end. |
| 13.1 : D Perera to Elgar, Fullish on off, defended. |
| 13.2 : D Perera to D Elgar, Flighted in line of the stumps, pushed to covers. Two runs taken. |
| 13.3 : D Perera to Elgar, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 13.4 : D Perera to Elgar, Drives the full ball through cover-point. A run results. |
| 13.5 : D Perera to Bruyn, FOUR! Reverse ramp shot this from de Bruyn. He has done well to guide this one fine through the third man region. It was too full form Perera and the batsman made most of it. A boundary. |
| 13.6 : D Perera to Bruyn, Gets behind the line and blocks it out. |
| 14.1 : R Herath to Elgar, An attempted reserve sweep but gets hit on the arm. Herath vs Elgar and he has a way to tackle him perhaps. |
| 14.2 : R Herath to Elgar, Around off, easily defended down the track. |
| 14.3 : R Herath to Elgar, FOUR! Cheeky from Elgar. He connected to the fuller ball nicely and reverse swept it through cover-point. A boundary to Elgar. This will frustrate Herath a bit but perhaps not too much considering how many runs he has to play with. |
| 14.4 : R Herath to Elgar, Played to the point region by the batsman. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 14.5 : R Herath to Bruyn, Sweeps this one but doesn't get it away this time. It lobs to adjacent to the pitch. |
| 14.6 : R Herath to Bruyn, DeBruyn has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 15.1 : D Perera to Elgar, Lunges forward and keeps it out. |
| 15.2 : D Perera to Elgar, Around off, another miss from Elgar. He shouldn't worry too much about these misses and carry on the work for the sake of South Africa. |
| 15.3 : D Perera to Elgar, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 15.4 : D Perera to Elgar, Flatter on off, defended. |
| 15.5 : D Perera to Elgar, No ball! What drama! Kidding me? This is comedy of errors. How could you Perera, how could you? Ooh! So let me try to explain what happened. Elgar moved back to play the cut to the shortish ball but ended up nicking to Dickwella behind the stumps. The Sri Lankan rejoice and Hashim Amla is on his way. He has walked out in the middle as well but hang on! The third umpire checks the no ball and guess what, it's again on the line and the line belongs to the umpire. It's a no |
| D Perera to Elgar, He fails to connect to the one outside his off stumps. |
| 15.6 : D Perera to Elgar, Around off, played to the point region. What an over this has been. |
| 16.1 : R Herath to Bruyn, Rocks back and works it off his back foot. |
| 16.2 : R Herath to Bruyn, The batsman flicks it away with a wristy shot. |
| 16.3 : R Herath to Bruyn, FOUR! Out comes the reverse sweep once again from de Bruyn. It has been a handy weapon for him. He sweeps the full ball though mid-wicket and earns a boundary. |
| 16.4 : R Herath to Bruyn, Played through mid-wicket by the batsman. They pick up a single. |
| 16.5 : Herath to Elgar, Not out says the umpire. A fullish ball around off, he looks to defend but misses it. The ball hits him on his pads and the Lankans erupt in appeal but the impact is outside off. |
| 16.6 : R Herath to Elgar, Elgar is half forward to play this one and ends up getting an inside edge on to his pads. |
| 17.1 : D Perera to Bruyn, No run. |
| 17.2 : D Perera to Bruyn, Comes forward and defends. |
| 17.3 : D Perera to Bruyn, The batsman has flicked the ball off his pads. |
| 17.4 : D Perera to Bruyn, Extra bounce and spin into the right-hander. It hit him on his thigh pad. |
| 17.5 : D Perera to Bruyn, Half forward de Bruyn, he works the ball uppishly to the on side. |
| 17.6 : D Perera to Bruyn, No run. |
| First change for Sri Lanka. Akila Dananjaya is on with two slips and a short leg. |
| 18.1 : A Dananjaya to Elgar, Shouts for a leg before but it's turned down, rightly so too. Sliding in on leg, it keeps going down with the angle, Elgar is caught on the pads and a loud appeal goes up. |
| 18.2 : A Dananjaya to Elgar, Ripper! Play that, Dean Elgar! Kicked right off the deck and turns heavily. The southpaw can only evade it barely. |
| 18.3 : A Dananjaya to Elgar, Works it off the pads and gets to the other end for a single. |
| 18.4 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, Plays with the spin and turns it away on the leg side. |
| 18.5 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, Landed short and turning in from around off, de Bruyn is on the back foot as he rocks back and works it down just in front of short leg. |
| 18.6 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, Full and on the pads, swept through square leg. Silva out in the deep moves to his right and dives to keep the ball inside the rope. Two runs taken. |
| 19.1 : D Perera to Elgar, Shortish, pushed to covers for a single. |
| 19.2 : D Perera to Bruyn, On the pads, tucked to square leg for a single. |
| 19.3 : D Perera to Elgar, Beaten all ends up! That's a jaffa from Perera. It pitches around off and straightens from there. Elgar plays for the line as he should but is beaten. He survives again! |
| 19.4 : D Perera to Elgar, FOUR! Gets the conventional sweep out and connects it well this time. He should feel better after this one as the ball races to the square leg fence. |
| 19.5 : D Perera to Elgar, The batsman works it down the leg side. They pick up a single. |
| 19.6 : D Perera to Bruyn, Defends the ball in front of his eyes. |
| 20.1 : A Dananjaya to Elgar, Hangs back and bunts it out. |
| 20.2 : A Dananjaya to Elgar, It hit a crack or something here. Pitched around off, it lands and grips or hits the crack and turns sharply from the lft-hander who was looking to play the line. Another miss for him. |
| 20.3 : A Dananjaya to Elgar, Elgar flicks it away with a wristy shot. They pick up a single. |
| 20.4 : A Dananjaya to de Bruyn, Pushes the full ball through mid off for a run. |
| 20.5 : A Dananjaya to Elgar, In the line of this delivery and blocks it. |
| 20.6 : A Dananjaya to Elgar, A tad shorter around on off, cut to point for no run. |
| 21.1 : D Perera to Bruyn, De Bruyn uses his wrist to work this one to the on side. |
| 21.2 : D Perera to Bruyn, Does well here. First he comes down the track to play the big shot perhaps but seeing the shot length, tucked it gently in the corner on the on side and changes strike. |
| 21.3 : D Perera to Elgar, Full, driven through mid on for another single. |
| 21.4 : D Perera to Bruyn, Goes straight. Phew! De Bruyn has no idea where it will and he just plays the line but it goes whizzes past the outside edge into the gloves of keeper. |
| 21.5 : D Perera to de Bruyn, That ball has taken the inside edge of the batsman and thudded into his pads. |
| 21.6 : D Perera to Bruyn, De Bruyn looks to sweep once again but fails to do so. The ball lobs in the air off his pad towards left of the leg slip. Some oohs and aahs from the Lankan again. |
| 22.1 : A Dananjaya to Elgar, Elgar has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 22.2 : A Dananjaya to Elgar, Five Runs! A gentle push to the point region by Elgar and they set off for a quick run. The fielder there has a shy at the stumps but it was poor throw at the keeper's end. The ball deflects off the de Bruyn's bat and beats Perera who is backing up there. The ball rolls to the boundary. Handy runs for South Africa. |
| 22.3 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 22.4 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, Faster on middle, defended. |
| 22.5 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, Lunges forward and keeps this one out. |
| 22.6 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, In the air... but safe! De Bruyn and his tryst with sweep shot continues. He goes for it once again but the ball reaches him late. It gets the glove on its way towards leg slip. It lands safely once again. |
| 23.1 : D Perera to Elgar, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 23.2 : D Perera to Elgar, Slower and bowled cleverly. Elgar has no answer to this. It lands on off and spin away from the left-hander. He hangs his bat it defense but is beaten ends up. |
| 23.3 : D Perera to Elgar, OUT lbw b Dilruwan Perera. South Africa have lost their second wicket. |
| Hashim Amla is the next batsman in. |
| 23.4 : D Perera to Amla, No run. |
| 23.5 : D Perera to Amla, No run. |
| 23.6 : D Perera to Amla, No run. |
| 24.1 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, FOUR! Gives the charge, takes the aerial route and gets the desired result. Lofts it well over mid-wicket for a boundary. Nicely done by de Bruyn. |
| 24.2 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, Spinning in, it hits the batsman on the pads. |
| 24.3 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 24.4 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, The leg break this time, takes Theunis a little by surprise. Goes off the inside edge as he tries to play at it behind on the off side. |
| 24.5 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, Darted extremely full on middle, de Bruyn goes deep in the crease and whips it back down the track. It hits his partner at the other end and rolls to mid off. Single taken. |
| 24.6 : A Dananjaya to Amla, Prods forward and meets it with the full face of the bat. |
| 25.1 : D Perera to Bruyn, Fuller and faster on the pads, worked to backward square leg. Dot ball. |
| 25.2 : D Perera to Bruyn, On the pads again as Dilruwan continues from around the wicket, worked straight to short leg. |
| 25.3 : D Perera to Bruyn, Switches to over the wicket, fired full on the stumps, Theunis barely manages to dig it out. |
| 25.4 : D Perera to Bruyn, Works it with the spin behind towards leg gully. |
| 25.5 : D Perera to de Bruyn, Drills this full delivery through the vacant spaces in the cover region. Comes back for the second quite comfortably. |
| 25.6 : D Perera to Bruyn, Just behind a driving length, on off, de Bruyn comes forward, not quite close to the pitch, hence mistimes the cover drive back down the track. |
| 26.1 : A Dananjaya to Amla, Off break outside off, catches Amla on the front pad well outside the line as he goes down to sweep. No use of the appeal in the end. |
| 26.2 : A Dananjaya to Amla, FOUR! Excellent way of combating the off spinner. Amla makes good use of the feet to get close to the pitch and then sweetly drives it through extra cover for a boundary. |
| Review time. It's a close one, looks gone too to the naked eye. Hashim Amla is the man in the spotlight and it's up to the TV umpire to see if he's gone leg before or not. |
| 26.3 : A Dananjaya to Amla, Not out! That was close. Really close. Impact has saved him. Dananjaya serves it around off and it turns in, raps Hashim Amla on the front pas as he misses his attempted sweep shot. Big shout, nothing from the umpire so the fielding side decides to take it upstairs. Replays roll in and they show that the impact is umpire's call, so Amla survives. |
| 26.4 : A Dananjaya to Amla, Off break again on the stumps, defended down on the leg side. |
| 26.5 : A Dananjaya to Amla, No ball! Another time when a spinner has overstepped. Uncanny. It's spinning down leg as Amla misses his tickle. |
| A Dananjaya to Amla, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 26.6 : A Dananjaya to Amla, Turning in once more, goes off the pad and lobs into the hands of the man at leg gully. Appeal is not even bothered with. Another eventful over comes to an end. |
| 27.1 : D Perera to Bruyn, Flatter around off, punched off the back foot to covers for a run. |
| 27.2 : D Perera to Amla, Darted full, strikes Hashim low on the pads. |
| 27.3 : D Perera to Amla, Skips down the track like a ballerina and whips it away to deep mid-wicket for a single. |
| 27.4 : D Perera to Bruyn, Slower through the air on middle and leg, blocked down on the leg side. |
| 27.5 : D Perera to Bruyn, Hangs back deep inside the crease and defends. |
| 27.6 : D Perera to Bruyn, Floated and attacking the stumps, de Bruyn presses forward and meets it with the full face of the bat. |
| Drinks are on the field. Everybody could use a breather. Phew! |
| 28.1 : A Dananjaya to Amla, Off spinner on middle, turns down, left alone by the batsman. |
| 28.2 : A Dananjaya to Amla, Jumps out of the track, gets close to the pitch and pushes it to the left of the bowler. |
| 28.3 : A Dananjaya to Amla, FOUR BYES! Spins down leg a long way, Amla leaves and it goes through everyone. It goes to the fence behind for a boundary. |
| 28.4 : A Dananjaya to Amla, Uses the depth of his crease to make room and works it away on the leg side for a single. |
| 28.5 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, Tapped away square on the off side. No run taken. |
| 28.6 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, Drilled just wide of mid off for a brisk run. |
| 29.1 : D Perera to Bruyn, Quicker off break around off, de Bruyn moves across to get behind the line and defends it down. |
| 29.2 : D Perera to Bruyn, Spins in a long way and goes off Theunis' pads past leg gully. |
| 29.3 : D Perera to Bruyn, Full ball outside the line of off stump, pushed gently in front of covers. |
| 29.4 : D Perera to Bruyn, Tightly kept out. De Bruyn prods forward and blocks it under his nose. |
| 29.5 : D Perera to Bruyn, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 29.6 : D Perera to Bruyn, Meets the quicker ball with a defensive blade. Nice high elbow to block. |
| Rangana Herath back on to bowl. |
| 30.1 : Herath to H Amla, OUT! A ripper! Rangana Herath makes his presence felt right away. Lands it on middle and off, it turns slightly and beats the outside edge of Hashim Amla's bat. Wrong choice for the South African veteran, made the wrong choice. Should have come forward when he went back. His off bail is knocked over and that's another wicket down. |
| 0.0 : Skipper Faf du Plessis marches on in the eye of the storm. Going to take all from him to hang in there. His side needs him to. |
| 30.2 : R Herath to Plessis, Full around off, driven straight to the man at covers. |
| 30.3 : R Herath to Plessis, FOUR! Shot. Too full on the stumps, du Plessis sweeps it through mid-wicket and finds the fence with ease. |
| 30.4 : R Herath to Plessis, Full and straight from Rangi, Faf meets it with the full face of the bat. |
| 30.5 : R Herath to Plessis, Positions himself perfectly behind the line and blocks. |
| 30.6 : R Herath to Plessis, Uses his feet to dance down and blocks it in front of covers. |
| Akila Dananjaya to have a change of ends. |
| 31.1 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, Straighter one from the bowler, worked down on the leg side. |
| 31.2 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, Goes deep inside the crease and works it just wide of FSL. |
| 31.3 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, Moves a little across, gets low to this full ball and sweeps it down to short fine leg. |
| 31.4 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, Stays back and guards it out safely. |
| 31.5 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, De Bruyn picks up the straighter one, adjusts well at the last second and defends off the front foot. |
| 31.6 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 32.1 : R Herath to Plessis, Was an inside edge on that. Not sure why there aren't more men circling the batsman. Spinning in on the pads, goes off Faf's inside edge, then his pads and through leg gully. Single collected. |
| 32.2 : R Herath to Bruyn, Meets the straighter one with a defensive bat in response. |
| 32.3 : R Herath to Bruyn, FOUR BYES! Leg break around off, kicks off the surface a bit and takes de Bruyn by surprise. He withdraws at the last moment and it goes right between the keeper and first slip for a boundary. |
| 32.4 : R Herath to Bruyn, Swept away behind square on the leg side for a double. |
| 32.5 : R Herath to Bruyn, Opens the face and pushes it to point. |
| 32.6 : R Herath to Bruyn, Blocked out by the batsman to end the over. |
| 33.1 : A Dananjaya to Plessis, No run. |
| 33.2 : A Dananjaya to Plessis, Floated on off, blocked out safely. |
| 33.3 : A Dananjaya to Plessis, Whips this off the back foot well into the leg side for a single. |
| 33.4 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, A lot of air on this, from around the wicket, forces de Bruyn foward as he mistimes the drive back to the bowler. |
| 33.5 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, Full on the stumps again, played back down the track once more. |
| 33.6 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, On the leg stump line, worked down in front of short leg. |
| 34.1 : R Herath to du Plessis, Landed on off, spinning, Faf plays inside the line and gets beaten. |
| 34.2 : R Herath to Plessis, Sharp turn for Rangi! Dropped on off and it turns away with some venomous bounce. Du Plessis does well to drops his wrists and avoid it. |
| 34.3 : R Herath to Plessis, Some room offered outside off on a fuller length, driven just wide of mid off for a run. |
| 34.4 : R Herath to Bruyn, Quite slow through the air, allows Theunis enough time to block it out. |
| 34.5 : R Herath to Bruyn, Premeditates the paddle sweep and ends up adjusting late due to the line. Well outside off, it's blocked. |
| 34.6 : R Herath to de Bruyn, Short and wide, cut hard on the off side. |
| 35.1 : A Dananjaya to Plessis, OUT! This is a body blow to South Africa! Their captain, their best player on this tour, has departed. Landed on off, it goes on straight. Maybe the slightest of turns. Faf du Plessis takes a step across, presents a straight bat in defense and the ball goes behind to first slip off his pads. Now, an appeal goes up, mostly likely for a catch as the Lankans feel there is some bat involved. The umpire doesn't budge so the review is taken. Snicko detects the ball took t |
| 0.0 : Keshav Maharaj walks out. |
| Review. For an lbw decision with Keshav Maharaj in question. He was given out and he took it upstairs. Let's see now... |
| 35.2 : A Dananjaya to Maharaj, OUT! Plumb! Maharaj departs for a golden duck. Off break just outside off, spins in and strikes Maharaj clean on the front pad as he tries to defend off the front foot. Loud shout, the finger goes up but Keshav reviews after a long chat with his partner. Maybe he thought there's an inside edge otherwise he'd never have gone for it. In any case, the replays roll in and they show he's gone. No edge on any kind involved. Sri Lanka on the charge. |
| Temba Bavuma to bat next for South Africa. Two slips, a leg slip, a silly point and short leg in place for him. |
| 35.3 : A Dananjaya to Bavuma, Quicker through the air on off, Bavuma is well forward as he keeps this one out safely. |
| 35.4 : A Dananjaya to Bavuma, An audacious shot from Bavuma. Completely unnecessary with the ball spinning so much. He premeditated the reverse way early, but the ball was landed way too short for him to connect and it spun a long way down too. Luckily, his back leg didn't drag out because Dickwella took the bails off quickly. |
| 35.5 : A Dananjaya to Bavuma, Plays it with the spin and turns it away just wide of short leg. |
| 35.6 : A Dananjaya to Bavuma, Floated and turning in, Bavuma is caught low on the pads while trying to play at that. |
| 36.1 : R Herath to Bruyn, Full and loopy outside off, blocked nicely off the front foot. |
| 36.2 : R Herath to Bruyn, Short, flat and quick on off, de Bruyn goes back and whips this through the empty mid-wicket region. Single taken. |
| 36.3 : R Herath to Bavuma, Spinning away from around off, Temba is well inside the crease and has enough time to tap it down on the off side. |
| 36.4 : R Herath to Bavuma, FOUR! A lot of air on middle and leg, swept hard by Bavuma over backward square leg for a boundary. |
| 36.5 : R Herath to Bavuma, Drives this full delivery to mid off. |
| 36.6 : R Herath to Bavuma, Another sweep, a top edge this time but it's fallen safe. Over the man at backward square leg, brace taken. |
| 37.1 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, FOUR! Well played, Big T. That's a very good shot. Goes with the spin, sweeps it through square leg. De Bruyn finds the fence without any problem. |
| 37.2 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, Goes on the back foot and nudges it away into the leg side for a single. |
| 37.3 : A Dananjaya to Bavuma, Temba stands tall and punches it firmly through the covers. The sweeper cuts it off by moving to his left and saves a run for his side. |
| 37.4 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, Full, straight, with a lot of air. Theunis shifts his weight onto his front foot and defends. |
| 37.5 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, On the back foot this time, works it down gently in front of short leg. |
| 37.6 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, FOUR! The leg break but de Bruyn picks it up quickly. He rocks back, has room to free his arms outside off and slaps it through covers for a boundary. |
| 38.1 : R Herath to Bavuma, Loopy and full on off, blocked. |
| 38.2 : R Herath to Bavuma, Full and on the stumps, swept away on the leg side for one. |
| 38.3 : R Herath to Bruyn, Tossed up and it spins sharply outside off, de Bruyn is beaten. |
| 38.4 : R Herath to Bruyn, Similar ball, similar result. |
| 38.5 : R Herath to Bruyn, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 38.6 : R Herath to Bruyn, Stays right behind the line and blocks. |
| The physios are out giving some treatment to the arm of de Bryun. And, Dilruwan Perera is called back to bowl. |
| 39.1 : D Perera to Bavuma, Sharp turn from Perera. Lands this outside off and comes back in. Bavuma gets hit on his pad outside off. |
| 39.2 : D Perera to Bavuma, Sweeps this from outside off towards square leg for a single. |
| 39.3 : D Perera to Bruyn, Gets behind the ball and blocks it. |
| 39.4 : D Perera to Bruyn, Slower through the air in line of the stumps, de Bruyn prods forward and defends it. |
| 39.5 : D Perera to Bruyn, Short ball outside off, cut away to the backward point fielder for nothing. |
| 39.6 : D Perera to Bruyn, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 40.1 : R Herath to Bavuma, FOUR! Full ball attacking the stumps, Bavuma brings the broom out and sweeps it through square leg. A couple of runs result. |
| 40.2 : R Herath to Bavuma, Behind a driving length, around off, turns away and beats the outside edge of Bavuma's hanging bat. |
| 40.3 : R Herath to Bavuma, Lesser spin this time from Herath, Bavuma manages to keep it out without any trouble. |
| 40.4 : R Herath to Bavuma, Swept away into the gap on the leg side for a single. |
| 40.5 : R Herath to de Bruyn, Short and flat outside off, de Bruyn chops this square. Dilruwan at point moves swiftly to his left and dives to keep the ball from going past him. Lovely effort. |
| 40.6 : R Herath to Bruyn, Drifting in on middle and then turning, de Bruyn is nicely place behind the line as he blocks it out. STUMPS ON DAY 3! |
| A thoroughly satisfying day, particularly the final session, for Sri Lanka, as they walk off the field. The last couple of hours yielded 97 runs in 29 overs with 4 wickets falling. It was a rather eventful day to say the least, with everything happening. The South African openers were given lives, Elgar 3 of them, but they still couldn't make the most of it. What was to follow is not something any South African fan would have wanted to witness. |
| The story was how everyone foresaw it. The spin trio ran through most of the Protea batting order, with all of them sharing the spoils. Theunis de Bruyn has been the only one who's looked assured, composed and equipped enough to deal with the Lankan spin attack. Rest all, capitulated when put under the pump. One would have expected, or rather, wanted more fight and grit from the Protea side which is deemed as a quality one. Not to be though. |
| Day 4 seems like it will be the final day of this Test, unless of course, de Bruyn and his remaining mates decide otherwise. To say it will be challenging, is putting it lightly. Though, in all honesty, it seems more a question of when it'll be wrapped up than how will South Africa manage through this storm. Still, it remains to be seen. Join us at 1000 local (0430 GMT) for all the exciting action. Till then, you can switch tabs and catch another Pakistan domination against Zimbabwe in the final |
| ... Day 4, Session 1 ... |
| Hello and welcome to the fourth day of the second and final Test match between Sri Lanka and South Africa at Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo. This is probably the last day considering that the visitors have lost 5 crucial wickets on Day 3 and still are way behind the target. Only Theunis de Bruyn has shown some grit to hang around in the middle but other than him, everybody was in too much of a hurry to rest after a tiring day. Dean Elgar was given three lives, generously, but he failed to kick o |
| Pitch Report - Shaun Pollock out there says nothing's changed with regards to the surface. Adds that South Africa used a lot of the sweep shot on Day 3. Kepler Wessels with him mentions the importance of deploying the sweep shot, particularly the power sweep, provided you pick the right deliveries. States that for the leg side field, the reverse sweep, if employed correctly, could be a good option to disrupt the field. And ends saying if you can't sweep, just believe in your shots and rotate the |
| The players are out! The day is about to get underway. The overnight batters Theunis de Bruyn and Temba Bavuma are ready. Dilruwan Perera has the ball in hand to start the proceedings. Let's play! |
| 41.1 : D Perera to Bavuma, Shortish around off, Bavuma gets a thick edge past slip. The day starts in a similar fashion. |
| 41.2 : D Perera to Bavuma, Around middle, swept to fine leg for a run. |
| 41.3 : D Perera to Bruyn, In line of the stumps, defended. |
| 41.4 : D Perera to Bruyn, Too much spin from the good lengtha rea, it goes futher away from the left hander down the leg side. |
| 41.5 : D Perera to Bruyn, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 41.6 : D Perera to Bruyn, Lunges froward to play the flatter delivery back to the bowler. End of the first over of the session. |
| Rangana Herath to bowl from the other end. |
| 42.1 : R Herath to Bavuma, Very effective. Africans have come out with some intent this morning. A fuller ball on middle and leg, Bavuma sweep it with a punch and gets it fine. A brace results. |
| 42.2 : R Herath to Bavuma, Bavuma defends it from within the crease. |
| 42.3 : R Herath to Bavuma, Temba paddles the ball down the leg side. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 42.4 : R Herath to Bruyn, Around off, blocked |
| 42.5 : R Herath to Bruyn, In line of the stumps, pushed to the on side off the back foot. |
| 42.6 : R Herath to Bruyn, Lunges forward to the last ball and keeps it out easily. |
| 43.1 : D Perera to T Bavuma, Comes forward to play the tossed up ball and works it through mid-wicket. A run taken. |
| 43.2 : D Perera to Bruyn, Too much spin again. It lands on a fullish length, spins in and de Bruyn gets an inside edge on to his pads. No harm. |
| 43.3 : D Perera to Bruyn, The ball has struck Theunis hard on his hand. |
| 43.4 : D Perera to Bruyn, Looks to sweep and works it to the leg side for no run. |
| 43.5 : D Perera to Bruyn, High! Some bounce on this one, it struck Theunis high on the pad. |
| 43.6 : D Perera to Bruyn, Another offie going down leg. It hits him on his pads and lobs towards leg slip for nothing. |
| 44.1 : R Herath to Bavuma, Gets back and keeps it away from his body. |
| 44.2 : R Herath to Bavuma, Defended to the off side off the front foot. |
| 44.3 : R Herath to Bavuma, Straighter one. Bavuma misses the line and gets beaten on the inside. |
| 44.4 : R Herath to Bavuma, Defends it back to Herath. |
| 44.5 : R Herath to Bavuma, Spins away from the outside edge of Bavuma's bat. No harm done. |
| 44.6 : R Herath to Bavuma, And another miss. Similar delivery from Herath, Temba looks to play the line but gets beaten again. |
| 45.1 : D Perera to Bruyn, Full and outside off, de Bruyn lunges and defends. |
| 45.2 : D Perera to Bruyn, A tad short, Theunis initially comes forward but then goes back and works it between leg slip and short leg for a single. |
| 45.3 : D Perera to Bavuma, A little bit of luck. Bavuma stretches out to sweep this one, gets some top edge but it falls safely around square leg. A run taken. |
| 45.4 : D Perera to Bruyn, On middle and leg, helped down the leg side for one. |
| Referral for a catch out taken. Temba Bavuma the man in question for a bat-pad. Is he gone? |
| 45.5 : D Perera to Bavuma, No run. |
| 45.6 : D Perera to Bavuma, 5 runs. |
| 46.1 : R Herath to Bavuma, Out comes the sweep again. He has swept on length has been effective. Herath pushes it in flatter and lands it on middle. The ball goes to the man at deep square leg for a run. |
| 46.2 : R Herath to Bruyn, Can't do much about it. De Bruyn did well to get behind the line but it spins away from the face of the bat. A rippa! |
| 46.3 : R Herath to Bruyn, Too much spin again. De Bruyn stays away from this one. Herath bowls this in with an angle and it spins away to the hands of the keeper. |
| 46.4 : R Herath to Bruyn, Outside off, left alone. |
| 46.5 : R Herath to Bruyn, Gets forward and low and keeps it out to the on side. |
| 46.6 : R Herath to Bruyn, Soft hands helped him there. Spinning delivery away from de Bruyn, he pokes at it and gets an outside edge past slip. |
| 47.1 : D Perera to Bavuma, Short and flat outside off, turning in, Bavuma goes back and offers a punch to the cover area. One run taken. |
| 47.2 : D Perera to Bruyn, FOUR! Maiden Test fifty for Theunis de Bruyn! Brings it up in good style. A well-deserved one too, he's fought hard out there. Angling across outside off, de Bruyn backs away and punches it crisply through the covers for a boundary. Needless to say, he would want to carry on long. |
| 47.3 : D Perera to Bruyn, Works it off his pads and plays it on the leg side. |
| 47.4 : D Perera to Bruyn, Straightening up a shade after landing, on the stumps, de Bruyn stays back and blocks it out. |
| 47.5 : D Perera to Bruyn, Landing on middle and leg, turning with some extra bounce, Theunis moves inside the line and blocks it out. |
| 47.6 : D Perera to Bruyn, Worked off the pads again, not run taken. |
| 48.1 : R Herath to Bavuma, Slower in line of the stumps, defended. |
| 48.2 : R Herath to Bavuma, Flighted this one on leg, Temba keeps it out easily. |
| 48.3 : R Herath to Bavuma, Fuller this time, flick missed this time. |
| 48.4 : R Herath to Bavuma, Around off, Bavuma gets it to the off side off the front foot. |
| 48.5 : R Herath to Bavuma, Uppish but safe. On the pads from Herath, Bavuma flicks it and gets it fine leg region. One run taken. |
| 48.6 : R Herath to Bruyn, Easily negotiated by Theunis off the front foot to end the over. |
| 49.1 : D Perera to Bavuma, Shortish on off, tucked to mid-wicket. One run results. |
| 49.2 : D Perera to Bruyn, Floated around off, it spins in and raps Theunis on the pad and lobs in the air. The catch is taken but there was no bat in it. |
| 49.3 : D Perera to Bruyn, Temba works it down the leg side. One run added to the total. |
| 49.4 : D Perera to Bavuma, Shortish on the pads, flicked through the on side. It looks easy to bat right now. |
| 49.5 : D Perera to T Bavuma, Punched to covers off the back foot by Bavuma. He takes a double and brings up a fifty-run stand between the duo. Second of the innings for them and perhaps more authoritative than the first one. |
| 49.6 : D Perera to Bavuma, On middle and leg, swept to fine leg for another run. These two look sure while batting now. |
| 50.1 : R Herath to Bavuma, He has done this consistently. Another angled in ball on off, it lands and turns away sharply to leave Bavuma on the outside. |
| 50.2 : R Herath to T Bavuma, Tossed up outside off, Temba goes with hard hands and gets an outside edge but it goes past the slip fielder. One run taken from the third man region. |
| 50.3 : R Herath to Bruyn, In line of the stumps, kept out. |
| 50.4 : R Herath to Bruyn, Ooh! All these balls missing the outside edges remind me of Maharaj. He didn't had much luck in the second innings. Herath is going through the same phase. A ripper on off getting Theunis forward and goes away from the face of the bat beating the outside edge. |
| 50.5 : R Herath to Bruyn, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 50.6 : R Herath to Bruyn, Gets behind this one nicely and blocks it out. |
| Akila Dananjaya is brought into the attack for the first time today. |
| 51.1 : A Dananjaya to Bavuma, FOUR! Not the kind of delivery you should bowl first. A shortish ball outside off, a lot of width and Temba rocks back to cut it. The ball goes through cover-point and a boundary results. |
| 51.2 : A Dananjaya to Bavuma, Hangs back to defend the shortish delivery on the on side. He looks assured now. |
| 51.3 : A Dananjaya to Bavuma, On the pads, flicked to fine leg. One run taken. |
| 51.4 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, FOUR! It had Dravid in this shot. Cracker! Akila again bowls it short around off, de Bruyn rocks back and punches it handsomely from there. The ball races through wide mid off for second boundary of the over. |
| 51.5 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, Comes forward to play this one but the spin enables the ball to hit him on his pad. |
| 51.6 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, Prodigious spin. Was there an edge on this? The umpire doesn't think so. It was shortish on middle and leg, Theunis moves back to work it to the leg side but misses it. The spin from around the wicket for Dananjaya takes it away. Two byes results from the fine leg region. |
| 52.1 : R Herath to Bavuma, Shows the full face of the bat and blocks it nicely. |
| 52.2 : R Herath to Bavuma, No trouble in handling the straighter ball. Easily defended. |
| 52.3 : R Herath to Bavuma, Pitched outside leg, Temba pads it to the off side. |
| 52.4 : R Herath to Bavuma, Shortish in length from Bavuma who moves back to flick it but get the ball hit on his pad outside leg. |
| 52.5 : R Herath to Bavuma, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 52.6 : R Herath to Bavuma, FOUR! Out comes the sweep once again. It has been so effective for the visitors throughout. Bavuma sweeps the full ball and connects it really well. A boundary results from the backward square leg region. |
| 53.1 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, Theunis looks to sweep the ball from outside off but gets hit on his pad. But it hits him outside off so no qualms. |
| 53.2 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, Blocks it back to the bowler. |
| 53.3 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, Uses his hands and works this one wide of short leg. |
| 53.4 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, Rocks back to the shortish delivery on middle and hits it back to the bowler. |
| 53.5 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, Outside leg, left alone. |
| 53.6 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, Floats this one Akila, Theunis mistimes his cut and gets it to point. A run taken. |
| Hello! Hello! Look at what we have here. Suranga Lakmal is going to be bowling for the first time in this Test. Probably goes to show how good this Protea pair, particularly de Bruyn, has been. |
| 54.1 : S Lakmal to Bruyn, Back of a length delivery outside off, de Bruyn stands tall and punches it in front of cover. |
| 54.2 : S Lakmal to Bruyn, Served on a length again, on the stumps, blocked back down the track. |
| 54.3 : S Lakmal to Bruyn, Overthrows! A bit sloppy from the Lankans. De Bruyn pushes this just wide of mid on and takes off. Karunaratne rushes to the ball, fires a direct hit at the bowler's end but Theunis is well in. The ball ricochets off the stumps and there's nobody backing up there. So the batsmen take an extra run. |
| 54.4 : S Lakmal to Bruyn, FOUR! Some pace on offer and the batsman takes full advantage of it. Short of a length on off, de Bruyn camps on the back foot and muscles the pull over mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 54.5 : S Lakmal to Bruyn, Just behind a length, quite close to off, kept out safely. |
| 54.6 : S Lakmal to Bruyn, Fraction straight in line, de Bruyn moves inside the line and works it to mid-wicket to keep strike. |
| 55.1 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, Flighted on length, defended off the back foot. |
| 55.2 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, Another tossed up off spinner from Akila. Theunis prods forward to play it but fails to get his bat behind the line. The ball hits his pad and goes to forward short leg. The bowler asks a question but the umpire rightly denies. |
| 55.3 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 55.4 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, On middle and leg, flicked from the inner half of the bat to the on side. One run taken. |
| 55.5 : A Dananjaya to Bavuma, Swept with intent to the square leg region for another single. |
| 55.6 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, In line of the stumps, kept out easily. |
| 56.1 : S Lakmal to Bavuma, Bavuma misses the wild hoick across the line. A pull to a not so short delivery outside off. |
| 56.2 : S Lakmal to Bavuma, Around off, on a back of a length, blocked. |
| 56.3 : S Lakmal to Bavuma, Outside off on a length, left alone. |
| 56.4 : S Lakmal to T Bavuma, On a length just outside off, punched to covers. |
| 56.5 : S Lakmal to Bavuma, Straightish in line of the stumps, shortish and flicked to fine leg for a run. |
| 56.6 : S Lakmal to Bruyn, On a back of a length around off, easily blocked by Theunis. |
| 57.1 : A Dananjaya to Bavuma, Clever stuff from Bavuma! A shortish ball around off, Bavuma punches it off the back foot to mid on and seeing Perera is slow to react, he calls his partner for a quick single. One run taken. |
| 57.2 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, Wide down the leg side, the batsman leaves it alone. |
| 57.3 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, Gets behind the line of this one and blcoks it. |
| 57.4 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 57.5 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, Easily negotiated by Theunis. He has made the bowler bowl to him where he could score runs. Akila isn't getting his rhtym right perhaps. He lands this shortish on middle and spins further away to the leg side. Theunis flicks it to square leg and takes a run. |
| 57.6 : A Dananjaya to Bavuma, Too full, driven to mid on for no run. |
| Dhananjaya de Silva is on. |
| 58.1 : de Silva to Bruyn, Quick and flat, some spin but going down the leg side. Left alone. |
| 58.2 : de Silva to Bruyn, On middle, blocked. |
| 58.3 : de Silva to Bruyn, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 58.4 : de Silva to de Bruyn, On the off stumps, driven to covers by de Bruyn. |
| 58.5 : de Silva to Bruyn, Wrists the slower ball to the on side for nothing. |
| 58.6 : de Silva to Bruyn, Wide! Rough patches on the track coming into play. |
| de Silva to Bruyn, Defended off the front foot by Theunis presenting the full face of the bat. |
| Drinks! Excellent session for South Africa. They have scored 55 runs in this little session without losing a wicket, probably the first time in this series. The older ball seems easier to play as compared to the new cherry. Let's see for how long these two can continue to bat. It will surely send some jitters in the Lankan camp. |
| 59.1 : A Dananjaya to T Bavuma, Uuf! How would you play such deliveries? Bavuma has played it the best way he could. A flighted ball on length, it hits some rough or bounces from the seam and just takes off. It almost reaches the grille of the batsman who does well to get his glove in the way and get it to the off side aerially. End result, one run taken. |
| 59.2 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, Flatter outside off, reverse swept through cover-point by de Bruyn. A brace results. |
| 59.3 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 59.4 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, Prods forward and keeps it out off the front foot. |
| 59.5 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, Too full, pushed to the on side. |
| 59.6 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, He has used his height and reach to great effect through his innings. Again he comes way forward to t he fuller ball around off and creams the drive through covers for a couple for runs. This pair looks in total control at the moment. |
| 60.1 : de Silva to Bavuma, Tossed up delivery on leg stump, Bavuma flicks it off his pads and works it through square leg. A single results and the 200 comes up for South Africa. |
| 60.2 : de Silva to Bruyn, Gives this some more air on the stumps, blocked back down the track. |
| 60.3 : de Silva to Bruyn, Spinning down the leg side on a shorter length, de Bruyn moves inside the crease and places it through backward square leg for one. |
| 60.4 : de Silva to Bavuma, All too comfortable for this Protea pair now. Bavuma whips this off the back foot to deep mid-wicket and gets to the other end. |
| 60.5 : de Silva to Bruyn, Turned off the pads, wide of short leg. One more run to the total. |
| 60.6 : de Silva to Bavuma, Too full and outside off, Bavuma gets low for the reverse sweep and gets hit low on the pads. Impact is outside off. |
| 61.1 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, Heavy turn for Akila. Turning in, de Bruyn works it through the gap in the mid-wicket region and takes one. |
| 61.2 : A Dananjaya to Bavuma, Would have been better had he come forward, but he goes back instead and blocks it out as there's no turn. |
| 61.3 : A Dananjaya to Bavuma, Full and just outside off, Bavuma drags the sweep through square leg and rotates strike. |
| 61.4 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, Stays right back and keeps it out. |
| 61.5 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, Tossed up off break turning in, Theunis is forward in defense. |
| 61.6 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, Too full again, easy enough for de Bruyn to comes forward and negotiate the spin. |
| Rangana Herath comes back on. |
| 62.1 : R Herath to Bavuma, Fifty for Temba Bavuma! His 11th in this format. Well-deserved too. Done well under pressure. Sweeps this to square leg and takes a single to get to the milestone. |
| 62.2 : R Herath to Bruyn, Loopy and fuller, outside off, pushed into the covers. |
| 62.3 : R Herath to Bruyn, Almost unplayable! What a jaffa! Jeez. De Bruyn survives a scare. Herath drops it a bit short and this ball spins and kicks off the deck like it's nobody's business. Theunis initially goes to play, but does well to go back and sway away from the line. |
| 62.4 : R Herath to Bruyn, A lot of flight on this, Theunis is forward to block. |
| 62.5 : R Herath to Bruyn, Darts it full and fast, jammed out by the batsman. |
| 62.6 : R Herath to Bruyn, Driven to cover. End of the over. |
| 63.1 : de Silva to Bavuma, Spinning in on leg, Bavuma flicks it through the vacant leg slip position. In the air, but safe. Single collected. |
| 63.2 : de Silva to Bruyn, FOUR! Wonderful execution from Theunis de Bruyn to get this away. Brings out the reverse sweep to this fuller ball and places it through cover-point. Roshen Silva at sweeper cover moves a long way to his left, dives to stop it but he can't. Boundary. |
| 63.3 : de Silva to Bruyn, Plays this out off the back foot for nothing. |
| 63.4 : de Silva to Bruyn, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 63.5 : de Silva to Bruyn, The leg break this time but de Bruyn picks it up early. Prods forward and blocks it out. |
| 63.6 : de Silva to Bruyn, Full and straight, easily kept out. |
| 64.1 : R Herath to Bavuma, Thrown well outside off, no shot offered by the batsman. |
| 64.2 : R Herath to Bavuma, Turning away slightly, gently tossed up, Temba with a tame push to covers. |
| 64.3 : R Herath to Bavuma, Full and slow from the bowler, guarded out without any trouble. |
| 64.4 : R Herath to Bavuma, Bavuma tries to get down the track but Rangi drags his length back. So the batsman goes back and plays it towards point. |
| 64.5 : R Herath to Bavuma, Closes the face a bit too early there. Fuller and outside off, Bavuma gets a leading edge square on the off side. No harm done. |
| 64.6 : R Herath to Bavuma, Played to point intentionally this time. Dot ball. |
| Dilruwan Perera is back on. |
| 65.1 : D Perera to Bruyn, Looped up by the offie, de Bruyn blocks by getting well forward. |
| 65.2 : D Perera to Bruyn, Touch short on off, turning in, kept out on the leg side. |
| 65.3 : D Perera to Bruyn, Darted full on middle stump, de Bruyn gets low to reverse sweep but gets a bottom edge which bumps on the track and bounces over the slip fielder's head. Single taken. |
| 65.4 : D Perera to Bavuma, The 100-run stand is up! Vital for the Proteas. Good fight shown from these two. One wonders, had one or two more provided a similar display, things might have turned out different. Bavuma sweeps this through backward square leg for one. |
| 65.5 : D Perera to Bruyn, Goes deep inside the crease, waits for the ball to turn before keeping it down in front of short leg. |
| 65.6 : D Perera to Bruyn, Sharp turn for Dilruwan. Lands it on off, spins in from a bit of a shorter length and de Bruyn doesn't pick it up. He goes back to cut, but gets hit high on the thigh pad. |
| 66.1 : R Herath to Bavuma, Tossed up delivery on off, blocked off the front foot on the off side. |
| 66.2 : R Herath to Bavuma, Short, it's pulled hard and connected well too. Temba is unfortunate to have found the square leg fielder. |
| 66.3 : R Herath to Bavuma, Spinning away from outside off, left alone. |
| 66.4 : R Herath to Bavuma, Works it away with the wrists on the leg side. No run taken. |
| 66.5 : R Herath to Bavuma, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 66.6 : R Herath to Bavuma, Bavuma is rock solid in defense as he comes half forward and brings his bat ahead of his pad to block. |
| 67.1 : D Perera to Bruyn, Flatter and shorter on middle and off, de Bruyn moves across, gets behind the line and defends it right under his nose. |
| 67.2 : D Perera to Bruyn, Full and loopy, around off, blocked tightly. |
| 67.3 : D Perera to Bruyn, Rocks back in a flash and slaps the punch through to sweeper cover. A comfortable two results. |
| 67.4 : D Perera to Bruyn, Hit on the arm, outside the line of off stump. Perera serves it around off, it spins and kicks off. |
| 67.5 : D Perera to Bruyn, Right behind the line of this one. Fuller on off, defended well. |
| 67.6 : D Perera to Bruyn, Safely ends the over with a front foot block. Didn't allow the ball to turn at all. |
| 68.1 : R Herath to Bavuma, Tossed up from around the wicket, on middle and leg, swept neatly through to deep backward square leg for a run. |
| 68.2 : R Herath to Bruyn, Drifting in at first, around off, spins away as de Bruyn pushes it to covers. |
| 68.3 : R Herath to Bruyn, Spinning away outside off, covers the line and lets it be. |
| 68.4 : R Herath to Bruyn, Just behind a driving length, outside off, makes Theunis reach forward a bit to keep it out. |
| 68.5 : R Herath to Bruyn, Fuller on off with some turn, de Bruyn gets a leading edge, safely, towards mid off. |
| 68.6 : R Herath to Bruyn, Waits for the ball to come before going back and cutting it down towards third man with the spin. A brace taken. |
| Danushka Gunathilaka is on to bowl now. |
| 69.1 : D Gunathilaka to Bavuma, A bit shortish on middle and leg, worked to mid-wicket. |
| 69.2 : D Gunathilaka to Bavuma, Continues from around the wicket, lands it on a shorter length, catches Bavuma on the pads as he misses his flick. |
| 69.3 : D Gunathilaka to Bavuma, The batsman works it down the leg side. One run added to the total. |
| 69.4 : D Gunathilaka to Bruyn, Pitches around leg, spins down as the batsman leaves it alone. Dickwella can't collect properly as it goes behind off his gloves. The batsmen take two byes. |
| 69.5 : D Gunathilaka to Bruyn, Worked to short leg from the back foot. |
| 69.6 : D Gunathilaka to Bruyn, Bit fullish in length on middle and leg, defended down in front of short leg. |
| Dilruwan Perera has a change of ends. |
| 70.1 : D Perera to Bavuma, From around the wicket, it's fuller on the pads, it's swept just wide of backward square leg by Bavuma for a double. |
| 70.2 : D Perera to Bavuma, FOUR BYES! The pitch is misbehaving a bit from time to time. Down leg, shooting off the surface and spinning, the keeper can't catch it as the batsman leaves it. Goes right behind for a boundary. |
| 70.3 : D Perera to Bavuma, Oooh! Close. Full and going across outside off, Bavuma goes low to drag the sweep but gets a bottom edge onto his boot and the ball lobs behind. Luckily for him, it lands just short of first slip. |
| 70.4 : D Perera to Bavuma, Worked to mid-wicket. No run taken. |
| 70.5 : D Perera to Bavuma, FOUR! Good batting from Bavuma. He uses his feet to get close to the pitch and drives it down the ground through mid off for a boundary. |
| 70.6 : D Perera to Bavuma, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| Change of ends for Rangana Herath. |
| 71.1 : R Herath to Bruyn, Flatter on middle, flicked to the on side for a run. |
| 71.2 : R Herath to Bruyn, On off, easily defended. |
| 71.3 : R Herath to Bruyn, Flighted around off, worked to the off side. |
| 71.4 : R Herath to Bruyn, Tossed up, slower on a length, blocked off the front foot. |
| 71.5 : R Herath to Bruyn, Similar delivery from Herath and easily kept out again by de Bruyn. |
| 71.6 : R Herath to Bruyn, Theunis has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 72.1 : D Perera to Bavuma, Around the wicket, floated on off and Bavuma charges forward to defend it. |
| 72.2 : D Perera to Bavuma, Shortish around off, Temba waits for the turn and then works it to square leg for a run. |
| 72.3 : D Perera to Bruyn, Whippy reverse sweep from de Bruyn. How effective this shot has been for them? A flatter ball on middle worked through backward point for a run. |
| 72.4 : D Perera to Bavuma, Out comes the conventional sweep. This time it's Bavuma. He works it to deep square leg for a run. |
| 72.5 : D Perera to Bruyn, On the pads, flicked through the on side. One run taken. |
| 72.6 : D Perera to Bavuma, Shortish on the pads again, nicely flicked through square leg for another run. 5 singles of this over and all of them easily taken and worked. |
| 73.1 : R Herath to Bavuma, OUT! Rangana Herath, as he so often does, comes up with the breakthrough when his team really needs it. A peach of a delivery to dismiss Temba Bavuma. Beauty. Comes from around the wicket and tosses it up on middle and off, it turns, just the right amount and takes the edge of Bavuma's bat, who's forward to defend. Dickwella does well to take the catch and break this 123-run stand. A good knock from Bavuma, he did well to hang in there, but his stay is over now. The beg |
| 0.0 : Quinton de Kock is the new man in. |
| 73.2 : R Herath to Kock, FOUR! Loopy from over the wicket and full on off, de Kock gets low and reverse sweeps it through backward point for a boundary. Seems he's come right out of the nets. |
| 73.3 : R Herath to Kock, Full and flighted outside off, another reverse sweep from Quinton de Kock, through point this time. He'll get a couple of runs for it. |
| 73.4 : R Herath to Kock, Floated on off, blocked by getting his front leg out of the way. |
| 73.5 : R Herath to Kock, Attempts the reverse sweep again, a bit dangerously this time, as Herath drags the length back a touch. Off the pads, past leg slip and a leg bye is taken. |
| 73.6 : R Herath to Bruyn, Full around off, met with a defensive blade in response. |
| 74.1 : D Perera to Kock, Maybe going down a touch too much. Slider coming in with the arm, raps de Kock on the pads who goes back to work it on the leg side. Muted appeal, but it's turned down. |
| 74.2 : D Perera to Kock, That's turned square! Wowza. Tossed up on middle, it turns so much that it goes past the edge of de Kock's bat and rises straight to first slip. |
| 74.3 : D Perera to Kock, Short and flat outside off, punched crisply through the gap in the covers. A couple results. |
| 74.4 : D Perera to Kock, Drifting in at first before turning away, beats the outside edge of de Kock's hanging bat. The southpaw is lucky he didn't nick it behind. |
| 74.5 : D Perera to Kock, Outside off, shorter in length, kept out off the back foot. |
| 74.6 : D Perera to Kock, Comes half-forward to this one and defends it out. |
| 75.1 : R Herath to Bruyn, Full and just outside off, met with a straight bat in defense. |
| 75.2 : R Herath to Bruyn, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 75.3 : R Herath to de Bruyn, Flat, quick and short on off, whipped off the back foot through to mid on for a single. |
| 75.4 : R Herath to Kock, Spins down leg, beats de Kock who tries to reverse sweep again. Off the pads and to leg slip. |
| Big moment in the game. Quinton de Kock is caught leg before and he immediately reviews. This could decide the game right here... |
| 75.5 : Herath to Kock, OUT! It's umpire's call! Quinton de Kock is out of here! Rangana Herath strikes yet again. Served outside off, spinning in and de Kock goes back to defend. A big mistake, he should have come forward, as he gets beaten for pace and caught on the pads. Loud appeal goes up and the finger is raised. The left-hander decides to review it, as he should, and it's taken upstairs. Replays show the impact is umpire's call as the ball is clipping leg and the decision stands. LUNCH ON D |
| Heartbreak for South Africa. All the hard work done by Temba Bavuma and Theunis de Bruyn could come crashing down in no time now. The pair added 123 runs between them, completing their respective fifties in the process, and almost saw the session through. But... but... Rangana Herath decided to show his magic and undid all the good work by the pair. It all changed in the final three overs of the session, when the veteran left-armer dismissed Bavuma and then de Kock in his following over. Sri Lan |
| Though, credit to Bavuma and de Bruyn till now. They made the Lankans toil hard for the wickets. It went to the point that we saw Suranga Lakmal bowling for the first time in the game. The pair showed a lot of stomach to fight and kept digging it in there. De Bruyn is still fighting, but not sure how long will his resistance last now. Join us at 1240 local (0710 GMT) for what could be the final session of this game. |
| ... Day 4, Session 2 ... |
| We are back after our light lunch! The hosts just need 3 more wickets to win this game and the series. For the visitors, it is just about how long they can prolong this. De Bruyn is strangled on 85 and would like to get to that three digit figure. Meanwhile, Herath will finish his over and Kagiso Rabada is the new man in. |
| 75.6 : R Herath to Rabada, Tossed up on middle, well blocked by Rabada. |
| Akila Dananjaya will bowl from the other end. |
| 76.1 : A Dananjaya to Bruyn, Works this away with a wristy shot to the on side for a run. |
| 76.2 : A Dananjaya to Rabada, Turn and bounce. Rabada goes forward to block it but cannot make contact. |
| 76.3 : A Dananjaya to Rabada, Turn again. Pitches this on middle and off, it spins away from Rabada who plays and misses. |
| 76.4 : A Dananjaya to Rabada, This one keeps low. Rabada stays inside and looks to block it outside off but the ball goes under his bat. |
| 76.5 : A Dananjaya to Rabada, No feet movement and Rabada pokes at it. Once again cannot put bat to ball. |
| 76.6 : A Dananjaya to Rabada, Pushes this ball towards mid on and takes a quick run. |
| 77.1 : R Herath to Rabada, Stays in his crease and defends the ball off his back foot. |
| 77.2 : R Herath to Rabada, Play and miss from Rabada. Serves this around off, Rabada hangs back and doesn't get behind the ball. |
| 77.3 : R Herath to Rabada, Edge but falls short of the fielder at first slip. Rabada waits for the ball to come at him then throws his bat ahead in defense. He gets an edge to the first slip region. No harm done. |
| 77.4 : R Herath to Rabada, Fuller ball on middle, played back to the bowler. |
| 77.5 : R Herath to Rabada, Shortish around off, cut this towards the backward point fielder for an easy single. |
| 77.6 : R Herath to Bruyn, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 78.1 : A Dananjaya to Rabada, From around the wicket, it's floated on middle and off. Drifts in, then turns and beats the outside edge of Rabada's bat. |
| 78.2 : Dananjaya to Rabada, Quite full on leg, hits Rabada on the pads. Light appeal, but it was always going down leg. |
| 78.3 : A Dananjaya to Rabada, A bit short on off, spins away sharply. Rabada goes back and defends it right under his nose. |
| 78.4 : A Dananjaya to Rabada, Stays right behind the line and blocks it out. |
| 78.5 : A Dananjaya to Rabada, Loopy and full in length, blocked. |
| 78.6 : Dananjaya to Rabada, FOUR! Full toss around off, Rabada stands tall and smashes it straight back over the bowler's head for a boundary. |
| Dilruwan Perera on now. |
| 79.1 : D Perera to Bruyn, From around the wicket, it's full on middle and off, de Bruyn is forward in defense. |
| 79.2 : D Perera to Bruyn, Tad risky, that. Landing short and spinning in from around off, de Bruyn backs away to cut but is a bit cramped for room. Manages to get it away through covers, but still a little risky. Two to the total. |
| 79.3 : D Perera to Bruyn, Down leg, nudged towards fine leg. Easy single collected. |
| 79.4 : D Perera to Rabada, Slower through the air, around off, kept out off the front foot. |
| 79.5 : D Perera to Rabada, Full and turning away outside off, Rabada goes for the expansive drive but gets beaten. |
| 79.6 : D Perera to Rabada, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| Rangana Herath has a change of ends. He will take the new ball first up. |
| 80.1 : R Herath to Bruyn, Tosses it right up there, on the stumps, met with a defensive bat in response. |
| 80.2 : R Herath to Bruyn, Landed on a driving length outside off, it's played off the outer half to point. |
| 80.3 : R Herath to Bruyn, Swept away through backward square leg for one run. |
| 80.4 : R Herath to Rabada, Full and straight, attacking the stumps, kept out safely. |
| 80.5 : R Herath to Rabada, Quite slow through the air, just outside off, doesn't spin at all and that beats Rabada who plays for the turn. |
| 80.6 : R Herath to Rabada, FOUR! Superb timing. Almost a yorker darted on off, Rabada with fast hands drills this through mid off and finds the fence. |
| 81.1 : D Perera to Bruyn, Backs away to this shorter ball around off, de Bruyn backs away ans slaps it to covers for a single. Rabada to face almost the entire over now it seems. |
| 0.0 : The helmet and shin guards out. Another fielder coming around the batsman now. So two slips, a short leg and a silly point in place. |
| 81.2 : D Perera to Rabada, Fuller, slower and outside the line of off stump, Rabada comes forward and shoulders arms. |
| 81.3 : D Perera to Rabada, Drifting in from around off, Kagiso is solid in defense. |
| 81.4 : D Perera to Rabada, A lot of air on this occasion, Rabada drives away from his body and gets beaten past the edge. |
| 81.5 : D Perera to Rabada, Another one. Teasing Rabada with the flight and landing it full outside off. He goes for the big drive, gets beaten as Dickwella can't collect cleanly. |
| 81.6 : D Perera to Rabada, Flicked neatly through mid-wicket. Right in the gap, comfortably two runs result. Good work from Rabada to survive this over. |
| 82.1 : R Herath to de Bruyn, Gives this a lot of flight outside off, Theunis taps it to covers and gets to the other end. |
| 82.2 : R Herath to Rabada, Full and straight, in line of the stumps, Rabada blocks. |
| 82.3 : R Herath to Rabada, SIX! First maximum of the innings and it's come off the bat of Kagiso Rabada. Full and right in the slot, Rabada has no qualms about putting this away. Smokes this high over long on and clears the fence with ease. |
| 82.4 : R Herath to Rabada, Not much turn on this, outside off, blocked on the off side. |
| 82.5 : R Herath to K Rabada, Probably an inside edge on that. Herath bowls it a bit quicker through the air, on the stumps, Rabada maybe gets an inside edge on this on his pads as it falls just beside short leg. |
| 82.6 : R Herath to Rabada, Kagiso has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 83.1 : D Perera to de Bruyn, Edged and away! Dilruwan floats it across around off, de Bruyn plays at it and gets an edge which flies behind. Two good runs taken. |
| 83.2 : D Perera to Bruyn, Oooh! Beaten this time! Fuller and going across, de Bruyn is forward to defend but the ball doesn't turn and goes past the outside edge. |
| 83.3 : D Perera to Bruyn, Crouches a bit and half-pulls, half-sweeps this fine down the leg side. A bit of a fumble from the fielder allows the batsmen to take two. |
| 83.4 : D Perera to Bruyn, The batsman has flicked the ball off his pads. They pick up a single. |
| 83.5 : D Perera to Rabada, Stays behind the line and blocks it out. |
| 83.6 : D Perera to Rabada, Close! Perera drifts it around off, it comes in a bit as Rabada lets it be. Goes really close past the off stick. |
| 84.1 : R Herath to Bruyn, FOUR! Maiden Test century for Theunis de Bruyn! Thoroughly deserved. He's the only player who's looked assured and played a flawless knock so far. It's been tough work, but he's toughened it out so far and done a wonderful job. Full on the stumps, de Bruyn kneels down and paddle sweeps it fine down the leg side for a boundary. |
| 84.2 : R Herath to Bruyn, Straighter one from the bowler, blocked out. |
| 84.3 : R Herath to Bruyn, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 84.4 : R Herath to Bruyn, Fuller and spinning away outside off, beaten past the edge. Hmmm... a sly Russel Arnold remarks on air - 'The one which turns will never get you...' hmmm.... |
| 84.5 : R Herath to de Bruyn, OUT! Russel Arnold, you beauty! He did mention on the previous ball that the one turning will not get you. The ones which do not turn are those that the batsmen need to be careful about. And Theunis de Bruyn is consumed by that disease which most non-Asian batsmen have. Confusion whether the ball will turn or not, whether it should be played or not. Herath comes from around the wicket and drifts it in on off. Now, because of what happened on the previous ball, de Bruy |
| Dale Steyn is the next man in to bat. |
| 84.6 : R Herath to Steyn, Full and slow on the stumps, kept out off the front foot. |
| 85.1 : D Perera to Rabada, Fuller in length around off, Rabada prods forward and blocks it down. |
| 85.2 : D Perera to K Rabada, OUT! Nine down! Sri Lanka need just one more wicket to win the match! Dilruwan gives this air and lands it around off, Rabada goes forward and looks to block it. The ball turns and takes the outside edge of the bat. It goes straight to Mathews at first slip who does not drop those. |
| Lungi Ngidi is the last man in. |
| 85.3 : D Perera to Ngidi, Oh! Almost another one. Lands this around off, Lungi looks to defend this nut almost gets the outside edge to the keeper. |
| 85.4 : D Perera to Ngidi, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 85.5 : D Perera to Ngidi, Gets behind the ball and blocks it onto the ground. |
| 85.6 : D Perera to Ngidi, FOUR! That's a shot a top order batsman would be proud of. Picks up the length early and lofts this over mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 86.1 : R Herath to Steyn, SIX! The tailenders are going to enjoy themselves. Might as well. Tossed up around off, Steyn jumps out of his crease and lofts it high in the air. Gets enough on it to clear the long off boundary for a maximum. |
| 86.2 : R Herath to Steyn, Quite slow through the air, around off, turns away as Steyn lets it go. |
| 86.3 : R Herath to Steyn, Fuller and on the stumps, blocked with the full face of the bat. |
| 86.4 : R Herath to Steyn, Muted appeal, but there's bat involved. Full and straight, the ball raps Steyn on the front pad but not before taking the inside edge. Steyn survives to fight another day. |
| 86.5 : R Herath to Steyn, OUT! And that seals it! The job is done and SRI LANKA WIN THIS GAME BY 199 RUNS! Steyn jumps out of the crease and looks to go big again. Gets a big, big top edge which skies high in the sky, towards long on. Gunathilaka settles himself under it and ensures Herath finishes with a 6-fer. Handshakes all around, smiles and fist pumps everywhere. A good performance from the Lankans. |
| Another dominating performance from the hosts has seen them cleansweep South Africa 2-0. It was all Sri Lanka the moment this match started. Actually, you could argue, the match swung in the home side's favour when the Proteas decided to go with just one spinner. Suranga Lakmal won the toss and his team has dominated from that point itself. The openers set the tone, then the middle order and even the tail followed suit. Keshav Maharaj sent a spinning wave that crashed them down with 9 wickets, b |
| Sri Lanka followed up their good show with the bat when they came out with the ball. The spin trio dismantled the South African batting order and cleaned them right up in no time. Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock were the only ones to put up any kind of a fight, but alas cricket is a 11-man sport for a reason. Need everyone to do their part. |
| Now, with already a healthy lead, the Suranga Lakmal-led men piled on the pressure with the openers once again getting the job done, and then Angelo Mathews and Roshen Silva contributed well, with the former scoring a much-needed fifty. A daunting target of 490 was set, one which could be considered as a winning one. The Islanders once again wreaked havoc, with the spinners showing their magic yet again. Almost everyone was knocked over, till Theunis de Bruyn and Temba Bavuma joined forces. |
| De Bruyn and Bavuma put up a gritty century stand, providing a sturdy resistance and even, to some extent, reviving the Proteas' hopes of possibly getting something out of this. But Rangana Herath came to the fore again, like he has so many times and broke that stand, which basically opened the floodgates. The others chipped in and wrapped things up. The veteran finished with 6 wickets. A resounding victory for the hosts. A special mention for de Bruyn though, he was the best batsman in the rank |
| Herath who is up for an interview says that he is very pleased winning the game and the series against the number 2 side. Suggest that he is happy to play on any ground and not only SSC and Galle. Reckons that it is easier to bowl with the hard ball as it gives you assistance and the spinners bowled very well during the entire series. About his retirement he says that he knows about it but will look play the next Test series against India. |
| Man of the Match and Series, Dimuth Karunaratne on his batting says that, it was easier to bat at the start as the ball comes nicely onto the bat but once it becomes dry, the ball spins. On playing spin he says that he stuck to the basics by rotating strike and waiting for the loose balls. Ends by saying that they take one series at a time and will look forward to their next against England. |
| Faf du Plessis, the South African skipper says that he is happy with how the guys played. He praises de Bruyn and says that it was possible to score runs in the game. Credits the Sri Lankan team for the way they played their cricket. Adds that they have taken a lot of positives from the series like Maharaj's 9-fer and de Bruyn's innings. On the second spinner he reckons that he should have played the second spinner after seeing the way the ball was turning. Suggest that it is helpful in these su |
| Suranga Lakmal the Sri Lankan skipper says that they worked hard for this and this is all the result of hard work. On the way their spinners bowled in this series he says that they have the best spinners in the world and that's the reason for it. On his captaincy he says that it was a team effort and he didn't have to do much. |
| So that's it from us! We come to the end of an emphatic and dominating series win over the 2nd best Test side in the world. This will surely make a statement, providing plenty of positives and contrastingly, a lot to work on for the touring side. Life was never going to be easy for them post AB de Villiers, and they're not realizing just how difficult that's going to be. Back to the drawing board for the Saffers. Anywho, we bid you farewell. Hope you enjoyed our coverage. We hope you will join u |
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