| 0.0 : Hello and welcome to our coverage of the Sri Lankan tour of South Africa. The Islanders have been on the road for three big away tours now. They failed to impress on their previous series and now travel to South Africa. Their history here doesn't look a good reading and they will need something special to get the better of the hosts. The team from the sub-continent will have a new leader in Dimuth Karunaratne and the Lions will hope he can do something special. The Proteas on the other hand, pla |
| TOSS - Sri Lanka win an important toss and opt to bowl first. |
| Team news - Keshav Maharaj and Faf du Plessis are back in the playing XI for the hosts. |
| The two teams are out in the middle for their respective national anthems. We begin with the visitors' anthem first up... |
| The Sri Lankan eleven, the South African openers and the umpires walk to the middle to start off this game. Dean Elgar and Aiden Markram the usual suspects at the top for the hosts. Suranga Lakmal, the most experienced bowler for SL with the new ball for the tourists. Three slips in place to start off with for Markram. Let's play... |
| 0.1 : S Lakmal to Markram, Starts off with one on good length and on off stump line, defended watchfully towards the square leg fielder by Aiden. |
| 0.2 : S Lakmal to Markram, Another ball on the money just outside off and on a good length, kept out solidly by Markram. |
| 0.3 : S Lakmal to Markram, Confusion! But all is okay in the end. Lakmal pushes this one a little full on off and Markram leans into the on drive. Looks for a single but his partner is ball watching. The mid on fielder though, has to make a tumbling stop and cannot get to the ball in time. Aiden makes it back to his crease safely. |
| 0.4 : S Lakmal to Markram, Outside off and shaping away, left alone by the batsman. |
| 0.5 : S Lakmal to Markram, On a length outside off, defended on the back foot by AM. |
| It has become overcast all of a sudden, the Sun was out a little while back. |
| 0.6 : S Lakmal to Markram, A maiden to start off proceedings here. A good over from Lakmal ends with one on a shorter length just outside off and Markram defends watchfully. |
| Vishwa Fernando to bowl from the other end and share the new ball. |
| 1.1 : V Fernando to Elgar, Good ball to start! A length ball and slightly shaping in after landing, Markram defends it to the on side awkwardly. His bottom hand comes off the bat as he completes his defense. |
| 1.2 : V Fernando to Elgar, Goes really full on the second ball outside off, Dean defends it off the bottom of his bat towards cover. |
| 1.3 : Fernando to Elgar, Loud appeal but the experienced Aleem Dar does not flinch. Another really full one outside off, and shapes away at the last moment to beat the outside edge of Elgar who was looking to defend. There is a noise due to the bat hitting the ground as the ball passes and the keeper and slips go up in loud appeal but there was no edge there and its a good decision from the umpire. |
| 1.4 : V Fernando to Elgar, OUT! This time he is a gonner! There is an edge and Aleem Dar's finger goes up immediately. Vishwa Fernando strikes. A length ball outside off and in the corridor of uncertainty, Dean Elgar looks to feel for the ball and defend it but the ball holds its line and he is playing down the wrong line. It takes the faintest of outside edges and carries to Dickwella who makes no mistake behind the stumps. A 4-ball duck for Elgar, and just the start Sri Lanka would have wanted |
| Hashim Amla is in to bat at number 3. |
| 1.5 : V Fernando to Amla, Outside off and shaping away, left alone by Amla as he watches the ball all the way to the keeper's gloves. |
| Review time... Oh wait! The stipulated time of 15 seconds has passed and the review cannot be taken now by Sri Lanka. |
| 1.6 : V Fernando to Amla, Confusion! Confusion! That's what happens when you have a new captain. Sri Lanka might have missed out on a huge wicket here. A length ball landing on middle and leg, going on straight with the line. Amla looks to defend but the ball misses his bat and he gets rapped on the pads in the line of the stumps. There is a huge appeal from the bowler and keeper but there is no reaction from the umpire. Looks really close and Dimuth Karunaratne consults his players before decidi |
| 2.1 : S Lakmal to Markram, Good length delivery on off, Markram defends off the back foot. |
| 2.2 : S Lakmal to Markram, Again on a good length, Markram keeps it out. |
| 2.3 : S Lakmal to Markram, Good length delivery outside off, Aiden looks to drive but gets beaten by the away movement on this one. |
| 2.4 : S Lakmal to Markram, Length delivery on off, the batsman taps it towards point for a single. |
| 2.5 : S Lakmal to Amla, Outside off, Amla shoulders his arms to this one. |
| 2.6 : S Lakmal to Amla, On a good length on off, Amla stands tall and defends off the back foot. |
| 3.1 : V Fernando to Markram, Wide outside off, cut off the back foot but straight to the fielder at point. Markram would feel he missed out there. |
| 3.2 : V Fernando to Markram, Leading edge... but safe. A length ball on leg stump and moving away slightly from the righty, Aiden closes the face of his bat too quickly and the ball goes off the leading edge and away from the bowler straight back down the ground. An easy single is taken in the end. Good bowling this from Vishwa. |
| 3.3 : V Fernando to Amla, On a length and at the hips, worked away to deep square leg for three runs by Amla as he gets off the mark. |
| 3.4 : V Fernando to Markram, Sprayed way down the leg side and moving further away, too far for Markram to make contact on that ball. |
| 3.5 : V Fernando to Markram, Short of a length and on top of middle and off, defended from within the crease by AM. |
| 3.6 : V Fernando to Markram, Length ball on the pads, glanced away fine on the leg side for a single down to deep fine leg. Markram keeps strike. |
| 4.1 : S Lakmal to Markram, Good shape on this one. Good length delivery outside off, Markram offers no shot. |
| 4.2 : S Lakmal to Markram, Length delivery on middle, Markram defends it to short mid-wicket. |
| 4.3 : S Lakmal to Markram, Again on a good length and outside off, Aiden shoulders his arms to this one. |
| 4.4 : S Lakmal to Markram, On middle, Markram defends off the back foot. |
| 4.5 : S Lakmal to Markram, Length delivery on middle and leg, Markram flicks it towards fine leg for a run. |
| 4.6 : S Lakmal to Amla, Good length delivery on middle, Amla keeps it out. |
| 5.1 : V Fernando to Markram, Length delivery on off, Markram plays it through mid off for a single. |
| 5.2 : V Fernando to H Amla, Length delivery outside off, Amla cuts it to point. |
| 5.3 : V Fernando to Amla, Short and wide outside off, Amla looks to cut but gets beaten on this one. |
| 5.4 : V Fernando to Amla, Length delivery on leg, Amla looks to flick but misses it and gets hit on the thigh pad. It goes towards the leg side. The batsmen take a run. Umpire gives it as a leg bye. |
| 5.5 : V Fernando to Markram, Good length delivery on middle, Markram blocks it well. |
| 5.6 : V Fernando to Markram, On off, Aiden keeps it out. |
| Amla has nicked one! The catch has been taken in the slip cordon but the umpire has soft signalled it as not out. Does Amla have another life? |
| 6.1 : S Lakmal to Amla, OUT! Big wicket for Sri Lanka. Lakmal gets his first wicket. Good length delivery on off, Amla looks to leave but plays it at the last moment. The ball goes from the under bat of the willow and it goes towards Kusal Mendis who takes a brilliant catch. Soft signal was not out. It is referred upstairs. They are checking whether the ball hit the ground. The replays show that he had taken it inches from the ground and the ball did not bounce. The third umpire gives it as out |
| 0.0 : Surprise, surprise... Temba Bavuma walks in at number 4. No sign of Faf... Looks like South Africa believe Temba is the crisis man. |
| 6.2 : S Lakmal to Bavuma, Shorter one on the pads, worked away to deep square leg for a couple of runs by Bavuma. Off the mark straightaway. |
| 6.3 : S Lakmal to Bavuma, Length ball outside off, defended from the crease by Temba. |
| 6.4 : S Lakmal to Bavuma, The batsman shoulders arms to let that one through outside off. |
| 6.5 : S Lakmal to Bavuma, A good length ball on middle, Bavuma looks to defend but the ball takes the inner edge and runs to leg gully on the bounce. |
| 6.6 : S Lakmal to Bavuma, Left alone outside off to end a good over from Lakmal. |
| 7.1 : V Fernando to Markram, Length ball outside off, pushed on the front foot to the right of mid off for a couple of runs by Markram. He has looked solid so far. |
| 7.2 : V Fernando to Markram, Fuller length outside off, left alone by the batsman. |
| 7.3 : V Fernando to Markram, FOUR! On a good length outside off, punched off the back foot for a boundary to deep cover-point. |
| 7.4 : V Fernando to Markram, OUT! Cleaned up!!! Markram has to go. What a beauty from Fernando after being hit for a boundary. Till now, Vishwa was taking most of the balls away. This one is on a good length and coming in to the right-hander. Markram is on the front foot and looks to drive the ball away to the on side. It shapes just enough to take the inside edge and disturb his stumps. Aiden is gone after looking decent so far. Sri Lanka will be really happy with the way things have gone so far |
| The new man in is Faf du Plessis. |
| 7.5 : V Fernando to Plessis, Good ball first up to du Plessis! A length ball on middle and moving into the righty. Extra bounce and Faf does well to fend that on to the leg side by removing his bottom hand off the willow. |
| 7.6 : V Fernando to Plessis, On middle stump, Faf manages to turn it fine on the leg side for a couple of runs. Off the mark. 8 runs off this over but a wicket too from it. |
| 8.1 : S Lakmal to Bavuma, Good length delivery on off, Bavuma taps it to point. |
| 8.2 : S Lakmal to Bavuma, Again on a good length on middle, Bavuma comes forward and looks to defend but it goes of the inner half of the bat towards mid-wicket. |
| 8.3 : S Lakmal to Bavuma, Outside off, Bavuma shoulders his arms to this one. |
| 8.4 : S Lakmal to Bavuma, Length delivery on off, Temba keeps it out. |
| 8.5 : S Lakmal to Bavuma, Good length delivery outside off, Bavuma looks to defend but gets beaten by the away movement. It was close to the outside edge. |
| 8.6 : S Lakmal to Bavuma, Again on a good length and outside off, Bavuma lets it go at the last moment. |
| 9.1 : V Fernando to Plessis, Outside off, du Plessis offers no shot. |
| 9.2 : V Fernando to du Plessis, Good length delivery on off, the skipper looks to defend but due to the movement, he gets an outside edge towards third slip. It fell way short of the fielder. |
| 9.3 : V Fernando to Plessis, Good length delivery on off, du Plessis blocks it well. |
| 9.4 : V Fernando to Plessis, Good length delivery again outside off, du Plessis lets it go. |
| 9.5 : V Fernando to du Plessis, EDGE AND FOUR! Good length delivery on off, du Plessis looks to defend but gets an outside edge. It goes between second and third slip for a boundary. |
| 9.6 : V Fernando to Plessis, Full delivery on off, Faf plays it towards covers for a run. |
| 10.1 : S Lakmal to Plessis, Continues bowling it on a length and around off, Faf is half forward as he keeps it out. |
| 10.2 : S Lakmal to Plessis, A little bit of away movement but the delivery is outside off, Faf du Plessis leaves it alone. |
| 10.3 : S Lakmal to Plessis, This is angled into the batsman, Faf du Plessis shuffles across and works it through mid-wicket. Takes a run. |
| 10.4 : S Lakmal to Bavuma, Well bowled and well played! This begins on off and then it starts moving away. Bavuma looks to defend but since it starts shaping away early, he adjusts and makes a leave. |
| 10.5 : S Lakmal to Bavuma, Bavuma isn't looking certain here. Not sure on what to leave and what to play. Back of a length delivery on off, Bavuma first looks to leave it on a length but then at the very end, keeps it out. |
| 10.6 : S Lakmal to Bavuma, A single to end! On the shorter side, this is pushed towards cover and the batsmen cross ends. A testing over this. |
| 11.1 : V Fernando to Bavuma, Outside off, left alone by the batsman. |
| 11.2 : V Fernando to T Bavuma, Around off, Bavuma looks to defend but the ball takes an outside edge and it runs down to second slip. |
| 11.3 : V Fernando to Bavuma, On middle, Bavuma defends that one, getting right behind the ball. |
| 11.4 : V Fernando to Bavuma, Good length delivery and on off, the batsman cuts it to point. |
| 11.5 : V Fernando to Bavuma, On off, drives it to covers and takes a single. |
| 11.6 : V Fernando to Plessis, In the 5th stump line, Faf pushes it to mid on and bags a single. They wanted a two but was fielded well. |
| Drinks! It has been a good hour for Sri Lanka. They have taken three quick wickets and put pressure on the hosts. Vishwa Fernando was the pick of the bowlers as he picked two wickets. Lakmal got the solitary wicket of Hashim Amla. South African batsmen have lacked application and would like Faf du Plessis and Temba Bavuma to continue after the break. |
| 12.1 : S Lakmal to Plessis, Back of a length and outside off, Faf swings at it with his foot muded on the crease. |
| 12.2 : S Lakmal to Plessis, Bowls it on off, the batsman leaves it alone. |
| 12.3 : S Lakmal to Plessis, Good length and the ball shapes away from the batsman, Faf looks to play this one with soft hands. But the ball goes off his outside edge and to the first slip fielder. Lucky there for the batsman that it didn't carry to the fielder. |
| 12.4 : S Lakmal to Plessis, Outside off, du Plessis looks to drive it but misses. |
| 12.5 : S Lakmal to Plessis, Bowls it wide on off, Faf leaves it alone. |
| 12.6 : S Lakmal to Plessis, Faf leaves it alone as it was bowled wide off his stumps. |
| 13.1 : V Fernando to Bavuma, Good length again and it is shaping away with the angle, Bavuma shoulders arms to this one. |
| 13.2 : V Fernando to Bavuma, Good length and around off, Bavuma taps it towards cover and sets off for a run. They complete it with ease. |
| 13.3 : V Fernando to Plessis, Good change in length there! The bumper and it is a well-directed one. Faf ducks under it at the very end. |
| 13.4 : V Fernando to Plessis, Another short delivery, this time though Faf was upto the task, he pulls it through mid-wicket and takes two. |
| 13.5 : V Fernando to Plessis, A little too straight, FdP works it towards fine leg for a single. |
| 13.6 : V Fernando to Bavuma, On a length again, Bavuma gets right behind the line and defends it. |
| Kasun Rajitha is on now. First change today. |
| 14.1 : K Rajitha to Bavuma, Uneven bounce there and that has hurt Bavuma. Just ahead of a shorter length, Bavuma's weight is on the front foot but then the ball rises from nowhere. He tries to fend it but gets hit on the body. |
| 14.2 : K Rajitha to Bavuma, FOUR! On the pad, Bavuma flicks it through square leg and gets a boundary. Third boundary of the match. |
| 14.3 : K Rajitha to Bavuma, Outside off, the batsman looks to defend but misses. |
| 14.4 : K Rajitha to T Bavuma, FOUR! Second of the over. It was on off, Bavuma looks to defend but the ball comes off the bat's outside edge and runs down through the legs of third slip . |
| 14.5 : K Rajitha to Bavuma, Good length and around off, Bavuma has played that one off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 14.6 : K Rajitha to Bavuma, It was on off, the batsman cuts it to point. |
| 15.1 : V Fernando to du Plessis, Excellently bowled again! This is angled into the batsman first from around the wicket, it pitches and then moves away. Faf looks to defend but is squared up. The ball goes off the outer half and through backward point for a single. |
| 15.2 : V Fernando to Bavuma, Back of a length on off, Bavuma pushes it to point. |
| 15.3 : V Fernando to Bavuma, Well left! From around the wicket it is bowled slightly outside off, Bavuma covers his off pole and shoulders arms. |
| 15.4 : V Fernando to Bavuma, FOUR! A little width on offer and Bavuma cashes on it. Short and wide outside off, Bavuma goes back and guides it through backward point. Boundary. Runs starting to come now for the hosts. |
| 15.5 : V Fernando to Bavuma, Good length and on off, Bavuma goes at it with hard hands, it goes off the inner half towards mid on. The fielder at short mid-wicket runs to his left and stops a single. |
| 15.6 : V Fernando to T Bavuma, The batsman has driven it through mid off. |
| 16.1 : K Rajitha to Plessis, Around off, the batsman offers a front foot defense to it. |
| 16.2 : K Rajitha to Plessis, Fullish and on leg, Faf flicks it to square leg. |
| 16.3 : K Rajitha to Plessis, Bouncer on 4th stump line, Faf leaves it alone. |
| 16.4 : K Rajitha to Plessis, FOUR! 50 comes up for South Africa! The ball was on good length and going outside leg, Faf flicks it through square leg and gets a boundary. |
| 16.5 : K Rajitha to Plessis, Hurls it on leg, the batsman looks to flick it but fails to put bat on ball. |
| 16.6 : K Rajitha to Plessis, Around off, du Plessis defends that one off the back foot. |
| Dimuth Karunaratne is on now. |
| 17.1 : D Karunaratne to Bavuma, On the off pole, Bavuma defends it nicely. Good start by the skipper. |
| 17.2 : D Karunaratne to Bavuma, This is a little too wide outside off, the batsman lets it be. Not a very good second delivery. |
| 17.3 : D Karunaratne to Bavuma, A single now! This is on middle, Bavuma plays inside the line, it goes off the inner half and through square leg for a single. |
| 17.4 : D Karunaratne to Plessis, Just ahead of a length and outside off, Faf guides it to gully. |
| 17.5 : D Karunaratne to Plessis, Inside edge! This one comes back in after pitching. Faf looks to keep it out but it goes off the inside edge and hits the pads. |
| 17.6 : D Karunaratne to Plessis, A decent end to the over! On off again, Faf is solid in defense. Good tight start by the Lankan skipper. |
| 18.1 : K Rajitha to T Bavuma, On the fuller side, not a lot of movement visible now. Bavuma strokes it towards mid on. |
| 18.2 : K Rajitha to Bavuma, Outside off this time, Bavuma need not play at those. |
| 18.3 : K Rajitha to Bavuma, Fullish and around off, Bavuma strokes it through covers nicely. It is not right off the middle but enough to get two. Also, Kasun has overstepped. |
| K Rajitha to Bavuma, Shortens his length this time and it is closer to the off pole, Bavuma gets right behind the line and keeps it out. |
| 18.4 : K Rajitha to Bavuma, Outside off, Bavuma is in no mood to play at those. |
| 18.5 : K Rajitha to Bavuma, Second leave in a row as it is once again bowled outside off. |
| 18.6 : K Rajitha to T Bavuma, FOUR! A well-controlled pull shot! Short and down the leg side, Bavuma just helps it on its way to the fine leg fence. Good end to the over for South Africa. |
| 19.1 : D Karunaratne to Plessis, BEATEN! Extra bounce there for the bowler! Effort ball by Karunaratne. However, it is short and wide outside off. Faf looks to cut but is done in by the extra bounce. |
| 19.2 : D Karunaratne to Plessis, On the off pole now, Faf is solid in defense. |
| 19.3 : D Karunaratne to Plessis, A little bit of drift away from the batter but the line is outside off, left alone. |
| 19.4 : D Karunaratne to Plessis, Another one outside off and it is another leave. |
| 19.5 : D Karunaratne to Plessis, A little too straight and on middle, it is worked to mid-wicket. |
| 19.6 : D Karunaratne to Plessis, A single to end another tight over by DK. On the shorter side, Faf goes back and punches it through covers for a run. |
| 20.1 : K Rajitha to Plessis, On the 4th stump line. Du Plessis looks to defend at it but misses. |
| 20.2 : K Rajitha to Plessis, FOUR! Classic Faf! It was on off, he drives it past cover. The fielder chases it but the ball still makes it to the ropes. |
| 20.3 : K Rajitha to Plessis, On middle, Faf defends this one off his back foot. |
| 20.4 : K Rajitha to Plessis, Bouncer outside off, the batsman leaves it alone. |
| 20.5 : K Rajitha to Plessis, Again on the same line, du Plessis watches it go back to the keeper. |
| 20.6 : K Rajitha to du Plessis, FOUR! Around off, Faf looks to drive but the away movement of the ball takes an outside edge and runs down to backward point. A boundary results. |
| 21.1 : D Karunaratne to Bavuma, Gentle medium pace on the off stump, Bavuma is half-forward as he keeps it out. |
| 21.2 : D Karunaratne to T Bavuma, On the stumps, Bavuma plants his front foot ahead and then plays it nicely through mid on. The fielder from mid off hares after it and stops it with a slide. Saves a run for his side. |
| 21.3 : D Karunaratne to Plessis, On the pads, this is tucked around the corner and takes a couple. There is swing on offer for Karunaratne but due to his pace, the batsman have a lot of time to adjust. |
| 21.4 : D Karunaratne to Plessis, Another couple! Runs coming thick and fast in this over. Short and outside off, Faf hits it through cover-point and takes two. |
| 21.5 : D Karunaratne to Plessis, Well bowled! Bowls it just behind a driving length and gets it to move away. Faf du Plessis looks to drive it on the up but is beaten. That was not quite there to drive. |
| 21.6 : D Karunaratne to Plessis, A dot to end! This is on off, FdP strokes it to mid off. A good looking drive but for no runs. |
| 22.1 : K Rajitha to Bavuma, Hurls it outside the off pole, Bavuma shoulders his arms to it. |
| 22.2 : K Rajitha to T Bavuma, On middle, Bavuma defends it towards cover. |
| 22.3 : K Rajitha to Bavuma, Yorker length outside off, Bavuma leans in for the drive but misses. |
| 22.4 : K Rajitha to Bavuma, FOUR! Short and on the body, Bavuma connects his hook and manages to clear the fence. A one bounce off the ropes. |
| 22.5 : K Rajitha to Bavuma, FOUR! Consecutive ones for Bavuma. Fullish on off, Temba drives it through covers and bags himself a one more. |
| 22.6 : K Rajitha to Bavuma, On middle, the batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of delivery. |
| Lasith Embuldeniya is into the attack. He is on debut. |
| 23.1 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Almost struck on his very first ball! What a delivery that is, it has just about missed the off stump and the outside edge. Just unplayable. Extremely slow and it is given good amount of air. Lands around middle and then turns square. Faf lunges and tries to keep it out but the ball rips past the outside edge and goes close past the off pole. Also, turn straightaway for the spinner. |
| 23.2 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Similar length and line to the last one, not the same turn though. Faf this time goes back and works it to square leg. |
| 23.3 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Uses his feet but does not get to the pitch of the ball. Blocks it. |
| 23.4 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, FOUR! Up and over! Gets to the pitch this time and with a straight bat, lofts it over the bowler's head for a boundary. |
| 23.5 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Faf once again dances down the track but looks to drive, it goes off the inner half and towards long on for a run. This might be the way to go against the spinner, use you feet as he is tossing it up nicely and also bowling it slow. |
| 23.6 : L Embuldeniya to Bavuma, Or maybe play the paddle! Bavuma plays it nice and fine and picks up a couple. |
| 24.1 : K Rajitha to Plessis, On the 4th stump line, Faf comfortably defends that one onto the ground. |
| 0.0 : Review time! Sri Lanka feel they have Faf caught down the leg side. The umpire feels different. Sri Lanka have reviewed though. Big moment this. |
| 24.2 : Rajitha to Plessis, OUT! There is a spike on Ultra Edge and the on-field call has to be overturned. Now we know why Sri Lanka were so sure, excellent review by them and they have got the South African skipper. Also a timely one as this partnership was starting to look dangerous. It has been cut short in a soft manner though. A delivery down the leg side, Faf looks to flick, there is a noise as the ball passes the bat. The keeper takes and he starts celebrating, so does the bowler. Faf du P |
| Sri Lanka's meal would taste sweeter after Faf's wicket. Any team who wins the toss, inserts the opposition and takes 4 wickets before Lunch will be more than pleased. Lakmal and Fernando started it all for the visitors. They pegged the hosts back picking up 3 early wickets. Bavuma and Faf then started to get their side back in the game, stitching a 50-run stand but Rajitha struck just at the stroke of Lunch. |
| South Africa were made to struggle at the start. They couldn't cope with the moving ball and lost their top order cheaply. Faf and Bavuma were looking good for the time they were there but a loose shot from the skipper means that they have lot of work ahead. Sri Lanka just need a wicket and then they will head into the lower order. It promises to be an entertaining second session. Join in after a short while. |
| ... DAY 1, SESSION 2 ... |
| We are back after Lunch. The players and umpires are out in the middle. Temba Bavuma is joined by Quinton de Kock in the middle. Kasun Rajitha will continue his over. |
| 24.3 : K Rajitha to de Kock, FOUR! Good start after Lunch. Good length delivery outside off, de Kock looks to defend but gets an outside edge. It goes past the diving fourth slip fielder for a boundary. |
| 24.4 : K Rajitha to Kock, FOUR LEG BYES! Consecutive boundaries for Quinton. Length delivery on leg, de Kock looks to flick but gets it off his pads. It goes towards fine leg for a boundary. |
| 24.5 : K Rajitha to Kock, Good length delivery on middle, de Kock keeps it out. |
| 24.6 : K Rajitha to Kock, Outside off, the keeper-batsman shoulders his arms to this one. |
| Vishwa Fernando to bowl from the other end. |
| 25.1 : V Fernando to Bavuma, Good length delivery outside off, Bavuma shoulders his arms to this one. |
| 25.2 : V Fernando to Bavuma, Outside off, Bavuma lets it go. |
| 25.3 : V Fernando to T Bavuma, Full on off, Temba drives it through covers. Two runs taken. |
| 25.4 : V Fernando to T Bavuma, It was bowled on the shorter side where it pitched outside off and came back into the batsman. Bavuma looks to leave but gets a glove on the last moment. It goes towards Dickwella where it fell short of him. The batsmen take a quick run. |
| 25.5 : V Fernando to de Kock, Full on off, de Kock looks to drive but gets an inside edge. It goes towards fine leg. The batsmen cross ends. |
| 25.6 : V Fernando to Bavuma, Outside off, Temba leaves it alone. |
| Suranga Lakmal is on now. |
| De Kock has been given out caught behind. He though has reviewed. Looked off the glove but de Kock reviewing immediately might just mean it is off some other part. |
| 26.1 : S Lakmal to Kock, NOT OUT! It is off the elbow! De Kock survives to fight another day. Lakmal bowls a good length delivery and it lands around off. De Kock first thinks of playing at it but then at the end tries to leave. The ball goes off something low to the left of Dickwella. He dives and takes it, an appeal follows and the umpire raises the finger. De Kock reviews it straightaway. Time for the replays and they show that the on-field call has to overturned. The hosts will breath a huge |
| 26.2 : S Lakmal to Kock, On a length and around off, de Kock looks to defend but gets an inside edge onto his pads. It rolls towards point. |
| 26.3 : S Lakmal to Kock, Back of a length around off, de Kock pushes it towards cover for a single. |
| 26.4 : S Lakmal to Bavuma, The batsman shoulders arms to let that one through. |
| 26.5 : S Lakmal to Bavuma, On the shorter side, Bavuma blocks it out. |
| 26.6 : S Lakmal to Bavuma, The batsman chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| 27.1 : V Fernando to Kock, Full toss on middle, de Kock drives it to mid on. Quinton misses out on a boundary here. |
| 27.2 : V Fernando to Kock, Good length delivery outside off, de Kock shoulders his arms to this one. |
| 27.3 : V Fernando to Kock, On off, Quinton defends off the front foot. |
| 27.4 : V Fernando to Kock, Length delivery on off, de Kock looks to defend but it goes off the inner half of the bat towards square leg for a run. |
| 27.5 : V Fernando to T Bavuma, Short outside off, Bavuma cuts it towards point for a single. |
| 27.6 : V Fernando to Kock, Full on middle, Quinton drives it to mid on. |
| 28.1 : S Lakmal to Bavuma, Outside off, Bavuma shoulders his arms to this one. |
| 28.2 : S Lakmal to Bavuma, Bowls down the leg side, Bavuma looks to flick but misses it. A muted appeal for caught behind but the umpire shakes his head. |
| 28.3 : S Lakmal to Bavuma, Outside off, Bavuma lets it go. |
| 28.4 : S Lakmal to Bavuma, FOUR! Length delivery on off, Bavuma looks to drive but gets an outside edge. It goes between third and fourth slip towards third man for a boundary. |
| 28.5 : S Lakmal to Bavuma, Full on off, Bavuma drives it through mid off for a run. |
| 28.6 : S Lakmal to Kock, Short outside off, Quinton cuts it through point for a single. |
| 29.1 : V Fernando to Kock, Good length delivery on off, de Kock defends off the front foot. |
| 0.0 : Have Sri Lanka got another one in a fortunate manner? They are confident as a run out appeal at the non-striker's end has been taken upstairs. |
| 29.2 : Fernando to Bavuma, OUT! Bavuma is short by just! End of his innings in a very unfortunate manner. He walks back dejected, three short of a half ton. A full delivery by Vishwa Fernando on middle, de Kock creams it back towards the bowler who was trying to move his feet out of the way. However while his left foot came down, it hits the ball and ends up deflecting it on the stumps at the non-striker's end. The Lankans are already celebrating and the umpire takes it upstairs. Replays show it |
| Vernon Philander is the new batsman in. |
| 29.3 : V Fernando to Kock, On the shorter side, de Kock pulls it through square leg for a run. |
| 29.4 : V Fernando to Philander, Driven through the covers by the batsman. One run added to the total. |
| 29.5 : V Fernando to Kock, On the shorter side, de Kock cuts it through point for a couple. |
| 29.6 : V Fernando to Kock, Full again, de Kock strokes it back to the bowler. |
| 30.1 : S Lakmal to Philander, Length delivery on leg, Philander tucks it towards the leg side for a single. |
| 30.2 : S Lakmal to Kock, Good length delivery outside off, de Kock looks to chase this one but misses it. |
| 30.3 : S Lakmal to Kock, Again on a good length on off, Quinton blocks it well. |
| 30.4 : S Lakmal to de Kock, Length delivery outside off, de Kock cuts it towards point for a single. |
| 30.5 : S Lakmal to Philander, Good length delivery outside off, Philander lets it go. |
| 30.6 : S Lakmal to Philander, On a good length on off, Vernon defends off the front foot. |
| 31.1 : V Fernando to Kock, De Kock drives this fuller delivery to mid off. |
| 31.2 : V Fernando to de Kock, The batsman cuts this short delivery towards point. The batsmen cross ends. |
| 31.3 : V Fernando to Philander, Philander defends it off the back foot. |
| 31.4 : V Fernando to Philander, The batsman defends this good length delivery on the front foot. |
| 31.5 : V Fernando to V Philander, Philander cuts this short delivery towards point. The batsmen take a run. |
| 31.6 : V Fernando to Kock, Bowls it down the leg side, de Kock lets it go. |
| 32.1 : S Lakmal to Philander, Length delivery on off, Philander defends it back towards the bowler. |
| 32.2 : S Lakmal to Philander, Philander defends this good length delivery on the front foot. |
| 32.3 : S Lakmal to Philander, Length delivery on middle and leg, Philander flicks it towards square leg for a run. |
| 32.4 : S Lakmal to Kock, De Kock defends this good length delivery on the front foot. |
| 32.5 : S Lakmal to Kock, On off, Quinton keeps it out. |
| 32.6 : S Lakmal to Kock, On off, de Kock plays it towards point and takes a quick single. |
| Kasun Rajitha is back into the attack. |
| 33.1 : K Rajitha to Kock, On off, de Kock plays it back to the bowler. |
| 33.2 : K Rajitha to Kock, Good length delivery outside off, de Kock looks to cut but it hits the inner half. |
| 33.3 : K Rajitha to de Kock, De Kock drives this full delivery to covers. |
| 33.4 : K Rajitha to Kock, Good length delivery outside off, Quinton offers no shot. |
| 33.5 : K Rajitha to Kock, Short and outside off, de Kock cuts it towards point for a single. |
| 33.6 : K Rajitha to Philander, Outside off, Philander shoulders his arms to this one. |
| Lasith Embuldeniya is back. |
| 34.1 : L Embuldeniya to Kock, Short delivery, de Kock pulls it towards square leg. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 34.2 : L Embuldeniya to Kock, Tossed up on off, Quinton defends off the front foot. |
| 34.3 : L Embuldeniya to Kock, FOUR! Good shot. Flighted delivery on off, de Kock plays a reverse sweep towards third man for a boundary. |
| 34.4 : L Embuldeniya to Kock, Floated on middle, Quinton pushes it to mid-wicket. |
| 34.5 : L Embuldeniya to Kock, Flighted delivery on middle and leg, de Kock nudges it towards the leg side for a run. |
| 34.6 : L Embuldeniya to Philander, BEATEN! Beautiful delivery. Tossed up outside off, Philander looks to defend but misses it due to the away turn on this one. |
| 35.1 : K Rajitha to de Kock, Full on off, Quinton drives it to mid off. |
| 35.2 : K Rajitha to Kock, Length delivery on leg, de Kock looks to flick but misses it. |
| 35.3 : K Rajitha to de Kock, Short outside off, de Kock cuts it to point. |
| 35.4 : K Rajitha to Kock, De Kock drives this full delivery towards mid off. The batsmen change ends. |
| 35.5 : K Rajitha to Philander, On off, Philander defends off the front foot. |
| 35.6 : K Rajitha to Philander, Length delivery on middle, Philander pushes it to short mid-wicket. |
| DRINKS! A decent hour for both the sides. The Lankans did manage to get the well-set Bavuma early but since then, Philander and de Kock have done well and are amidst a good stand. South Africa will hope the two continue whereas, the Lankans will hope to break this partnership as soon as possible. |
| 36.1 : L Embuldeniya to Kock, Tossed up on middle, de Kock flicks it towards mid-wicket for a run. |
| 36.2 : L Embuldeniya to Philander, Flighted delivery on middle, Philander looks to push but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| 36.3 : L Embuldeniya to Philander, Floated on off, Philander keeps it out. |
| 36.4 : L Embuldeniya to Philander, Tossed up on off, Philander plays it towards the off side. |
| 36.5 : L Embuldeniya to Philander, Outside off, the batsman lets it go. |
| 36.6 : L Embuldeniya to V Philander, Full on middle, Philander drives it to mid on. |
| 37.1 : K Rajitha to de Kock, Shortish and outside off, de Kock cuts it through point. There is a fielder in the deep so only a single. |
| 37.2 : K Rajitha to Philander, On the stumps, the batter goes back and defends it onto the ground. |
| 37.3 : K Rajitha to Philander, On the off pole, Philander leans forward and keeps it out. |
| 37.4 : Rajitha to Philander, OUT! In the air... taken! Too quick that one for Philander! Kasun gets his second and Philander's resistance comes to an end. It is on the shorter side and around off, Philander goes back and tries to pull. The ball though skids through and hits the splice of Philander's bat even before he could complete the shot. It balloons towards the bowler who accepts a dolly. The umpires want to check for the front foot and it is just about fine. |
| Keshav Maharaj is the new batsman in. |
| 37.5 : K Rajitha to Maharaj, Outside off, left alone. |
| 37.6 : K Rajitha to Maharaj, A little too straight, it is worked towards mid-wicket for a run. |
| 38.1 : L Embuldeniya to Maharaj, Tossed up outside off, Maharaj lets it go. |
| 38.2 : L Embuldeniya to Maharaj, FOUR! Too short and outside off, Maharaj makes room and cuts it through point for a boundary. |
| 38.3 : L Embuldeniya to Maharaj, Floated on off, Maharaj keeps it out. |
| 38.4 : L Embuldeniya to Maharaj, Flighted delivery on off, Keshav blocks it well. |
| 38.5 : L Embuldeniya to Maharaj, Floated outside off, Maharaj cuts it to point. |
| 38.6 : L Embuldeniya to Maharaj, Loopy delivery on off, Keshav blocks it off his front foot. |
| 39.1 : K Rajitha to de Kock, Good length delivery on off, de Kock looks to defend but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| 39.2 : K Rajitha to Kock, NO BALL! Kasun Rajitha oversteps? Short outside off, de Kock cuts it towards point. Umpire gives no ball for overstepping but the replays show that he had some part of his foot behind the line. |
| K Rajitha to Kock, Full on middle, Quinton flicks it towards fine leg for a run. |
| 39.3 : K Rajitha to Maharaj, Good length delivery on off, Maharaj keeps it out. |
| 39.4 : K Rajitha to Maharaj, Outside off, Keshav leaves it alone. |
| 39.5 : K Rajitha to Maharaj, Same delivery, Maharaj lets it go. |
| 39.6 : K Rajitha to Maharaj, Third consecutive leave for Maharaj. Outside off, Keshav offers no shot. |
| 40.1 : L Embuldeniya to Kock, Tossed up on middle and leg, de Kock defends it towards short leg where the fielder looks to stop the ball but it goes past him. The batsmen take a run. |
| 40.2 : L Embuldeniya to Maharaj, FOUR! Cracking shot. Short and outside off, Maharaj cuts it through point for a boundary. |
| 40.3 : L Embuldeniya to Maharaj, Floated on middle, Keshav keeps it out. |
| 40.4 : L Embuldeniya to K Maharaj, Tossed up on middle, Maharaj looks to defend but gets an inside edge. It goes past the stumps and the keeper towards fine leg. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 40.5 : L Embuldeniya to Maharaj, Short outside off, Maharaj makes room and cuts it past first slip towards third man. The batsmen get two runs. |
| 40.6 : L Embuldeniya to Maharaj, Flighted delivery on middle, Maharaj defends off the back foot. |
| 41.1 : K Rajitha to Kock, FOUR! Stand and deliver! Slightly fuller and coming in with the angle. De Kock stands tall and just smashes it past mid on. It races away to the fence. |
| 41.2 : K Rajitha to Kock, Slash and a miss! Short and outside off, de Kock swings but misses. |
| 41.3 : K Rajitha to Kock, Down the leg side, de Kock looks to flick but misses. |
| 41.4 : K Rajitha to Kock, Goes for a yorker but ends up bowling a full toss, it is flicked through square leg for a single. |
| 41.5 : K Rajitha to Maharaj, A bumper on the body of the batsman, Maharaj somehow fends it away. |
| 41.6 : K Rajitha to Maharaj, On the shorter side, Maharaj pushes it to covers. |
| 42.1 : L Embuldeniya to Kock, Tossed up on middle, de Kock plays a reverse sweep towards point. |
| 42.2 : L Embuldeniya to Kock, Flighted delivery on leg, Quinton looks to play a reverse sweep but gets an inside edge onto the pads. The ball goes towards the leg side. The batsmen cross ends. |
| 42.3 : L Embuldeniya to Maharaj, Short outside off, Maharaj cuts it towards point for a run. |
| 42.4 : L Embuldeniya to Kock, Floated on middle, de Kock flicks it towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 42.5 : L Embuldeniya to K Maharaj, Short outside off, Maharaj cuts it through point. Two runs taken. |
| 42.6 : L Embuldeniya to Maharaj, Short delivery again, Maharaj pulls it over mid-wicket. The batsmen get two runs. |
| 43.1 : K Rajitha to de Kock, Length delivery outside off, de Kock slaps it through covers. The fielder chases it and stops it comfortably before the rope. The batsmen get three runs. |
| 43.2 : K Rajitha to Maharaj, Length delivery on middle and leg, Maharaj nudges it towards fine leg. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 43.3 : K Rajitha to Maharaj, Good length delivery on off, Maharaj looks to defend but gets an outside edge towards gully. It fell well short of the fielder. |
| 43.4 : K Rajitha to Maharaj, Length delivery on leg, Keshav nudges it to the leg side. There was a confusion regarding the single. In the end they decide not to take the single. |
| 43.5 : K Rajitha to Maharaj, Short of a length delivery outside off, Maharaj looks to pull but misses it. |
| 43.6 : K Rajitha to Maharaj, Short delivery again, Maharaj rises on his toes and defends it off the back foot. |
| 44.1 : O Fernando to Kock, Floated on leg, de Kock flicks it towards the leg side for a run. |
| 44.2 : O Fernando to Kock, FOUR! Good shot. Short outside off, de Kock slaps it through covers for a boundary. |
| 44.3 : O Fernando to Kock, Floated on middle, Quinton defends off the back foot. |
| 44.4 : O Fernando to de Kock, Short delivery outside off, Quinton cuts it towards point for a single. |
| 44.5 : O Fernando to Maharaj, FOUR! Amazing shot. Flighted delivery on middle, Maharaj lofts this over mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 44.6 : O Fernando to Maharaj, Tossed up on off, Maharaj plays it towards covers for a run. Big over for South Africa. 10 runs came from it. |
| Vishwa Fernando is back into the attack. |
| 45.1 : V Fernando to Maharaj, On middle, Maharaj defends it back to the bowler. |
| 45.2 : V Fernando to Maharaj, FOUR! Short and on leg, Maharaj hooks it uppishly to square leg and gets himself a boundary. |
| 45.3 : V Fernando to Maharaj, Over the wicket lands it on middle, Maharaj leaves it alone as it was going away from him. |
| 45.4 : V Fernando to Maharaj, Around off, the batsman defends that one off his front foot. |
| 45.5 : V Fernando to Maharaj, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| Have Sri Lanka got another? The umpire has given Maharaj out caught behind but he has reviewed. |
| 45.6 : Fernando to K Maharaj, OUT! A huge spike on Ultra Edge and Keshav Maharaj is given his marching orders. Also, a review goes down the drain. That review was more in hope I feel as this partnership was going great guns. However, a superb nut to end a very handy innings by Maharaj. Fernando lands it on a length around off, the ball pitches and straightens. Not a lot Maharaj could have done there. He lunges and looks to block but due to the away movement, the ball takes the outside edge and g |
| Kagiso Rabada is the new batsman in. |
| 46.1 : S Lakmal to Kock, Full toss on off, de Kock defends it off his front foot. |
| 46.2 : S Lakmal to Kock, Fullish on middle, Quinton defends it back to the bowler. |
| 46.3 : S Lakmal to Kock, On stump line, the batsman has kept it out. |
| 46.4 : S Lakmal to Kock, Around off, Quinton pulls it to mid-wicket and collects a single. |
| 46.5 : S Lakmal to Rabada, Bumper on middle, Rabada ducks under it. Lakmal looking to put pressure on him right on the first ball. |
| 46.6 : S Lakmal to Rabada, Short and on body, Rabada defends it to the leg side. |
| 47.1 : V Fernando to de Kock, Short and on middle, de Kock pulls it to mid-wicket and takes a single. |
| 47.2 : V Fernando to Rabada, Fullish on leg, Rabada drives it uppishly towards mid on. |
| 47.3 : V Fernando to Rabada, On middle, Rabada defends it onto the ground. |
| 47.4 : V Fernando to Rabada, Bumper on body, the batsman ducks underneath it. |
| 47.5 : V Fernando to Rabada, Same ball, Rabada ducks to save his head. |
| 47.6 : V Fernando to Rabada, Fullish on pad, Kagiso drives it to mid on and takes a run. THAT WILL BE TEA ON DAY 1. |
| A decent session of Test cricket we witnessed here. It started off with Bavuma getting run out in a very unfortunate manner. Philander too did not contribute a lot with the bat. At 131 for 6, the hosts were in serious trouble. However, Maharaj and de Kock then joined hands and counter-attacked. The two added a handy 47-run stand before the former was dismissed. |
| Sri Lanka are in a good position in this game but they can't relax, especially with Quinton de Kock out there. He is easily capable of adding some quick runs and get the hosts to a competitive total. The Islanders would not want that and they would look to wrap the innings up quickly. Join us in a short while for what could be another exciting session of cricket. |
| ... DAY 1, THIRD SESSION ... |
| All in readiness yet again. The overrate has bee abysmal today and there are still 42 overs left to be bowled. Looked unlikely even if they take an extra half an hour. Anyway, coming to the match situation, we can expect fireworks from Quinton de Kock with only three wickets left. Rabada will be on strike first up though. Suranga Lakmal to continue from this end. Let's play... |
| 48.1 : S Lakmal to Rabada, Starts with a fuller length ball on middle, Rabada brings a straight bat down and defends it watchfully on the leg side. |
| 48.2 : S Lakmal to K Rabada, Direct hit would have consumed Rabada! A length ball around leg, Kagiso helps it towards mid-wicket and crosses for a hesitant single. The fielder misses his shy at the bowler's end otherwise he was short by a couple of yards. |
| 48.3 : S Lakmal to Kock, The line is straight and de Kock eases it in front of square leg for an easy run this time. |
| 48.4 : S Lakmal to Rabada, Extra bounce from a length around middle, Kagiso is taken by surprise but he reacts well to keep it out safely on the off side. |
| 48.5 : S Lakmal to Rabada, Good length delivery on middle and leg, Rabada flicks it in front of square leg and rotates the strike. |
| 48.6 : S Lakmal to Kock, Nicely controlled shot. De Kock stands back to fetch a short ball from wide outside off and pulls it all along the carpet to deep mid-wicket. They pick up a single. |
| Vishwa Fernando will also continue from the opposite end. |
| 49.1 : V Fernando to Kock, Begins his spell with a short ball around off, de Kock mistimes his pull shot off the bottom half through square leg. One run added to the total. |
| 49.2 : V Fernando to Rabada, Angles in a length ball on off, Rabada covers the line and blocks it from the crease. |
| 49.3 : V Fernando to Rabada, A little bit of width outside off, Rabada stays back to play it down towards cover-point. |
| 49.4 : V Fernando to Rabada, Bouncer around off at 130 kph, it's easily left by Rabada. |
| 49.5 : V Fernando to Rabada, Wayward this time. Short and down the leg side, Rabada finds the line too wide to play at. |
| 49.6 : V Fernando to Rabada, OUT! Straight down square leg's throat! A soft dismissal really. Fourth wicket for Fernando, his career-best bowling figures. A low full toss around leg, Rabada leans across to flick but fails to keep it down. It flies in the air and falls straight down Embuldeniya's throat. Kagiso cannot believe his luck. |
| In walks Dale Steyn. He can use the long handle. But his plan should be to give as much strike as possible to de Kock. |
| 50.1 : S Lakmal to Kock, Works a length ball through square leg for a single. |
| 50.2 : S Lakmal to Steyn, Edgy. Good length delivery close to off stump, straightening a bit, Steyn pushes inside the line and gets it away off the outer half to gully. |
| 50.3 : S Lakmal to Steyn, FOUR! Smashing shot! Lakmal serves it on a length again, it's just outside off, Dale Steyn uses his reach and hammers it down the ground through mid off. |
| 50.4 : S Lakmal to Steyn, Full and angling in from outside off, Steyn drives it off the inner half to mid on. |
| 50.5 : S Lakmal to Steyn, Has hammered this one as well. Width on offer outside off, Dale throws his hands at it and drills it wide of mid off. The fielder there gets some fingertips onto it and it slows down before the rope. Two taken. |
| 50.6 : S Lakmal to Steyn, Digs in a bouncer around middle, Steyn sits underneath it. |
| 51.1 : V Fernando to Kock, A short delivery which has been pulled away. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 51.2 : V Fernando to Steyn, A sharp bouncer on off, Steyn ducks. |
| 51.3 : V Fernando to Steyn, Short and way down the leg side, Steyn allows it through. |
| 51.4 : V Fernando to Steyn, FOUR! Bang! A low full toss outside off, Steyn, with all his weight on the back leg, attacks it with all his power and bludgeons it down through mid off for a boundary. |
| 51.5 : V Fernando to Steyn, Misses out there. A good length ball sliding down the leg side, Steyn fails to get any bat behind it. |
| 51.6 : V Fernando to Steyn, Good length delivery around leg, angling away from 'round the wicket, Steyn remains back in an open stance and defends it on the leg side. |
| Lasith Embuldeniya is back on. |
| 52.1 : L Embuldeniya to Kock, 15th Test fifty for Quinton de Kock! A short ball on middle has been pulled to deep mid-wicket for a run. Once again Quinton has played a vital hand down the order. Raises his bat to the crowd and receives a big ovation. |
| 52.2 : L Embuldeniya to Steyn, Steyn has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 52.3 : L Embuldeniya to Steyn, Turns it off his pads to the on side for one. 200 up for South Africa! |
| 52.4 : L Embuldeniya to Kock, Walks forward and helps it towards short mid-wicket. |
| 52.5 : L Embuldeniya to Kock, Arrows this one on middle and leg, de Kock clips it in the gap on the leg side for a run. |
| 52.6 : L Embuldeniya to Steyn, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 53.1 : V Fernando to de Kock, FOUR! Quinton will go after the bowlers now. Receives a short ball around middle and leg, he gets inside the line and pulls it fine down the leg side for a boundary. |
| 53.2 : V Fernando to Kock, Back of a length ball on off, de Kock tries working on the leg side but is beaten in pace probably. |
| 53.3 : V Fernando to Kock, Sharp delivery, short and slanting down, once again de Kock fails to put bat on ball and it goes off his thigh pad towards the right of the keeper. A leg bye taken. |
| 53.4 : V Fernando to Steyn, Pitches it up and around off, Steyn clears his front leg to go hard at it but it takes the inside edge and squirts through mid-wicket for one. |
| Vishwa Fernando seems to have pulled his hamstring. He is lying flat on the ground and one of his teammates is helping him with stretching. This will further have an impact on the overrate. |
| 53.5 : V Fernando to Kock, A length ball on off, de Kock tickles it through square leg and takes a run. |
| 53.6 : V Fernando to Steyn, Spears in a fullish ball on middle, Steyn goes for the flick and gets it away off the inner portion of his bat. It runs down to fine leg and they take a run. |
| 54.1 : L Embuldeniya to Steyn, Dropped? Flighted and fuller ball on off, Steyn strides forward and clobbers it over mid off. The fielder in the deep runs forward, puts in a dive but it seems that the ball drops just short of him. A single added to the total. |
| 54.2 : L Embuldeniya to Kock, FOUR! Well played! Flighted again, full and around off, de Kock brings out the reverse sweep and nails it wide of first slip for a boundary. Well executed. |
| 54.3 : Embuldeniya to Kock, Appeal for a catch, not given. De Kock tries sweeping a delivery down leg, fails to middle properly and it flies behind. The keeper tries catching but misses and it ricochets off him to the first slip fielder. He catches, they appeal but the umpire remains still. Nothing in the replays. |
| 54.4 : L Embuldeniya to Kock, The batsman flicks it away with a wristy shot through mid-wicket. Two runs added to the total. |
| 54.5 : L Embuldeniya to Kock, Knocks a full ball down through mid on for one. |
| 54.6 : L Embuldeniya to Steyn, Steyn has played that off the front foot and into the ground. 8 from the over, 16 in the last two, this stand is worth 31. A valuable one for the Saffas. |
| Kasun Rajitha is into the attack now. |
| 55.1 : K Rajitha to Kock, Nicely played but there is a sweeper on the leg side to mop it up. A length ball on off, de Kock whips it to deep mid-wicket for a run. |
| 55.2 : K Rajitha to Steyn, Back of a length delivery around off, Steyn gets on top of the bounce and pats it down to covers. |
| 55.3 : K Rajitha to Steyn, On a good length around off, Steyn blocks it from the crease to the off side. |
| Dark clouds are slowly but surely building up. |
| 55.4 : K Rajitha to Steyn, Bouncer, well-directed at the head of the batsman, Dale ducks at the last second. |
| 55.5 : K Rajitha to Steyn, Bouncer again! The batsman does well to evade it. |
| 55.6 : K Rajitha to Steyn, A length ball on middle, straightening a bit after landing, Steyn prods forward with a straight bat and it goes off the outside edge through cover-point. A single to complete the over. |
| 56.1 : L Embuldeniya to Steyn, Slow loopy full ball outside off, Steyn strides forward and plays it with soft hands to point. |
| 56.2 : L Embuldeniya to Steyn, Flighted and full on middle, Dale leans forward and defends it in front of his pads. |
| 56.3 : L Embuldeniya to Steyn, Arm ball on off, skidding in from a fuller length, Steyn keeps it out off the inside edge. |
| 56.4 : Embuldeniya to D Steyn, OUT! Timber! Embuldeniya lets out a nicely tossed up delivery, landing full on middle and going straight on. Steyn is on the front foot but plays down the wrong line. It beats the inside edge and cannons onto the stumps. The vital 33-run partnership is broken. Maiden Test scalp for Lasith and he is all smile. |
| Duanne Olivier is the last batsman. |
| 56.5 : L Embuldeniya to Olivier, Tossed up ball wide outside off, left alone. |
| 56.6 : L Embuldeniya to Olivier, Stretches forward to a full ball and blocks it back safely. A wicket maiden for Embuldeniya! |
| 57.1 : K Rajitha to Kock, Good length ball angling into the batsman from outside off, de Kock presents a straight bat in defense. |
| 57.2 : K Rajitha to Kock, Full and angling down the leg side, de Kock swings across the line but fails to middle it properly. It runs down to fine leg and Quinton turns down the single. |
| 57.3 : K Rajitha to Kock, On a length and outside off, de Kock stays back to hit it square of the wicket on the off side and once again denies the single on offer. |
| 57.4 : K Rajitha to Kock, Lets out a grunt and serves a slower full ball on middle at 98 kph, Quinton is not deceived and defends it back to the bowler. |
| 57.5 : K Rajitha to Kock, Ups his pace and darts in a shortish ball on off at 135 kph, de Kock tries to pull but misses. It goes off his thigh pad to slips. |
| 57.6 : K Rajitha to Kock, Dropped by Thirimanne! Dear me, this can prove to be costly. A short ball outside off, de Kock ramps it down to third man where Lahiru drops a sitter. Quinton gets the single he wants off the final ball. |
| 58.1 : L Embuldeniya to Kock, FOUR! Shot! De Kock fetches a full ball from outside leg and reverse sweeps it firmly through covers for a cracking boundary. |
| 58.2 : L Embuldeniya to Kock, Loopy and full ball around leg, de Kock plays it softly in front of square leg and crosses for a run. He is trusting Olivier to play out the spinner. |
| 58.3 : L Embuldeniya to Olivier, Flatter and around off, straightening a bit, Duanne is behind the line in defense. |
| 58.4 : L Embuldeniya to Olivier, On middle and leg, tucked towards short fine leg. |
| 58.5 : L Embuldeniya to Olivier, Presses forward to a full ball and drives it nicely to mid off. |
| 58.6 : L Embuldeniya to Olivier, An arm ball on middle, Olivier gets half-forward and jams it down on the leg side. |
| 59.1 : K Rajitha to Kock, FOUR! Here is the boundary de Kock is looking for! Short in length angling into the batsman, de Kock heaves it over backward square leg and finds the fence in spite of two fielders in the deep on the leg side. Lovely placement. The fine leg fielder was quite late in picking that up. |
| 59.2 : K Rajitha to Kock, Attack a length ball outside off and plays a cracking cover drive. But finds the fielder. |
| 59.3 : K Rajitha to Kock, SIX! He has nailed this! That dropped catch is hurting Sri Lanka. South Africa are marching towards 250. A slower one by Rajitha, on a length and angling in, de Kock picks it early and dispatches it over wide long on for a maximum. |
| 59.4 : K Rajitha to Kock, OUT! De Kock holes out! Rajitha gets his revenge. Delivers another short ball around off, Quinton takes on the challenge to pull it but gets a top edge. Vishwa Fernando comes in from fine leg, keeps his eyes on the ball and takes the skier safely. Third wicket for Kasun and South Africa are bundled out for 235! |
| Excellent bowling performance by Sri Lanka after choosing to field first. Their pacers set the tone early by picking three quick wickets up front and pushed South Africa on the back foot. Faf du Plessis and Temba Bavuma revived things with a 72-run stand and then Quinton de Kock was involved in valuable stands with the lower order. With their help, the Proteas managed to cross the 200-run mark and now have a respectable first innings total. The Islanders will be a shade disappointed to let the h |
| Now, it's time for the real challenge for Sri Lanka. Batting. There's some spice in the track and South Africa possess an army of quality pace bowlers. Will Dale Steyn and company run through? Or will we some rearguard batting from the touring party? Hang around with us to find out. |
| 0.1 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, Comes in from over the wicket and lands it on the leg side. Thirimanne flicks it away to backward square leg for the first run. |
| 0.2 : D Steyn to Thirimanne, Good length ball around off, Thirimanne defends it well. |
| 0.3 : D Steyn to Thirimanne, Around of again, Thirimanne gets behind it and sees it out. |
| 0.4 : D Steyn to Thirimanne, Back of a length ball closer to the stumps, the southpaw bunts it down. |
| 0.5 : D Steyn to Thirimanne, On middle and leg, Thirimanne looked to play that on the on side but gets a soft leading edge to the off side. |
| 0.6 : D Steyn to Thirimanne, End of the first over. Length ball on off, Lahiru taps it in front of him. |
| Vernon Philander to share the new cherry from the other end. |
| 1.1 : V Philander to Karunaratne, Starts with a length ball around off, Karunaratne defends it from the back foot to the off side. |
| 1.2 : V Philander to Karunaratne, FOUR! Nicely played! Philander is on the shorter side with his length, it's wide outside off, Karunaratne rocks back and smashes it through cover-point to get off the mark. |
| 1.3 : V Philander to Karunaratne, Much better line and length from Vernon this time. Keeps it around off and there is a hint of inward shape as well, Dimuth covers his stumps and shoulders arms. |
| 1.4 : V Philander to Karunaratne, Back of a length delivery on middle and leg, Karunaratne glances it uppishly off his hips and it goes in the gap at square leg for a run. |
| 1.5 : V Philander to Thirimanne, Extra bounce. It lands on a length around off, Thirimanne tries to defend and does so from the shoulder of his bat towards gully. Does well to play it with soft hands. |
| 1.6 : V Philander to Thirimanne, In the region outside off, an easy leave for Lahiru to complete the over. |
| 2.1 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, Bangs it in short down the leg side. Karunaratne looks to pull it but it is too far for him. |
| 2.2 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, Angles this away from the left-hander who shoulders his arms to it. |
| 2.3 : D Steyn to D Karunaratne, FOUR! SHOT! Lovely control. Overpitched it in search of swing. It comes back into Karunaratne who stands tall and just punches it through mid on for a boundary. |
| 2.4 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, Strays down leg, Dimuth works it towards fine leg for a single. |
| 2.5 : D Steyn to Thirimanne, This one is around off, Thirimanne is solid in his defense. |
| 2.6 : D Steyn to Thirimanne, Good length over the off pole, Lahiru blocks it and remains on 0. |
| 3.1 : V Philander to Karunaratne, Shout for an lbw, an extended one from Philander but the umpire remains unmoved. A length ball around middle, shaping back in, Karunaratne tries defending but misses and is hit high on the back leg. Going over the stumps, show the replays. |
| 3.2 : V Philander to Karunaratne, Around off, on a length, defended off the back foot. |
| 3.3 : V Philander to Karunaratne, Dimuth has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 3.4 : V Philander to Karunaratne, Pitches it up and around off, staying a shade low too, Karunaratne keeps his eyes glued to the ball and defends it from the bottom half of his bat to mid-wicket. |
| 3.5 : V Philander to Karunaratne, Another inswinging delivery, Philander is sticking to his line around off, Dimuth pushes it back from the inner half of his bat. Vernon picks up the ball and mimes a throw. |
| 3.6 : V Philander to Karunaratne, Switches his angle and comes to 'round the wicket. Serves a length ball on middle and leg, Dimuth comfortably turns it off his pads through square leg for a run. |
| 4.1 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, Angles in a length ball on off, Karunaratne gets behind the line and pushes it with a straight bat to mid on. |
| 4.2 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, Appeal for an lbw! Steyn gets a length ball to skid back into the batsman from outside off. Dimuth fails to keep it out and is hit on the pads. They put in an unsuccessful appeal. Clipping leg, the replays show late. |
| 4.3 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, Beaten! Back of a length delivery outside off, Dimuth stands back to push inside the line and misses. |
| 4.4 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, Offers a straight bat and drives it down the ground. Duanne Olivier gets to his right from mid on, tries to stop it with a dive but it sneaks through. A couple taken. |
| 4.5 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 4.6 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, A little short in length on middle, defended off the back foot to the on side. |
| 5.1 : V Philander to Thirimanne, Strides forward to a full ball and tries to hit it through the line. But it takes the inner edge and rolls to square leg. |
| 5.2 : V Philander to Thirimanne, Shout for an lbw! Philander dishes out a length ball on the pads, Thirimanne tries to flick but misses and is hit on the pads. The bowler appeals while the batsmen cross. Given as a leg bye. Missing leg also. |
| 5.3 : V Philander to Karunaratne, Comes from 'round the wicket for Karunaratne. Angles in a length ball on off, Dimuth work it wide of mid on and collects a couple. |
| 5.4 : V Philander to Karunaratne, Chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| 5.5 : V Philander to Karunaratne, Play and a miss! Yet another delivery in the channel outside off, this time the batsman feels for it inside the line and gets beaten. |
| 5.6 : V Philander to Karunaratne, Plays it with the angle of the bowler. Karunaratne stays back and turns a length ball around off through square leg. A couple of runs taken. So far, so good from the Lankan openers. |
| 6.1 : D Steyn to Thirimanne, Steams in and serves a good length ball on middle, Thirimanne solidly gets behind the line in defense. |
| 6.2 : D Steyn to Thirimanne, Back of a length delivery on off, Thirimanne goes on his toes and taps it down towards square leg. |
| 6.3 : D Steyn to Thirimanne, Gloved it, mostly. Short and around leg, Thirimanne tries to leave but is late in taking his hands away. It takes his gloves but lands safely behind square leg. |
| 6.4 : D Steyn to L Thirimanne, OUT! Poor, very poor from Thirimanne. Steyn angles across a back of a length delivery outside off, at 136 kph, Lahiru flirts with it away from his body, footwork nowhere near to the pitch of the ball and he gets a faint outside edge behind. De Kock makes no mistake and Thirimanne falls for a 15-ball duck. Could have easily left it. Now go back and cool your heels in the dressing room. Very disappointing shot selection from an experienced batsman. |
| Oshada Fernando is the number 3 batsman. |
| 6.5 : D Steyn to Fernando, Slips a length ball down the leg side, Fernando tries to flick but misses. |
| 6.6 : D Steyn to Fernando, This time Fernando is hurried up as he fends it off in front of short leg. A wicket maiden from Steyn. |
| 7.1 : V Philander to Karunaratne, Karunaratne has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 7.2 : V Philander to Karunaratne, Gets behind the line of the delivery around off and blocks it safely. |
| 7.3 : V Philander to Karunaratne, Well played. Leans forward and across to a full ball angled into him and then flicks it wide of mid on for a brace. |
| 7.4 : V Philander to Karunaratne, A soft outside edge. On a length outside off, Dimuth pushes inside the line with soft hands and it goes off the outside edge to gully. Doesn't carry. |
| 7.5 : V Philander to Karunaratne, A length ball on off, Dimuth easily works it off his pads through square leg for a couple. So far, the skipper has looked assured at the crease. |
| 7.6 : V Philander to Karunaratne, Puts it on a fuller length outside off, Karunaratne pushes it off his front foot to covers. |
| 8.1 : D Steyn to Fernando, Back of a length delivery on middle, Fernando tries to defend from the crease but misses and is hit on the thigh pad. |
| 8.2 : D Steyn to Fernando, A length ball outside off, pushed from the crease in the gap on the off side for a run. Debutant is off the mark. |
| 8.3 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, Oohhh... a very ambitious attempt from the Sri Lankan skipper. Tries playing a booming cover drive but gets beaten comprehensively. Would have looked very bad had he edged it. |
| 8.4 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, Full and in the line of the stumps, DK pushes it to mid on. |
| 8.5 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, Lets the ball go outside his off stump. |
| 8.6 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, A length ball on off, Karunaratne closes the face of the bat and eases it in the gap at mid-wicket for a run. |
| First bowling change. It's Kagiso Rabada who has been unleashed into the attack. |
| 9.1 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, Rabada runs in from 'round the wicket and serves a gentle length delivery outside off, an easy leave for Karunaratne. |
| 9.2 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, Good length ball around off, angling in, Dimuth gets behind the line and blocks it to the off side. |
| 9.3 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, Goes on the back foot to defend but his bat turns in his hands and he pushes it towards the leg side. |
| 9.4 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, Play and a miss! Width on offer outside off, Karunaratne needlessly hangs his bat out and gets beaten. |
| 9.5 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, In the zone outside off, Dimuth shoulders arms. |
| 9.6 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, On a length outside off, Karunaratne punches it from the back foot to cover-point. Rabada begins with a maiden. |
| Duanne Olivier is into the attack. |
| 10.1 : D Olivier to Fernando, Starts by bowling one at a back of a length ball on off, Fernando blocks it out. |
| 10.2 : D Olivier to Fernando, On the leg side this time, Fernando turns his bat to the leg side. |
| 10.3 : D Olivier to Fernando, Goes short on the body, Fernando blocks it with a straight bat. |
| 10.4 : D Olivier to Fernando, Back of a length ball on off, defended off the back foot by the debutant. |
| 10.5 : D Olivier to Fernando, The line is too straight this time. The length remain short and Fernando gets it away off the inside edge to fine leg for a run. |
| 10.6 : D Olivier to Karunaratne, Bouncer, Karunaratne ducks at the last minute. |
| 11.1 : K Rabada to Fernando, On the pads, flicked away to the on side for nothing. |
| 11.2 : K Rabada to Fernando, Short ball around off, Fernando pulls but finds the man at mid-wicket. |
| 11.3 : K Rabada to Fernando, Good length around off, kept out by Fernando. |
| 11.4 : K Rabada to Fernando, Back of a length on middle and leg, Fernando does well to keep it down. |
| 11.5 : K Rabada to Fernando, Length on the stumps, Oshada is solid in his defense. |
| 11.6 : Rabada to O Fernando, That length! Short on off, Fernando pulls but gets a top edge which doesn't carry to fine leg. They cross. |
| 12.1 : D Olivier to Fernando, Back of a length on off, Fernando does well to block it. |
| 12.2 : D Olivier to Fernando, Similar length, Fernando plays it out with a straight bat. |
| 12.3 : D Olivier to Fernando, Duanne's go-to ball. Shorter in line on off. Oshada bunts it down. |
| 12.4 : D Olivier to Fernando, Fernando shows the full face of the bat and keeps another one out. |
| 12.5 : D Olivier to Fernando, On the body, Fernando goes back and taps it in front of him. |
| 12.6 : D Olivier to Fernando, Short again, pulled away through square leg for a run. |
| Keshav Maharaj to roll his arm over. |
| 13.1 : Maharaj to Fernando, FOUR! What a shot first up! Tossed up ball on middle, Fernando steps out and lofts this nonchalantly over the bowler's head for a boundary. |
| 13.2 : K Maharaj to Fernando, Beaten! Off spinner outside off, Fernando looks to play it on the up but gets beaten. Good comeback. |
| 13.3 : K Maharaj to Fernando, On the pads, Fernando flicks it off them through square leg for a brace. |
| 13.4 : K Maharaj to Fernando, Flighted ball on off, driven to the man at covers. |
| 13.5 : K Maharaj to Fernando, Covers his stumps and taps it in front of him. |
| 13.6 : K Maharaj to Fernando, Gets behind another one and blocks it out. |
| Dean Elgar is called to bowl. |
| We're into the extended time. Still around 15 overs left in the day's play. Won't get all of them bowled surely. |
| 14.1 : D Elgar to Karunaratne, Off spinner on leg, turned away around the corner for one. |
| 14.2 : D Elgar to Fernando, BYES! Down leg again, Fernando gets low to sweep but misses it. De Kock fails to collect it and it goes towards fine leg. They come back for the third run. |
| 14.3 : D Elgar to Karunaratne, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 14.4 : D Elgar to Karunaratne, On off, driven to covers. |
| 14.5 : Elgar to Karunaratne, Oh boy! Yes-No and a missed opportunity! Fernando gets away with one. On leg, Dimuth turns it to the square leg region and thinks of a run. His partner comes charging down but the Lankan skipper hesitates seeing the fielder attacking the ball. Oshada is half-way down the track when he is sent back. Steyn, in the meantime, hurls in a throw to Elgar who fails to collect it cleanly and breaks the stumps with his legs. Had the bowler taken that, Fernando would have been a |
| 14.6 : D Elgar to Karunaratne, FOUR! Full toss on the body, Karunaratne walks out and lofts this over mid-wicket for an easy boundary. |
| 15.1 : K Maharaj to Fernando, Strides forward to a full ball and defends it back watchfully. |
| 15.2 : K Maharaj to Fernando, Short and outside off, Fernando gets back and cuts it late to beat point. Takes a couple of runs. |
| 15.3 : K Maharaj to Fernando, Full and flighted on middle, swept down fine towards short fine leg, another hesitation over a run. They didn't cross. |
| 15.4 : K Maharaj to Fernando, EDGY FOUR! Loopy and full on middle, Oshada runs down the track for a big heave across the line but it stays low to catch the inside edge as it speeds away to the fine leg fence. |
| 15.5 : K Maharaj to Fernando, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 15.6 : K Maharaj to O Fernando, The batsman has driven it through mid off. One run added to the total. |
| BAD LIGHT! The umpire is having a look at the light meter and feels it's not good enough to carry on! The players are leaving the field. That will be Stumps on Day 1. |
| End of an outstanding day of Test cricket. Sri Lanka started it in a dominating manner and have ended it in a good position as well. Their pacers, Rajitha and Vishwa, were phenomenal in the first session as they had South Africa on the mat. The Proteas then recovered through the partnership between du Plessis and Bavuma. De Kock took it forward from there and was involved in crucial stands with the lower order which propelled the home side's total to 235. |
| In reply, Sri Lanka lost Lahiru Thirimanne for a duck but their new captain, Dimuth Karunaratne, batted with good control and along with debutant Oshada Fernando, he is amidst a handy partnership. There were nervy moments but the current pair survived and now will look to build on their innings on Day 2. The hosts tried 6 bowlers to bowl 16 overs and apart from Dale Steyn, there isn't much to talk about their efforts. |
| Quinton de Kock is down for an interview. On the start, he opines that it was not a good one but they recovered well. On the track, he reckons that it is slow and seeing spin on the first day, he suggests that Keshav Maharaj should get purchase from it. Also adds that his four seamers should do the job. On his innings, he replies that he got into strong positions and wanted to score runs. Continues saying that he started slowly but eventually caught up. Credits Sri Lanka for the way they bowled. |
| So, what is in store for Thursday? This surface has provided assistance to the bowlers, especially the faster ones and the hosts will hope that their pace battery uses the early morning conditions to their advantage. It won't be easy for Sri Lanka and they will have to apply themselves really hard. They surely will gain a lot of confidence from today's good work and would look to take the same momentum forward. Do join us at 1000 local (0800 GMT) for all the action. Cheers! |
| ... Day 2, Session 1 ... |
| Welcome to the second day of this first Test match between South Africa and Sri Lanka. Against all odds, Sri Lanka are slightly on top at this point of time. They trail South Africa by 186 runs and have lost just 1 wicket so far. The hosts experienced a tough first day and will look to strike early in order to redeem themselves. Needless to say, the wickets will be the key here for both sides. Early morning conditions along with a fairly new ball, there might just be some help for the African pa |
| It's time to get underway. The conditions are overcast and the South African bowlers will love it. A big challenge first up for the Sri Lankan overnight batsmen, Dimuth Karunaratne and Oshada Fernando. Richard Kettleborough and Aleem Dar share a smile as they walk in. They had a tough first day and would look to be on the money today. Dale Steyn is ready to steam in. All set, let's play... |
| 16.1 : D Steyn to Fernando, Runs straightaway. Steyn is on the pads of the batsman, Oshada flicks it behind square leg and comes back for the second run. 50 up for Sri Lanka. |
| 16.2 : D Steyn to Fernando, Serves it on a length outside off, Oshada is confidently on the front foot as he drives it towards mid off. |
| 16.3 : D Steyn to Fernando, Good length ball angling into the batsman from around off, Fernando defends it from the crease to the off side. |
| 16.4 : D Steyn to Fernando, Slips a full ball down the leg side, Fernando tries flicking but fails to get bat on ball. |
| 16.5 : D Steyn to Fernando, This one is served wide outside off, a watchful leave made by the debutant. |
| 16.6 : D Steyn to Fernando, Solid. Steyn fires it in full and on off, Oshada presents a straight willow in defense. Looks like a confident young man. |
| Good breeze is blowing across the field at the moment. Vernon Philander to share the attack from the other end. He was a shade off colour last evening. |
| 17.1 : V Philander to Karunaratne, Starts with a good length delivery in the zone outside off, angling away, Karunaratne covers the line and shoulders arms. |
| 17.2 : V Philander to Karunaratne, Lands it full and outside off, once again angling away from the lefty, Dimuth is in no mood to go after it so early. |
| 17.3 : V Philander to Karunaratne, This time Vernon has bowled it full and closer to the off stump line. Dimuth has to play at it and he blocks it down by getting half-forward. On his way back to the bowling mark, Philander just checked his landing area. |
| 17.4 : V Philander to Karunaratne, Puts it on and around off, nice and full, Karunaratne plays it with an angled bat to the off side. |
| 17.5 : V Philander to Karunaratne, Good length ball targeting the middle stump line, Dimuth keeps his weight on the back foot and defends it towards mid-wicket. |
| 17.6 : V Philander to D Karunaratne, Fuller and straighter on middle, at 128 kph, Karunaratne gets behind the line and bunts it to mid on. Philander begins with a maiden. |
| 18.1 : D Steyn to Fernando, Good pace, 140 kph. It's on a length and outside off, Fernando shoulders arms. |
| 18.2 : D Steyn to Fernando, OUT! Steyn appeals and immediately the finger goes up. That's plumb as far as umpire Aleem Dar is concerned. Two for Dale now. He spears in a fuller length ball on middle and leg, angling down, Fernando tries flicking but misses. He is hit on the pads and the finger is up quickly. Dale Steyn is pumped up. The debutant consults his skipper a bit and then walks back. Believe me, that was worth reviewing as it seems to be going down leg. Early breakthrough for the Proteas |
| Kusal Mendis is the new batsman. |
| 18.3 : D Steyn to Mendis, Well bowled. That's not too far away from the off pole. Steyn is in rhythm. Serves a full ball outside off and gets it to shape back in a bit, Kusal makes a brave leave. |
| Here comes the Ball Tracker for the wicket delivery. Oshada Fernando should definitely have gone upstairs. The Hawk Eye shows it was missing the leg pole. The debutant will be disappointed, he was looking good out in the middle. Dimuth Karunaratne should have helped the young man a little better there. |
| 18.4 : D Steyn to Mendis, Chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| 18.5 : D Steyn to K Mendis, Edgy! Steyn lands it on a length around off and it straightens a touch, Mendis looks to defend it with a straight bat but it takes the outer half and goes towards point. |
| 18.6 : D Steyn to Mendis, Good length delivery in the zone outside off, holding its line, it's left alone by Kusal again. A wicket maiden for Dale. |
| 19.1 : V Philander to D Karunaratne, Short in length and outside off, Dimuth cuts it off his back foot to deep point for a couple of runs. |
| 19.2 : V Philander to Karunaratne, Leans forward to a full ball outside off and defends it to the off side. |
| 19.3 : V Philander to Karunaratne, Full in length and on middle, Karunaratne is half-forward as he plays it off his pads to the leg side. Straight to mid-wicket. |
| 19.4 : V Philander to Karunaratne, Played to the point region by the batsman. |
| Huge shout for an lbw! Philander keeps on running in appeal and has almost reached the striker's end. Is it too high? Is there some bat? Faf du Plessis has decided to refer it. Maharaj at square leg feels it's high. Let's see... |
| 19.5 : Philander to Karunaratne, NOT OUT! Philander delivers a length ball on middle and gets it to nip back into the batsman. Karunaratne tries defending but seems to have missed it. The ball strikes him on the back leg, they appeal but the umpire disagrees. Faf du Plessis gets convinced by his bowler to take the referral, however, Maharaj from square leg gestures that it's high. Now then, the replays roll in and it vindicates Keshav Maharaj. South Africa lose a review. |
| Another referral. This time Dimuth Karunaratne has been given out lbw. The Lankan skipper wants to get it reviewed after having a chat with his partner. Is pitching an issue? |
| 19.6 : V Philander to Karunaratne, OUT! Philander gets his man this time. It's clipping leg and the umpire's call stays. A fuller length ball around leg, Dimuth leans across to flick it on the leg side but misses. He is thudded on the pads, once again the bowler runs in appeal and then turns to see that the umpire has lifted his finger. The Sri Lankan skipper opts to review it after consulting his partner but this time the technology is with South Africa. It has marginally pitched on the leg stum |
| Kusal Perera walks out at number 5. |
| 20.1 : D Steyn to Mendis, Pitches it up and outside off, it's driven but straight to the cover fielder. |
| 20.2 : D Steyn to Mendis, In the channel outside off, going straight on, no swing for Steyn, Mendis shoulders arms. |
| 20.3 : D Steyn to Mendis, Another delivery in the channel outside off has been left alone by Kusal Mendis. |
| 20.4 : D Steyn to Mendis, On middle, a length ball, Mendis flicks a bit uppishly but safely to mid-wicket. |
| 20.5 : D Steyn to Mendis, Angling into the batsman, Mendis brings down a straight bat and pushes it to mid on. |
| 20.6 : D Steyn to Mendis, FOUR! Well played! Steyn keeps it nice and full, in the line of the stumps, Mendis thumps his straight drive and beats mid on to the fence. Lovely way to open his account. |
| The ball has gone wet as there was some wet patches near the fence. The umpires are getting it changed. Aahhh... they are taking too much time to choose the cherry. Overrate hasn't been great in this Test, wonder this wastage of time will go in Faf's account or not. He is seen having a word with one of the officials. Finally the replacement ball has been chosen. Now, more delay. What's happening? The Sri Lankan physio runs out. Kusal Mendis is feeling some discomfort near his neck area. All sort |
| 21.1 : V Philander to Perera, Beaten! Angling across the batsman, on a length, Perera is lured into the drive and is beaten. |
| 21.2 : V Philander to Perera, Beaten again! Away movement from the left-hander, Perera is forward to push inside the line but misses. His bat hits the pads and there was some noise. Only de Kock got excited for a while. |
| 21.3 : V Philander to Perera, Better this time. Perera watches the line to be too far outside off and makes a leave. |
| 21.4 : V Philander to Perera, Perera has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 21.5 : V Philander to Perera, Gloved onto the pads. A rising delivery on middle, Perera tries to defend but it jumps onto the batsman, takes his gloves and strikes him on the pads. |
| 21.6 : Philander to Perera, Big cry for an lbw! Not given. Philander has a surprised look on his face. An inswinger around leg, Perera tries to flick but misses. He is struck on the pads, the appeal is made but the umpire remains unmoved. No thought over DRS this time. |
| The fourth umpire is having a chat with the groundsman near the boundary rope where there are wet patches. He wants those wet covers to be taken off the ground. |
| 22.1 : D Steyn to Mendis, Speedy bouncer around off, Mendis ducks at the last moment. |
| 22.2 : D Steyn to Mendis, Good length delivery this time, in the region outside off and shapes back in a little, Mendis takes his front leg to cover his stumps and then shoulders arms. |
| 22.3 : D Steyn to Mendis, An away swinger on this occasion. Steyn lands it outside off and it's an easy leave for Mendis. |
| 22.4 : D Steyn to Mendis, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 22.5 : D Steyn to Mendis, Way wide outside off, the length is also short, Mendis is in no mood to play at those. |
| 22.6 : D Steyn to Mendis, Steyn gets closer to the off stump this time. Back of a length ball, Mendis goes on his toes to defend it to the off side. |
| 23.1 : V Philander to Perera, A touch short in length and outside off, Perera is on top of the bounce as he punches it through covers. Bavuma chases it down near the fence and they take a couple of runs. |
| 23.2 : V Philander to Perera, Outstanding leave. Trusting the bounce. A length ball around off, Perera strides forward and shoulders arms. It goes just over the off pole. |
| 23.3 : V Philander to Perera, Flashes and misses! Philander puts it short and wide outside off, Perera tries to crack it through the line but fails to connect. |
| 23.4 : V Philander to Perera, Around off on a good length, angling away, Perera stays back and pushes it with an angled bat to the off side. |
| 23.5 : V Philander to Perera, FOUR! That's a Twenty20 shot! Philander pitches it up and outside off, plenty of room there, Perera just reaches out for it and lifts it over extra cover for a boundary. |
| 23.6 : V Philander to Perera, FOUR! Better than the last one. More in control. Philander continues to offer width outside off, Perera packs a punch and rifles it down through mid off for a powerful boundary. |
| 24.1 : D Steyn to Mendis, FOUR! Three in three for Sri Lanka. The Lankan batsmen have decided to follow the aerial route. A length ball outside off, Mendis leans forward and lofts it over mid off. The fielder gives the chase but the ball wins the race. |
| 24.2 : D Steyn to Mendis, Good length ball on off, defended off the back foot. |
| 24.3 : D Steyn to Mendis, On a length around off, some extra bounce, Mendis does well to negotiate it with gentle bottom hand as he keeps it out safely to the off side. |
| 24.4 : D Steyn to Mendis, The batsman shoulders arms to let that one through. |
| 24.5 : D Steyn to K Mendis, EDGY FOUR! Flashes and flashes hard. Any width on offer outside off and they are going after it. It's short and wide outside off, Mendis throws his bat at it and it flies wide of the slip cordon for a boundary. |
| 24.6 : D Steyn to Mendis, Oohhh...this one stops a bit onto the batsman after landing on a length around middle. Mendis is a bit early into his push and it goes aerially towards mid on. Doesn't carry. 18 from the last two overs, definitely their approach is to attack. |
| 25.1 : V Philander to Perera, Some extra bounce visible again. Around leg, Perera tries to flick but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| 25.2 : V Philander to Perera, Good length ball on middle, it's turned behind square leg for a single. |
| 25.3 : V Philander to Mendis, Well bowled! A touch short around off and shaping away a shade, Mendis has a nervous poke inside the line and misses. |
| 25.4 : V Philander to K Mendis, OUT! Edged and gone! Fine diving catch by Faf du Plessis, his 50th in Tests. Philander has his second wicket. He repeats the last delivery but this time from the middle stump line. It nips away after pitching on a shortish length. Mendis is squared up in his back foot defense and it takes the outside edge before flying behind. It's dying in front of du Plessis at second slip but he goes down immediately to grab it inches above the surface. Big blow to Sri Lanka as |
| Niroshan Dickwella walks out to the middle. Quinton de Kock is standing up to the stumps now to restrict Dickwella's movement. |
| 25.5 : V Philander to Dickwella, A length ball around off, it's defended from the back foot. |
| 25.6 : V Philander to Dickwella, Angles a length ball across the batsman. It's outside off and left alone by Niroshan. A good take by Quinton. |
| Kagiso Rabada to bowl. |
| 26.1 : K Rabada to Perera, FOUR! Aerial but in the gap! Perera will play his shots no matter what! A pitched up delivery outside off, Kusal plays a big booming drive through covers for a boundary. |
| 26.2 : K Rabada to Perera, Good length delivery on middle and off, sharp pace, Perera blocks it solidly off his back foot to covers. |
| 26.3 : K Rabada to Perera, Angling away from the batsman, on a length, Perera pushes it to the off side, not in the gap. |
| 26.4 : K Rabada to Perera, Mistimed. A length ball on middle and off, angling away, Perera tries pushing through the line but it catches the inner half of his bat and rolls back to the bowler. |
| 26.5 : K Rabada to Perera, Good take, de Kock! Rabada bends his back to go short, digs it around middle and Perera tries to pull it. But it goes over his bat and Quinton jumps to collect it with one hand. |
| 26.6 : K Rabada to Perera, Gets behind the line of the delivery and pushes it to covers. End of the over. Only a boundary from it. |
| Drinks break. South Africa take the first hour after striking thrice. They still have a 155-run lead and would be looking to run through the fragile-looking Sri Lankan batting line-up. For the visitors, they have two stroke players in the middle and if they stay for an hour or so, runs will surely flow. It promises to be an entertaining next hour. |
| 27.1 : V Philander to Dickwella, Nearly drags it on. Philander cannot believe his luck. He serves a length ball on off, Niroshan gets forward to defend but it takes the inside edge and hits him on the back leg. |
| 27.2 : V Philander to Dickwella, Around leg, on a length, some extra bounce, Dickwella tries to flick but misses and is hit high on the pads. |
| 27.3 : V Philander to N Dickwella, Misfield but no run. A full length ball outside off, Dickwella drives it off his front foot to covers where the fielder misfields and parries it to mid off. Niroshan initially looks for a run but the mid off reacts quickly and the striker aborts his move. |
| 27.4 : V Philander to N Dickwella, Edged but didn't carry! Philander bowls an outswinger on the middle stump line, Dickwella is squared up in defense and edges it behind. Doesn't carry to du Plessis at second slip. |
| 27.5 : V Philander to Dickwella, FOUR! Edgy way to get off the mark. An inswinger on this occasion, landing on a length around middle, Dickwella tries to defend from the back foot but it takes the inside edge and runs fine down the leg side for a boundary. |
| 27.6 : V Philander to Dickwella, Gets back and flicks it off the inside half of the bat through backward square leg. A single is taken. |
| 28.1 : K Rabada to Dickwella, Keeps it full and on middle, Dickwella gets behind the line and blocks it back to the bowler. |
| 28.2 : K Rabada to Dickwella, This one is angled across the batsman, on a good length, Dickwella pushes at it with an angled bat and runs it down through backward point. Bavuma chases it down and they take three runs. |
| 28.3 : K Rabada to Perera, Shorter one down the leg side, Kusal gets into an awkward position and somehow nudges it behind in the direction of fine leg. A couple taken this time. |
| 28.4 : K Rabada to Perera, Play and a miss. Beaten by sheer pace. Short and wide outside off at 145 kph, Perera tries to slap it down the ground but fails to make any connection. |
| 28.5 : K Rabada to Perera, Beaten this time! Rabada angles a length ball across the southpaw, Perera has a needless push inside the line and misses. If he keeps on bowling this line, he will soon get the reward, feels Michael Holding (on air). |
| 28.6 : K Rabada to Perera, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| Duanne Olivier replaces Vernon Philander in the attack. |
| 29.1 : D Olivier to Dickwella, Starts his spell from over the wicket and slips a length ball down the leg side. Niroshan tries to flick but misses. |
| 29.2 : D Olivier to Dickwella, OUT! And Duanne Olivier takes just two balls to strike. He dishes out his favourite shorter delivery around middle and leg at 141 kph, Dickwella initially shapes up for the pull shot and tries to help it on the leg side. But it takes the splice of his bat before ballooning in the air towards third man. Dale Steyn runs across to his left in the deep and takes the simplest of catches. Yet another blow to the Sri Lankans. |
| Dhananjaya de Silva comes in at number 7. |
| 29.3 : D Olivier to Silva, Bouncer, the new batsman lets it go over his head. |
| 29.4 : D Olivier to Silva, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 29.5 : D Olivier to Silva, A back foot defense by Dhananjaya. |
| 29.6 : D Olivier to Silva, Back of a length delivery on middle and leg, de Silva goes on his toes to play it towards square leg. Not sure it went off his thigh pad or the bat. |
| 30.1 : K Rabada to Perera, Very full and sharp outside off, Perera chases and misses. |
| 30.2 : K Rabada to Perera, A length ball on middle and off, Perera defends it from the back foot to the off side. |
| 30.3 : K Rabada to Perera, SIX! Up and over Keshav Maharaj. Perera won't die wondering. He fetches a length ball from outside off and swings it powerfully over square leg. There is a fielder in the deep who jumps but it sails over his head. That was bowled at 144 kph. Fighting fire with fire. |
| 30.4 : K Rabada to Perera, Goes on the back foot and punches it through extra cover for a brace. |
| 30.5 : Rabada to Perera, Hits the yorker mark on off, Perera keeps his eyes glued to the ball as he digs it out safely. |
| 30.6 : K Rabada to K Perera, Overpitched ball on off, it's driven in front of mid off for a quick single. |
| 31.1 : D Olivier to Perera, A bouncer around leg, Perera sits underneath it. |
| 31.2 : D Olivier to Perera, Digs in another bouncer, this time on the middle stump line, Perera ducks. |
| 31.3 : D Olivier to Perera, Bowls a shorter one on middle, Perera gets on top of the bounce and pulls it to deep square leg for a single. 100 comes up for Sri Lanka. They trail by another 135 runs. |
| A bat-pad in place. |
| 31.4 : D Olivier to Silva, Nearly gets into action. A rising delivery around leg, Dhananjaya fends it down and it goes on one bounce to the short leg fielder. |
| 31.5 : D Olivier to Silva, Awkward pulling. Olivier is quite predictable with his length. Dhananjaya tries to get inside the bounce and then pulls it down to fine leg. A good acrobatic diving stop in the deep by Rabada and he saves two runs for his team. |
| 31.6 : D Olivier to Perera, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 32.1 : K Rabada to Silva, Hits the timber, at the opposite end. A fullish ball on middle and off, Dhananjaya plays a delightful straight drive but it's so straight that it takes the stumps at the other end. |
| 32.2 : K Rabada to de Silva, Gets squared up this time. On a good length around off at 145 kph, straightening a touch, de Silva gets opened up in defense and it goes off the outer half of his bat to point. |
| 32.3 : K Rabada to Silva, SIX! That has gone all the way. Sometimes the excessive pace works against you. Rabada bangs in a short ball on middle at 142 kph, Dhananjaya takes on the challenge to pull it and flies off the top edge. Clears fine leg with ease. |
| 32.4 : K Rabada to Silva, The batsman picked that bouncer early and let it through to the keeper. |
| 32.5 : K Rabada to Silva, Short and down the leg side, Dhananjaya tries his best to get some wood behind it but misses. |
| 32.6 : K Rabada to Silva, Back of a length delivery on off, defended off the back foot to end the over. |
| 33.1 : D Olivier to Perera, Wayward delivery. Bouncer down the leg side. Perera has nothing to do with it. The length was right not the line. The field is set for short-pitch bowling. A fine leg and deep square leg in place. |
| 33.2 : D Olivier to Perera, This one is served on a length around middle, Perera pushes it out from the crease to mid off. |
| 33.3 : D Olivier to Perera, FOUR! Easy pickings! Olivier is on the shorter side again but the line is wide outside off, Perera jumps on his back foot and slams it over point for a boundary. |
| 33.4 : D Olivier to Perera, Good length delivery on middle and off, blocked back from the crease. |
| 33.5 : D Olivier to Perera, Pitches it up and around off, Kusal drives but finds the fielder at cover-point. |
| 33.6 : D Olivier to Perera, Stays back to push at it and it goes off the inner half to mid-wicket. |
| 34.1 : K Rabada to Silva, A little short and angling down the leg side, Dhananjaya tries to glance it off his hips but fails to connect. |
| 34.2 : K Rabada to Silva, Better line. It's around off on a length, de Silva gets behind it in defense. |
| 34.3 : K Rabada to Silva, Lands it on a length just outside off, Dhananjaya remains back and defends it to the off side. |
| 34.4 : K Rabada to Silva, Too full in length on middle, de Silva leans across and flicks it behind square leg for a single. |
| 34.5 : K Rabada to Perera, Short in length outside off, angling away, Perera punches it on the up through covers. Maharaj chases it down and keeps them down to a couple. |
| 34.6 : K Rabada to Perera, Swing and a miss! Short in length and outside off, Perera tries to pull it over mid-wicket, the shorter part of the ground, but fails to make any connection. |
| 35.1 : D Olivier to Silva, A touch short and outside off, Dhananjaya punches it off his back foot to extra cover and straightaway screams 'noooo' as his partner was eyeing a run. |
| 35.2 : D Olivier to Silva, The length remains short but this time the line is wide outside off. De Silva cracks it off his back foot but finds the point fielder. |
| 35.3 : D Olivier to Silva, Back of a length ball on off, Dhananjaya leaps on the back foot and keeps it down on the leg side. |
| 35.4 : D Olivier to Silva, Fractionally short and around off, angling in, de Silva gets back and turns it in the gap at mid-wicket for a run. |
| 35.5 : D Olivier to Perera, Targets the rib cage with a short ball, Kusal drops it down with soft hands. It rolls behind square leg and they cross. The replays show that it came off his gloves. |
| 35.6 : D Olivier to de Silva, FOUR! Easy-peasy! Short delivery sliding down the leg side at 143 kph, de Silva turns inside the crease and plays the pull shot. Fails to middle it but whatever connection he has made, it has taken the ball to the fine leg fence. |
| 36.1 : K Rabada to Perera, On a length around off, it's blocked off the back foot to covers. |
| 36.2 : K Rabada to Perera, What happened there? Rabada bangs in a short ball around middle and leg, Perera decides to duck but keeps his bat hanging like a periscope. It deflects off his bat to fine leg and they cross. Kusal is quite lucky, it could have gone anywhere. |
| 36.3 : K Rabada to Silva, A length ball on off, staying low, Dhananjaya crouches and defends it. |
| 36.4 : K Rabada to Silva, FOUR! Streaky. A good length ball on off, straightening off the seam, Dhananjaya tries defending from the crease but it takes the outside edge and speeds down to third man for a boundary. |
| 36.5 : K Rabada to Silva, FOUR! Runs are coming thick and fast now. This partnership is worth 39. Dhananjaya fetches a short ball from outside off and pulls it with authority to the deep mid-wicket fence. |
| 36.6 : K Rabada to Silva, The batsman picked that bouncer early and let it through to the keeper. 9 coming from this over. Sri Lanka's deficit is 106! |
| Keshav Maharaj is introduced into the attack with Lunch around the corner. The local lad will want to get a wicket to his name before the break. |
| 37.1 : K Maharaj to Perera, Flighted ball on off, it's worked with the spin through square leg for a run. |
| 37.2 : K Maharaj to Silva, Leans forward to a full ball and defends it to short leg. |
| 37.3 : K Maharaj to Silva, Lunges and defends it watchfully. |
| 37.4 : K Maharaj to Silva, Arm ball on middle, skidding in, Dhananjaya tries defending again but it takes the inside edge and goes wide of short leg. |
| 37.5 : K Maharaj to Silva, Tossed up ball outside off, de Silva pushes it with an angled bat behind point for a couple. |
| 37.6 : K Maharaj to Silva, Floated and full on off, de Silva leans forward and defends it easily. |
| 38.1 : K Rabada to K Perera, A length ball on off, Perera gets on the front foot and pushes it to short extra cover. |
| 38.2 : K Rabada to K Perera, Beats the stumps by a whisker. Good length ball on middle, Kusal brings his bat down to defend but it takes the inside edge and scoots past the leg pole for a run at fine leg. |
| Dhananjaya de Silva pulls out at the last moment. Kagiso Rabada will have to reload. Poor guy. He was almost at the point of delivering. |
| 38.3 : K Rabada to Silva, Good length ball on off, de Silva defends it from the inner half of his blade. |
| 38.4 : K Rabada to Silva, Outside off, played down from the crease to gully. |
| This time Kagiso Rabada loses his footings and pulls out. Faf du Plessis takes this opportunity to shuffle his field. He brings Duanne Olivier a lot squarer from fine leg. |
| 38.5 : K Rabada to Silva, OUT! A wicket on the stroke of Lunch. That is not great cricket. Very poor from Dhananjaya de Silva. The trap was set and he just walks into it. The fine leg fielder was brought squarer and he should have known that. Rabada releases a short ball on middle, at 146 kph, Dhananjaya takes on the challenge to pull it but the ball takes the top edge and flies in the air at deep backward square leg. Olivier moves across to his left, keeps his eyes glued to the ball and grabs it |
| 84/5 in the morning session and South Africa have made a resounding comeback on Day 2. Their pacers were right on the money this morning and didn't waste much time in removing both the overnight batsmen. However, they were a shade lucky in doing that. Oshada Fernando got a rash lbw decision which he didn't refer while Dimuth Karunaratne departed due to the umpire's call. Kusal Perera and Kusal Mendis tried adopting the attacking approach but it didn't work for long as the latter was dismissed by |
| Duanne Olivier and Kagiso Rabada didn't let the intensity drop after the first hour and bagged a wicket apiece to leave Sri Lanka tottering at 133/6, still behind by 102 runs. Kusal Perera is still unbeaten and has played his shots in a well-constructed knock of 37 and the hosts will be hoping that the lower order sticks around with him after the break. Do join us in a short while for more action. |
| ... Day 2, Session 2 ... |
| We are back for the afternoon session, Kusal Perera will be joined by Suranga Lakmal. Kagiso Rabada will finish off the over. Perera will be on strike... |
| 38.6 : K Rabada to Perera, FOUR! What a start. Perara is on it straight up. First ball after Lunch, Rabada bowls it full outside off. Kusal drives it through covers for a boundary. |
| 39.1 : D Olivier to Lakmal, Lakmal is off the mark. Good length delivery outside off, Lakmal cuts it through point and gets a couple. |
| 39.2 : D Olivier to Lakmal, Bouncer! Lakmal reacts quickly and ducks underneath it. |
| 39.3 : D Olivier to Lakmal, Back of a length on middle and off, Suranga defends it. |
| 39.4 : D Olivier to Lakmal, Chipped but safe. Length delivery on middle and leg, Lakmal pulls it over the fielder at mid-wicket and gets a single. |
| 39.5 : D Olivier to Perera, In the air but safe. Shorter in length, Perera looks to pull but gets a top edge. The ball goes to the on side. De Kock gives it a chase and dives to catch it but cannot reach there. They take a single. |
| 39.6 : D Olivier to Lakmal, Once again a shorter ball by Oliver. Lakmal has no control on this pull shot but the top edge falls away from the fielder at square leg and he takes a single. |
| Dale Steyn back into the attack. |
| 40.1 : D Steyn to Lakmal, OUT! Steyn removes Lakmal in no time. Delivers a length ball on off at 142 kph, Suranga probably tries to flick it on the leg side but fails to close the face of his bat in time. It pops out off the leading edge and Markram takes a simple catch at short cover. Kusal Perera running out of partners. Sri Lanka's deficit is 93! |
| 0.0 : Debutant Lasith Embuldeniya is the new batsman. |
| 40.2 : D Steyn to Embuldeniya, Welcomes Embuldeniya with a length delivery outside off. The batsman leaves it alone. |
| 40.3 : D Steyn to Embuldeniya, Bouncer this time and Lasith ducks underneath it. |
| 40.4 : D Steyn to Embuldeniya, Good length delivery outside off, Embuldeniya has no interest in playing that. |
| 40.5 : D Steyn to Embuldeniya, Fast and straight on a length outside off. Embuldeniya lets it be. |
| 40.6 : Steyn to Embuldeniya, OUCH! Back of a length delivery on middle and off. The ball does not bounce much. Embuldeniya ducks early and the ball strikes his helmet. Aiden Markram walks to him and checks on him. Lasith also has a look at his helmet. Everything looks fine and he has not been hurt. |
| 41.1 : D Olivier to Perera, Short delivery down the leg side, Perera turns inside the crease and pulls it down to fine leg. Turns down the single. |
| 41.2 : D Olivier to Perera, Straighter in line, Perera works it off his pads to mid-wicket. |
| 41.3 : D Olivier to Perera, A touch short and around leg, Kusal is on top of the bounce as he blocks it back safely. |
| 41.4 : D Olivier to Perera, Wide called for height. Olivier digs in a short ball and it goes well over the batsman who shapes up to hook it. The ball travels over his bat and the keeper collects it with a jump. |
| D Olivier to Perera, Angling down the leg side, Kusal nudges it fine down to fine leg and this time time decides to cross. |
| 41.5 : D Olivier to Embuldeniya, Beautiful delivery to beat the edge. This one is angled across the debutant, on a good length, Embuldeniya pushes inside the line and misses. |
| 41.6 : D Olivier to Embuldeniya, A touch short and around leg, Lasith clips it off his pads past the leg gully fielder. No run taken as Perera wants to keep strike. |
| 42.1 : D Steyn to Perera, Length delivery from 'round the wicket. The ball comes in with the angle and hits the inner half of Perera's bat. The ball goes to deep square leg but Kusal does not take a single. |
| 42.2 : D Steyn to Perera, FOUR! Hammered. Back of a length delivery on middle and off, Kusal pulls it and pulls it hard over backward square leg for a boundary. Justifies his decision to not take a single. |
| 42.3 : D Steyn to Perera, Good length delivery on the stumps, Kusal defends it. |
| 42.4 : D Steyn to Perera, Full and straight this time by Steyn. This is bowled slower, Perera looks to hit it to the off side but gets beaten by the change of pace. |
| 42.5 : D Steyn to Perera, Fast bouncer now. On middle and leg, Kusal ducks underneath it. The umpire signals first one for the over. |
| 42.6 : D Steyn to Perera, FOUR! What a way to bring up his fourth Test fifty. Length delivery on middle, Kusal rocks onto his back foot and pulls it through mid-wicket for a boundary. He's Sri Lanka's last hope and is trying out to eat as many runs as possible from the deficit. |
| 43.1 : D Olivier to Embuldeniya, Shorter in length, Lasith sits underneath it. |
| 43.2 : D Olivier to Embuldeniya, Good length delivery on middle, Embuldeniya defends it with a straight bat. |
| 43.3 : D Olivier to Embuldeniya, Once again length delivery, Lasith manages to keep it out. |
| 43.4 : D Olivier to Embuldeniya, Ouch! Embuldeniya is leaving painfully here. Back of a length delivery on middle, Lasith looks to duck but the ball strikes him on his arm. |
| 43.5 : D Olivier to Embuldeniya, Boucner, This time it is a bouncer and Lasith can get under this one. |
| 43.6 : D Olivier to Embuldeniya, Length delivery on middle and leg. A very expected line from Olivier, Embuldeniya keeps it out. |
| 44.1 : D Steyn to Perera, In the air but safe. Fuller length delivery outside off, Kusal hits it over mid off and short of the fielder at long off. Embuldeniya comes for a single but he is sent back. |
| 44.2 : D Steyn to Perera, Good length delivery on middle and off, Kusal defends it. |
| 44.3 : D Steyn to Perera, OUT! Going aerial has not worked for Kusal Perera. Full length delivery outside off, Kusal does not want to give the strike to Embuldeniya. So he takes the aerial route and looks to loft it over covers. The substitute fielder, Zubayr Hamza there in the deep moves across to his left and takes a very simple catch. Faf du Plesis ploy of pushing the fielders behind has worked here. |
| Kasun Rajitha is in next. |
| 44.4 : D Steyn to Embuldeniya, Good length delivery, Lasith keeps it out. |
| 44.5 : D Steyn to Embuldeniya, Length delivery outside off, Embuideniya looks to play it but misses. |
| 44.6 : D Steyn to Embuldeniya, Bouncer. A fierce short ball to finish off the over. Lasith does well to get away from it. |
| 45.1 : D Olivier to Rajitha, Goes on the back foot and punches it behind point for a couple. |
| 45.2 : D Olivier to Rajitha, Back of a length delivery outside off, Rajitha pushes at it tamely and misses. |
| 45.3 : D Olivier to Rajitha, Again it's shortish and on middle, not rising much, Rajitha takes his front leg up and pushes it towards mid on for one. |
| 45.4 : D Olivier to Embuldeniya, Nicely played. Angling away from the batsman, Embuldeniya taps it down through point and Maharaj gives the chase. They take two and the debutant is off the mark. |
| 45.5 : D Olivier to Embuldeniya, Well taken by de Kock! A short ball down the leg side, Lasith tries flicking but misses. The ball swings late and Quinton does well to collect it to his left after moving to the right initially. |
| 45.6 : Olivier to L Embuldeniya, FOUR! Short and wide outside off, Duanne is turning out to be a one-length bowler. Embuldeniya throws his bat it and edges it over the slip cordon for a boundary. Deficit is 74! |
| 46.1 : D Steyn to Rajitha, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 46.2 : D Steyn to Rajitha, Good length outside off, Rajitha pushes it towards cover-point and takes a single. |
| 46.3 : D Steyn to Embuldeniya, Fuller in length, Embuldeniya pushes it to the fielder at mid off. |
| 46.4 : D Steyn to Embuldeniya, Vicious this. Shorter in length, Embuldeniya looks to get away from it but the ball comes onto him and hits him on his gloves. |
| 46.5 : D Steyn to Embuldeniya, Back of a length delivery on the stumps, Lasith keeps it out. |
| 46.6 : D Steyn to Embuldeniya, Once again shorter in length, Embuldeniya gets away from the line. |
| 47.1 : D Olivier to Rajitha, Good length delivery outside off, Kasun looks to push it but misses. |
| 47.2 : D Olivier to Rajitha, Length delivery on middle and off, Rajitha tries to defend it, he does so but from the upper half of the bat. |
| 47.3 : D Olivier to Rajitha, Back of a length on middle and leg, Kasun defends it off his back foot. |
| 47.4 : D Olivier to K Rajitha, Beautiful delivery. Inswinging yorker on middle and leg, Rajitha does really well to get his bat down in time. The ball goes towards mid on and they take a single. |
| 47.5 : D Olivier to Embuldeniya, Down the leg side this time. Lasith looks to flick it but misses. |
| 47.6 : D Olivier to Embuldeniya, Swing and a miss. Good length delivery outside off, Lasith looks to pull it away but misses his shot. The ball misses the outside edge by just a whisker. |
| 48.1 : D Steyn to Rajitha, The batsman does well to stand tall and play that short delivery. |
| 48.2 : D Steyn to Rajitha, Shortish and on off, defended off the back foot by Rajitha. |
| 48.3 : D Steyn to Rajitha, Back of a length ball outside off, Rajitha reaches out for it and keeps it out from the crease. |
| A silly point comes in now. There's already a short leg in place. |
| 48.4 : D Steyn to Rajitha, Shortish and on middle, Rajitha helps it off his back foot past short leg for one. |
| 48.5 : D Steyn to Embuldeniya, Shortish and on middle, blocked from the crease by Embuldeniya. |
| 48.6 : D Steyn to Embuldeniya, Great delivery but no reward. Steyn gets a shortish ball around off to move away just a shade off the seam. Too good for a lower order batsman. Lasith just hangs back to push inside the line and misses. |
| 49.1 : D Olivier to Rajitha, Length delivery on middle, Kasun jumps and then defends it towards cover. |
| 49.2 : D Olivier to Rajitha, Length delivery on the pads, Rajitha flicks it away through backward square leg and gets a couple. |
| 49.3 : D Olivier to Rajitha, Once again it is on the pads, this time Kasun flicks it through mid-wicket for a single. Crucial runs these for the visitors. |
| 49.4 : D Olivier to Embuldeniya, Good length delivery outside leg, Embuldeniya looks to flick it away but misses. |
| 49.5 : D Olivier to Embuldeniya, Back of a length around off, Lasith plays it to point with a slanted bat for a run. |
| 49.6 : D Olivier to Rajitha, Bouncer. It is on leg stump line, Rajitha jumps and looks to keep it down but it strikes his arm-guard. |
| 50.1 : D Steyn to Embuldeniya, Good length delivery on the body of Embuldeniya. He plays a half pull shot and the ball lobs to the off side but on an empty space. |
| 50.2 : D Steyn to Embuldeniya, FOUR! This is a great shot from Embuldeniya. Length delivery outside off, Lasith cuts it through point and the ball races away to the fence. |
| 50.3 : D Steyn to L Embuldeniya, FOUR! Edged but they will take it. Good length delivery outside off, Embuldeniya looks to push it but gets an outside edge and the ball races away through the vacant gully region for a boundary. This is frustrating for South Africa. |
| 50.4 : D Steyn to Embuldeniya, Defended off the back foot by Lasith. |
| 50.5 : D Steyn to Embuldeniya, On middle and leg, Embuldeniya looks to play it but gets a leading edge which falls in no man's land. |
| 50.6 : D Steyn to Embuldeniya, On the pads, Lasith flicks it away towards square leg and picks a run. |
| 51.1 : D Olivier to Embuldeniya, Close! Back of a length delivery on middle and leg, Embuldeniya looks to play it with a slant bat towards third man region. The ball goes just over the outside edge. |
| 51.2 : D Olivier to Embuldeniya, Good length delivery on middle and off, Lasith defends it. |
| 51.3 : D Olivier to Embuldeniya, Length delivery outside off, Embuldeniya pushes it to cover and takes a run. |
| 51.4 : D Olivier to Rajitha, Length delivery down the leg side. Rajitha attempts a flick but is nowhere near it. |
| 51.5 : D Olivier to Rajitha, Length delivery on the stumps, Rajitha blocks it off his back foot. |
| 51.6 : D Olivier to Rajitha, Back of a length delivery on middle and leg, Rajitha looks to defend it. It is in the air after hitting high on his bat but he is safe. |
| Drinks break. A very frustrating hour of play for South Africa. They though got the wicket of Suranga Lakmal and Kusal Perera. However, Vishwa Fernando and debutant Lasith Embuldeniya have hung in there. |
| 52.1 : D Steyn to Embuldeniya, Good length delivery on middle, Embuldeniya defends it with soft hand towards cover and takes a single. |
| 52.2 : D Steyn to Rajitha, Painful. Shorter in length on leg side, Rajitha looks to defend but takes his eyes off the ball. It hits him on his shoulder. |
| 52.3 : D Steyn to Rajitha, Dropped. Elgar has dropped a very simple catch here and Steyn looks furious. Back of a length delivery on off, Rajitha looks to defend it but gets an outside edge. The ball goes to the right of the gully fielder. Deal Elgar moves across to take it but the ball pops out of his hands and fails to take it on the rebound as well. The batsmen meanwhile pick up a single. Would have been a fifer for Dale. |
| 52.4 : D Steyn to Embuldeniya, Ouch! Shorter in length on middle and leg. Embuldeniya once again is early on his duck and this time the ball hits him on his helmet. |
| 52.5 : D Steyn to Embuldeniya, Length delivery outside off, Lasith lets the ball go to de Kock. |
| 52.6 : D Steyn to Embuldeniya, Good running this. Good length delivery around off, Embuldeniya plays it with soft hands towards point and they steal a single. |
| Kagiso Rabada back on. |
| 53.1 : K Rabada to Embuldeniya, Back of a length delivery on the stumps, Lasith defends it. |
| 53.2 : K Rabada to Embuldeniya, Good length delivery on middle and leg, Embuldeniya blocks it away. |
| 53.3 : K Rabada to Embuldeniya, Length delivery on off, Lasith pushes it to the fielder at point. |
| 53.4 : K Rabada to Embuldeniya, Bouncer. On middle and off, the debutant sits underneath it and lets it go. |
| 53.5 : K Rabada to Embuldeniya, Pitches it on length around off, Lasith looks to defend but gets an inside edge onto his pads. |
| 53.6 : K Rabada to Embuldeniya, Play and miss. Length delivery outside off, Embuldeniya looks to push it away but misses. |
| 54.1 : D Steyn to Rajitha, Steyn bowls it down the leg side, Rajitha looks to flick but misses. |
| 54.2 : D Steyn to Rajitha, Shorter length delivery by Steyn, Rajitha gets on top of the bounce and hits it through square leg. He gets a brace for it. |
| 54.3 : D Steyn to Rajitha, Frustration continues for South Africa. Length delivery on middle and off, Rajitha looks to tuck it to the leg side but it comes off his glove. The ball falls away from Bhavuma, who is standing at silly point. |
| 54.4 : D Steyn to Rajitha, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 54.5 : D Steyn to Rajitha, On the leg side, Rajitha looks to flick but it comes off his thigh and they steal a leg bye. |
| 54.6 : D Steyn to Embuldeniya, Good length delivery outside off, Embuldeniya looks to hit it through the line but misses. |
| 55.1 : K Rabada to Rajitha, That missed the outside edge and the off pole by an inch. A good length ball on off, angling back in, Rajitha sticks back to poke inside the line but misses. |
| 55.2 : K Rabada to Rajitha, Quicker one on off, on a shortish length, Rajitha's bat face opens at the point of contact and it goes towards the point fielder. |
| 55.3 : K Rabada to Rajitha, OUT! Run out! Great reflexes shown by Aiden Markram at short leg. This surely is against the run of play for the Saffas. They were frustrated to the core by the 9th wicket partnership and have finally managed to break it. A length ball is angled into the batsman, Rajitha flicks it in front of short leg and steps out of his crease in the process. Markram collects the ball quickly, is alert to the situation and scores a direct hit at the striker's end to find Kasun short |
| Vishwa Fernando is the last batsman. |
| 55.4 : K Rabada to Fernando, Pushed to the cover region by the batsman. One run added to the total. |
| 55.5 : K Rabada to Embuldeniya, Outside off, played down to point for a single. |
| 55.6 : K Rabada to Fernando, Bouncer down the leg side, Fernando sways away from the line. |
| 56.1 : D Steyn to Embuldeniya, The batsman was beaten and missed the line of the delivery. |
| 56.2 : D Steyn to Embuldeniya, Back of a length delivery outside off, Embuldeniya pushes it to the fielder at point. |
| 56.3 : D Steyn to Embuldeniya, OUCH! That is painful. Full length delivery outside off, Embuldeniya drives it hard. The ball travels at speed and hits Aiden Markram who is standing at silly point. |
| 56.4 : D Steyn to Embuldeniya, Bouncer! Lasith gets down in time and lets it go. |
| 56.5 : D Steyn to Embuldeniya, Length delivery outside off, Lasith has a go at it but misses. |
| 56.6 : D Steyn to Embuldeniya, Back of a length on middle, Embuldeniya keeps it out. |
| 57.1 : K Rabada to Fernando, Down the leg side, Fernando tucks it away for one but the umpire signals it as leg bye. |
| 57.2 : K Rabada to Embuldeniya, Yorker wide outside off, Embuldeniya cannot get bat to ball. |
| 57.3 : K Rabada to Embuldeniya, Bouncer on the body. Embuldeniya takes his eyes off the ball but still manages to move away from the line. |
| 57.4 : K Rabada to L Embuldeniya, Full and on the stumps, Embuldeniya hits it back to Steyn. |
| 57.5 : K Rabada to Embuldeniya, FOUR! Gets one wide and puts it away. Outside off, Embuldeniya swings and carves it through backward point for a boundary. |
| 57.6 : K Rabada to Embuldeniya, Outside off, Lasith fails to put any bat on this. |
| 58.1 : D Steyn to Fernando, Bouncer on middle and off, Fernando gets underneath that one and lets it go to the keeper. |
| 58.2 : D Steyn to Fernando, A number 11 kind of play and miss this. Back of a length delivery outside off, Fernando looks to hit it through the line in an unorthodox manner but misses. |
| 58.3 : D Steyn to Fernando, Good length delivery outside off, Fernando gets on his back foot and looks to hit it to the off side but misses. |
| 58.4 : D Steyn to Fernando, Full and straight on middle and leg, Vishwa defends it with a straight bat. |
| 58.5 : D Steyn to Fernando, Fast and straight outside off on a length, Fernando hangs his bat out like a pendulum but it once again misses. |
| 58.6 : D Steyn to Fernando, Shorter in length, Vishwa has no interest in getting on its way and he ducks underneath it. |
| 59.1 : K Rabada to Embuldeniya, Full and straight outside off, Emuldeniya looks to defend but the ball goes under his bat. |
| 59.2 : K Rabada to Embuldeniya, OUT! A very resilient fight from the debutant comes to an end. Fuller in length from Rabada, Embuldeniya looks to go aerial over the cover region but gets no timing on it. Dale Steyn at covers, moves to his right and takes the catch with his fingers pointing skywards. The young man can go back with his head held high. Also, it's mixed emotions for Dale Steyn, he took the catch of a wicket which would have given him his fifer instead. Sri Lanka bowled out for 191. |
| All over for Sri Lanka in this innings. But before we say anything else, just stand and applaud for Lasith Embuldeniya. The debutant showed a lot of character in his 94-minute stay in the middle where he took many blows on his body but that didn't stop him from fighting. Along with Kasun Rajitha, he frustrated the South African bowlers in the afternoon and courtesy the efforts of that pair, the deficit has come down to 44. |
| Dale Steyn is leading his teammates off the park and TEA has been taken as well on Day 2. Great effort from the speedster as he bagged a 4-wicket haul and looked very threatening. The rest of the bowlers were also brilliant and apart from that phase post Lunch when the 9th wicket partnership was happening, they always were on top. |
| It's a sorry looking scorecard for Sri Lanka. They have spoiled all the good work done by their bowlers on the first day. Leaving alone Kusal Perera and Dimuth Karunaratne to an extent, the upper order batsmen flopped miserably. Now the onus is back on their bowlers to produce something spectacular once again, so that they won't have to chase too many. How will South Africa fare second time with the willow? Do join us in a short while to find out. |
| 0.1 : S Lakmal to Elgar, Begins with a good length delivery down the leg side, a gentle loosener, Elgar helps it to fine leg and opens his account. |
| 0.2 : S Lakmal to Markram, Good line for the right-hander. It's on a length just outside off, Markram defends it off his back foot. |
| 0.3 : S Lakmal to Markram, In the channel outside off, Markram watches the line closely and finds it to be too far to play at. Shoulders arms. |
| 0.4 : S Lakmal to Markram, A shade short in length outside off, Aiden goes on the back foot and punches it through the gap at covers. Takes a couple of runs to get off the mark. |
| 0.5 : S Lakmal to Markram, Angles in a good length ball on off, straightening a bit, Markram gets behind the line and blocks it down safely. |
| 0.6 : S Lakmal to Markram, A neat back foot punch again from Markram. It pierces the gap at covers for another couple of runs. Aleem Dar walks up to both the batsmen and warns them to not run on the danger area. Not an official warning. |
| Vishwa Fernando will share the new ball from the other end. |
| 1.1 : V Fernando to Elgar, A loosener first up from Vishwa as well. Bowls it gently wide outside off, Elgar makes an easy leave. |
| 1.2 : V Fernando to Elgar, Wayward once more. Fernando is getting some good shape but his line is too wide outside off. Dean is not chasing those. |
| 1.3 : V Fernando to Elgar, Continues to be wayward. Good length delivery wide outside off, left alone with ease. |
| 1.4 : V Fernando to Elgar, Make it four leaves in a row to pretty much harmless deliveries wide outside off. |
| 1.5 : V Fernando to Elgar, The count goes to 5. Outside off, it's allowed through to the keeper. |
| 1.6 : V Fernando to Elgar, End of an innocuous over, a maiden. Vishwa keeps on pitching in the channel outside off. Elgar has nothing to do with it. |
| 2.1 : S Lakmal to Markram, Back of a length delivery outside off, Markram punches it from the back foot. It goes on one bounce to the cover fielder. |
| 2.2 : S Lakmal to Markram, Just short! A length ball angling into the batsman from around off, Aiden flicks it across the line off his pads, it's aerial but doesn't carry to the short mid-wicket fielder. |
| 2.3 : S Lakmal to Markram, FOUR! This is a brilliant shot! Lakmal bowls it on a length around off, angling into the batsman, Markram offers a straight bat to it and caresses it down the ground for a boundary. The lead crosses 50. |
| 2.4 : S Lakmal to Markram, Straighter in line, Aiden works it to the right of widish mid on fielder and steals a single. Good batting. |
| 2.5 : S Lakmal to Elgar, Fractionally short and outside off, Elgar goes on his toes and strokes it through covers for a couple. Once again Dean runs straight down the pitch. The umpire is keeping a close eye on it and it won't be too long before he takes some action. |
| 2.6 : S Lakmal to Elgar, Chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| 3.1 : V Fernando to Markram, Beauty to beat the outside edge. The natural angle of Vishwa takes a length ball away from the right-hander. Markram stays back to push inside the line but misses. |
| 3.2 : V Fernando to Markram, Goes for a big inswinger but fails to control his line. Sprays it way down the leg side and Markram tries his best to get some wood behind it. |
| 3.3 : V Fernando to Markram, Plays this one with the angle of the bowler. It's around off and Aiden pushes it with angled bat through point for one. |
| 3.4 : V Fernando to Elgar, Good length ball outside off, going straight on, Elgar allows it through to the keeper. |
| 3.5 : V Fernando to Elgar, This one is pitched up slightly but the line is too wide outside off to bother the batsman. |
| 3.6 : V Fernando to Elgar, A touch short ball on off, jumping onto the batsman, Elgar is hurried up as he blocks it to the leg side. |
| 4.1 : S Lakmal to Markram, Good length delivery outside off, Markram lets it go to the keeper. |
| 4.2 : S Lakmal to Markram, Hint of swing for Lakmal. It is on the fourth stump line, Markram covers his off stump and leaves it alone. |
| 4.3 : S Lakmal to Markram, This one is on the fifth stump line and Aiden need not play at those and he does not. |
| 4.4 : S Lakmal to Markram, Does not time it well. Back of a length delivery on off, Markram pulls it but it comes from the lower half of the bat. The ball goes towards deep mid-wicket but does not have the legs to reach the fence. The batsmen come back for the third. |
| 4.5 : S Lakmal to Elgar, Outside off by Lakmal, Elgar shoulders arms to it. |
| 4.6 : S Lakmal to Elgar, Full on off stump, Dean keeps it out with a classical front foot defense. |
| 5.1 : V Fernando to Markram, Length delivery outside off, Aiden does not go chasing after it and leaves it alone. |
| 5.2 : V Fernando to Markram, On middle and leg, Markram flicks it away towards mid-wicket. Embuldeniya dives to his right and saves runs for his side. |
| 5.3 : V Fernando to Markram, On the pads this time by Fernando. Markram flicks it towards deep square leg, the fiuelder comes running from fine leg and saves a boundary. Markram meanwhile gets three runs. |
| 5.4 : V Fernando to D Elgar, FOUR! Unlucky for the bowler. Good length delivery on off, the ball moves away just a bit after pitching. Elgar looks to defend it but because of the moment it finds the outside edge and flies away wide of the second slip fielder for a boundary. |
| 5.5 : V Fernando to Elgar, Better from Elgar. Good length delivery on the stumps, Dean this time defends it off the middle of his bat. |
| 5.6 : V Fernando to Elgar, On the leg side, Dean looks to flicks it but it comes off his thigh pad and goes towards the fine leg region. The batsmen steal a single, Leg byes signaled by the umpire. |
| 6.1 : S Lakmal to Elgar, This is too wide outside off to make Elgar play. |
| 6.2 : S Lakmal to Elgar, Closer to the stumps this, still away to entice Dean with a drive. |
| 6.3 : S Lakmal to Elgar, This is much better! On a good length outside off, Elgar looks to punch it but it goes past his outside edge. |
| 6.4 : S Lakmal to Elgar, Full and wide. Elgar shoulders his arms to it. |
| 6.5 : S Lakmal to Elgar, The best of the lot. Full and on off, Elgar leans ahead and misses it. |
| 6.6 : S Lakmal to Elgar, Appeal but that is going down leg! Gets the last one to come back in. Elgar looks to flick it but it hits his pad. The players appeal and then realize it is going down. Perhaps, must have got an inside edge to this too. |
| Kasun Rajitha is the first bowling change of the inning. |
| 7.1 : K Rajitha to Markram, FOUR! Welcome to the crease Rajitha. Good length delivery outside off, Markram cuts it through point. He times it to perfection and the ball races away to the fence. |
| 7.2 : K Rajitha to Markram, Length delivery outside off, this time Markram decides to leave it alone. |
| 7.3 : K Rajitha to A Markram, Good length delivery around off, Markram defends it with soft hands. |
| 7.4 : K Rajitha to Markram, Fuller this time on the stumps, Aiden defends it with straight bat. |
| 7.5 : K Rajitha to Markram, Good shot. Full around off, Markram drives it through point. Dhananjaya de Silva dives to his right and saves a certain boundary. He cannot hold the ball though so they take a single. |
| 7.6 : K Rajitha to Elgar, Back of a length delivery on middle and off, Dean defends it. |
| 8.1 : S Lakmal to Markram, On middle and leg, Markram flicks it away towards square leg and gets to the other end. |
| 8.2 : S Lakmal to Elgar, Length delivery outside off, Elgar leaves it alone. |
| 8.3 : S Lakmal to Elgar, Full on off, the ball comes with the angle, Elgar tucks it away to the fielder at mid-wicket. |
| 8.4 : S Lakmal to Elgar, Length delivery on middle and leg, Dean defends it with soft hands and guides it towards point. |
| 8.5 : S Lakmal to Elgar, Fuller this time on off, Elgar taps it back to the bowler. |
| 8.6 : S Lakmal to Elgar, Full again by Lakmal, Dean defends it with a straight bat to finish the over. |
| 9.1 : K Rajitha to Markram, Full on the fourth stump line, Markram leaves it alone. |
| 9.2 : K Rajitha to Markram, Full outside off, Aiden hits it wide of the fielder at deep point and gets a couple. |
| 9.3 : K Rajitha to Markram, FOUR! Pure class. Full on off, Markram drives it straight from the middle of the bat. Rajitha gets his hand to it but the ball is timed so well that the fielder chasing it has no chance of stopping that. |
| 9.4 : K Rajitha to Markram, Full around off, Aiden defends it. |
| 9.5 : K Rajitha to A Markram, Full on middle and leg, Markram pushes it to the fielder at mid on. |
| 9.6 : K Rajitha to A Markram, OUT! Aiden Markram falls! First wicket for the visitors. Rajitha pulls his length back on this occasion and bowls it on the off stump. The ball swings away after pitching. Markram looks to punch it through covers but he ends up edging it to the fielder at second slip. Kusal Mendis there takes a very good catch at a comfortable height. Rajitha is rewarded for his good spell of bowling. |
| Hashim Amla walks out at number 3. |
| 10.1 : S Lakmal to Elgar, Length delivery outside off, Elgar leaves it alone. |
| 10.2 : S Lakmal to Elgar, Great ball! Length delivery outside off, Elgar looks to drive it through cover but the ball moves away after pitching and misses the outside edge by just a whisker. |
| 10.3 : S Lakmal to D Elgar, FOUR! Not the most convincing boundary. Full and once again a hint of away swing for Lakmal. Elgar looks to defend it with soft hands but gets an outside edge. The ball goes away through gully for a boundary. |
| 10.4 : S Lakmal to Elgar, Good length delivery outside off, Dean leaves it alone. |
| 10.5 : S Lakmal to Elgar, Shorter in length, Elgar pulls it away to square leg for a single. |
| 10.6 : S Lakmal to Amla, Good length delivery on middle and off, Amla blocks it confidently. |
| 11.1 : K Rajitha to D Elgar, Shot! Full outside off, Elgar drives it through covers. He does not time it well so it does not have the legs to reach the fence. Kusal Perera runs behind it and puts in a dive way before the ropes. Elgar has enough time to take three runs. |
| 11.2 : K Rajitha to Amla, Length delivery on the leg side, Amla looks to flick it away but misses. |
| 11.3 : K Rajitha to Amla, On middle and leg, Hashim tucks it away to the on side and gets to the other end. |
| 11.4 : K Rajitha to Elgar, Full outside off stump, Dean shoulders arms to it. |
| 11.5 : K Rajitha to D Elgar, Fuller in length outside off, Elgar drives it through covers. He does not time it well but manages to get three runs. |
| 11.6 : K Rajitha to Amla, Length delivery around off, Amla pushes it to point and keeps the strike. |
| 12.1 : S Lakmal to Amla, Good length delivery on the stumps, Hashim defends it with a straight bat. |
| 12.2 : S Lakmal to Amla, Good length delivery outside off, Amla shoulders arms to that one. |
| 12.3 : S Lakmal to Amla, Good length delivery on off stump, Amla defends it to the fielder at point. |
| 12.4 : S Lakmal to Amla, Full on middle, it swings in a bit. Amla does well to block it. |
| 12.5 : S Lakmal to Amla, On the pads, Hashim nudges it to the fielder at deep square leg for a single. 50 comes up for South Africa. |
| 12.6 : S Lakmal to Elgar, Full on off, Elgar looks to defend it but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| Drinks break. South Africa are well on top of this game. They are 50/1 after the end of 13 overs. They have lost Aiden Markram but Dean Elgar is still out there joined by Hashim Amla. |
| 13.1 : K Rajitha to Amla, Full outside off, Amla leaves it alone. |
| 13.2 : K Rajitha to Amla, That is so close. Full length delivery the ball initially comes in and then straightens after pitching. Amla looks to push it but misses. The ball goes past his outside edge and misses it bu just a whisker. There is a half-hearted appeal and the umpire turns it down. |
| 13.3 : K Rajitha to Amla, On the pads, Amla tucks it towards fine leg and gets to the other end. |
| 13.4 : K Rajitha to Elgar, On middle and leg, Elgar flicks it to the fielder at mid-wicket. |
| 13.5 : K Rajitha to Elgar, FOUR! Short, wide and punished. Back of a length delivery outside off, Elgar's eyes lit up looking at that and he wonderfully cuts it through point for a boundary. |
| 13.6 : K Rajitha to Elgar, Shorter in length outside off, Elgar sways away from it. |
| Lasith Embuldeniya to roll his arms over. |
| 14.1 : L Embuldeniya to H Amla, Good start. Tossed it outside off, draws Amla forward who gets an outside edge which rolls towards third man. They come back for the second. |
| 14.2 : L Embuldeniya to Amla, Opens the bat face and helps this towards short third man. |
| 14.3 : L Embuldeniya to H Amla, Another loopy ball around off, Amla guides it towards backward point. |
| 14.4 : L Embuldeniya to Amla, Covers his stumps and bunts this one out. |
| 14.5 : L Embuldeniya to Amla, Off breaker on middle, Amla flicks it away to the on side. |
| 14.6 : L Embuldeniya to Amla, Amla gets behind this ball and keeps it out. |
| Vishwa Fernando is back into the attack. |
| 15.1 : V Fernando to Elgar, Down leg, Elgar works it off his pads to give his partner the strike. |
| 15.2 : V Fernando to Amla, Length ball outside off, good leave from Amla. |
| 15.3 : V Fernando to Amla, Outside off again, another easier leave for Amla. |
| 15.4 : V Fernando to Amla, The batsman has punched the ball off the back foot. |
| 15.5 : V Fernando to Amla, Shows the full face of the bat and blocks this solidly. |
| 15.6 : V Fernando to Amla, Length outside off, Amla let's it be. |
| 16.1 : L Embuldeniya to Elgar, Flighted on middle, Elgar looks to flick it but the fielder at short leg does well and stops the ball. |
| 16.2 : L Embuldeniya to Elgar, On the pads, this time Elgar is able to tuck it away towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 16.3 : L Embuldeniya to Amla, Tossed up on middle and off, Amla defends it off his front foot. |
| 16.4 : L Embuldeniya to Amla, Loopy delivery on middle, Amla comes down the track and pushes it to long on for a single. |
| 16.5 : L Embuldeniya to Elgar, On middle and leg, Dean tucks it to the fielder at mid-wicket. |
| 16.6 : L Embuldeniya to Elgar, Loopy delivery on middle and leg, Elgar pushes it to the fielder at mid on. |
| 17.1 : V Fernando to Amla, FOUR! Back of a length ball around off, Amla gets on his toes and just punches it off his back foot. The ball goes through cover-point. The fielder in the deep dives but cannot stop it from crossing the fence. |
| 17.2 : V Fernando to H Amla, FOUR! Even better! Outside off, all Amla had to do was get it past gully and the pace would do the rest. He pierces the gap past gully and gets a boundary. |
| 17.3 : V Fernando to Amla, Outside off, cut to point. |
| 17.4 : V Fernando to Amla, Misses out! This was outside off again. Amla looks to get it past gully again but fails to connect. |
| 17.5 : V Fernando to Amla, Stands inside the crease and taps this in front of him. |
| 17.6 : V Fernando to Amla, Amla chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| 18.1 : L Embuldeniya to Elgar, Off spinner on middle, played back to the bowler. |
| 18.2 : L Embuldeniya to Elgar, Elgar rocks back and tucks it through square leg to get off strike. |
| 18.3 : L Embuldeniya to Amla, Loopy ball on middle, well blocked by Amla. |
| 18.4 : L Embuldeniya to Amla, Well bowled! Amla steps down but decides to defend it. |
| 18.5 : L Embuldeniya to Amla, Comes out again and turns this through mid-wicket for one. |
| 18.6 : L Embuldeniya to Elgar, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 19.1 : V Fernando to Amla, OUT! Soft dismissal. Previously, he got the ball past gully many times. He tries that again but finds the man stationed for that shot. Length ball outside off, Amla stands tall and tries to cut it past the gully region. Cannot keep the ball down, perhaps Fernando got some extra bounce to this. Thirimanne there takes the catch and Amla has to walk back. His poor form in Durban and in Test cricket off late continues. |
| 0.0 : The new man in is Temba Bavuma. |
| 19.2 : V Fernando to Bavuma, Length ball around off, played towards covers. |
| 19.3 : V Fernando to Bavuma, Outside off, no problem for Bavuma in leaving it alone. |
| 19.4 : V Fernando to T Bavuma, Closer to the off pole, Bavuma gets an outside edge which runs to the third man region. He wants the second but Elgar sends him back rightly. |
| 19.5 : V Fernando to Elgar, FOUR! More like a defensive shot but it travels to the fence. Overpitched on middle and leg, Elgar on-drives it through mid on and gets himself another boundary. |
| 19.6 : V Fernando to Elgar, Elgar has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 20.1 : L Embuldeniya to Bavuma, Flighted ball on middle, Bavuma looks to sweep but gets a bottom edge back to the bowler. |
| 20.2 : L Embuldeniya to Bavuma, On middle, Bavuma is solid in his defense. |
| 20.3 : L Embuldeniya to Bavuma, In line of the stumps, stonewalled by Temba. |
| 20.4 : L Embuldeniya to Bavuma, TB has driven it through mid off. |
| 20.5 : L Embuldeniya to Bavuma, On off, punches it to the off side. |
| 20.6 : L Embuldeniya to Bavuma, Strays down leg, Bavuma tucks it around the corner for a single. |
| 21.1 : V Fernando to Bavuma, Inside edge but well short of Dickwella. Length ball over the stumps, Bavuma plays away from his body and gets a faint inside edge which falls short of the keeper. |
| 21.2 : V Fernando to Bavuma, Outside off, left alone. |
| 21.3 : V Fernando to Bavuma, Way wide outside off, Bavuma doesn't flirt with it. |
| 21.4 : V Fernando to Bavuma, Gets this closer to the stumps but Bavuma covers his stumps and lets this one through. |
| 21.5 : V Fernando to Bavuma, Over the off pole, punched through cover-point for one. |
| 21.6 : V Fernando to Elgar, On middle and leg, tucked away to the on side. |
| 22.1 : L Embuldeniya to Bavuma, Pushed to the cover region by Bavuma. |
| 0.0 : Review time! Bavuma is given out lbw but takes it up. Looks out. Has it brushed the gloves though? |
| 22.2 : L Embuldeniya to Bavuma, OUT! Nothing, three reds and he is plumb! Straighter one on middle. Bavuma gets low to sweep but misses it completely. He gets hit on his pads and the players put in an appeal. The umpire raises his finger and Sri Lanka are up in celebration. Bavuma consults his partner and takes it up. Replays show us there was no glove and the ball would have gone to hit the stumps. Was unfortunate to get out in the first innings, but he has himself to blame here. South Africa le |
| Skipper, Faf du Plessis walks out to bat. |
| 22.3 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Faf gets behind this one and keeps it out. |
| 22.4 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Outside off, punched off the back foot. |
| 22.5 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Beauty! Off spinner around off. Faf goes ahead to play at it but gets beaten for the turn. |
| 22.6 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Fuller ball on middle, played towards mid on. |
| 23.1 : V Fernando to Elgar, Full on off, driven to covers. Dot ball. |
| 23.2 : V Fernando to Elgar, Outside off, Elgar leaves it alone. |
| 23.3 : V Fernando to Elgar, Length ball on off, punched off the back foot to the cover-point region. |
| 23.4 : V Fernando to D Elgar, Wide! Unusual bounce. Too high to worry the batsman! Wide signalled by the umpire. |
| V Fernando to Elgar, Goes short again, Elgar ducks under this. |
| 23.5 : V Fernando to Elgar, Full and around off, pushed to covers. |
| 23.6 : V Fernando to D Elgar, DROPPED! FOUR! Straight to Mendis at first slip but it goes through him. What a chance! That would have been three quick wickets for the tourists. Length ball on off, Elgar gets an outside edge and it goes through Mendis at slip. He fails to get his hand together in time and the ball rolls to the third man fence. This was one of the simpler ones for Kusal. |
| 24.1 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Tossed up around off, driven to covers. |
| 24.2 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Faf has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 24.3 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Faf stays inside and keeps this out. |
| 24.4 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Gets to the pitch of the ball and hits this towards mid on for a single. |
| 24.5 : L Embuldeniya to Elgar, On middle and leg, flicked to mid-wicket. |
| 24.6 : L Embuldeniya to Elgar, Similar ball, Elgar turns his bat to the on side. |
| 25.1 : V Fernando to Plessis, Good length delivery outside off. Fernando gets a little bit of extra bounce there. Du Plessis looks to cut but misses. There is a stifled appeal by Vishwa but the umpire is not interested. |
| 25.2 : V Fernando to Plessis, Good length delivery on off and middle, Faf blocks it away. |
| 25.3 : V Fernando to Plessis, Length delivery on off, du Plessis punches it to the fielder at cover. |
| 25.4 : V Fernando to Plessis, On middle and leg, du Plessis tucks it to the fielder at mid-wicket. |
| 25.5 : V Fernando to du Plessis, FOUR! Short and punished. Full outside off, the ball keeps a bit low and du Plessis cuts it through backward point for a boundary. |
| 25.6 : V Fernando to Plessis, Ripper! Good length delivery on off and middle, the ball jags back in after pitching. Du Plessis gets beaten, it dissects him in half and goes between the bat and pads to the keeper. |
| 26.1 : L Embuldeniya to Elgar, On leg, flicked away through mid-wicket for an easy run. |
| 26.2 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Risky run but the fielder fails to hit the target. Faf charges down and hits it towards mid off. The fielder charges to it and has a shy at the non-striker's end but doesn't hit the target. |
| 26.3 : L Embuldeniya to D Elgar, That ball has taken the inside edge onto the pads. |
| 26.4 : L Embuldeniya to Elgar, Elgar has flicked the ball off his pads. One run added to the total. |
| 26.5 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, FOUR! Fraction shot on off, Faf punches this through covers and the ball races away to the boundary. Commanding shot. |
| 26.6 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Gets behind this ball and blocks it out solidly. |
| DRINKS! |
| Kasun Rajitha back into the attack. |
| 27.1 : K Rajitha to Elgar, Length delivery outside off, Elgar leaves it alone. |
| 27.2 : K Rajitha to Elgar, Good length delivery around off, Dean looks to play it with an angled bat but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| 27.3 : K Rajitha to Elgar, Full on middle and leg, Elgar defends it off his front foot. |
| 27.4 : K Rajitha to Elgar, On the fourth stump line, Dean leaves it alone. |
| 27.5 : K Rajitha to D Elgar, Full on middle and leg, Elgar pushes it to the fielder at mid on. |
| 27.6 : K Rajitha to Elgar, Rajitha bowls it outside off stump, Elgar sees off the over by leaving it. |
| 28.1 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Bowls it short and outside off, du Plessis punches it to the fielder at cover. |
| 28.2 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Flighted on middle, Faf comes down the track and defends it. |
| 28.3 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Lands it on middle and leg, du Plessis blocks it away. |
| 28.4 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Flatter on middle, Faf comes down the track and blocks it. |
| 28.5 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, On the pads, du Plessis flicks it away to the on side for a single. |
| 28.6 : Embuldeniya to Elgar, OUT! Embuldeniya strikes after drinks. Flighted delivery on middle and off, Elgar comes down the track and drives it straight. He hits it uppishly and Lasith Embuldeniya shows good reflexes and takes a good catch on his left. Elgar was looking good out in the middle but has to walk back. |
| Quinton de Kock is the new man in. |
| 29.1 : K Rajitha to Plessis, Length ball outside off, Faf doesn't bother playing at it. That kept low too. |
| 29.2 : K Rajitha to Plessis, Another good length ball outside off, left alone by Faf. |
| 29.3 : K Rajitha to du Plessis, Strays down leg, Faf tucks it away around the corner for one. |
| 29.4 : K Rajitha to Kock, Down the leg side, helped away to fine leg for one more. |
| 29.5 : K Rajitha to Plessis, Fullish, a bit of away movement. Faf blocks it out well. |
| 29.6 : K Rajitha to Plessis, PEACH! Nips back in! Rajitha is in a nice rhythm! Gets this to come back into Faf who gets a glove to it onto his thigh pad. |
| 30.1 : L Embuldeniya to Kock, Shorter in length on middle, de Kock tucks it to fine leg and gets a single. |
| 30.2 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Flighted outside off, du Plessis punches it to the fielder at cover. |
| 30.3 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Dangerous! Faf comes down the track, Embuldeniya sees it and bowls it a bit wide outside off. Du Plessis reaches it and gets his bat to it. |
| 30.4 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Shorter in length, Faf hits it to the fielder at cover. |
| 30.5 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, On the pads, du Plessis flicks it to the fielder at mid-wicket. |
| 30.6 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, FOUR! Tossed up delivery on off, du Plessis uses his feet brilliantly. He comes down the track and lofts it over mid off for a boundary. |
| 31.1 : K Rajitha to de Kock, Fuller ball on middle, de Kock on-drives it through mid on and collects a brace. |
| 31.2 : K Rajitha to Kock, Outside off, cut behind point for a single. |
| 31.3 : K Rajitha to Plessis, Faf chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. No ball given by the umpire. |
| 31.4 : K Rajitha to Plessis, Length ball outside off, punched to the off side by the skipper. |
| 31.5 : K Rajitha to Plessis, A bit too far outside off, Faf doesn't bother playing at it. |
| K Rajitha to Plessis, On the hips, tucked away to deep square leg to get to the other end. |
| 31.6 : K Rajitha to Kock, Down the leg side, de Kock flicks but it goes off his thigh pad to the on side for one. Leg byes given by the umpire. |
| 32.1 : L Embuldeniya to Kock, Tossed up delivery on off and middle, de Kock defends it with a straight bat. |
| 32.2 : L Embuldeniya to de Kock, Flighted on middle and off, Quinton pushes it to the fielder at mid on. |
| 32.3 : L Embuldeniya to Kock, Shorter in length, de Kock punches it to covers and takes a single. |
| 32.4 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Loopy delivery around off. du Plessis drives it to the fielder at cover. |
| 32.5 : L Embuldeniya to du Plessis, Flighted on off, Faf nudges it to long off and takes a single. |
| 32.6 : L Embuldeniya to Kock, In the air but safe. Flighted delivery on middle and off, de Kock looks to play it against the spin towards covers. It comes off the inside half of the bat and flies away wide of the mid-wicket fielder for a single. |
| Surangal Lakmal is in for another spell. |
| 33.1 : S Lakmal to Kock, On middle and leg, de Kock flicks it away towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 33.2 : S Lakmal to Plessis, On the fourth stump line, Faf leaves it alone. |
| 33.3 : S Lakmal to Plessis, Length delivery outside off, du Plessis points his bat skywards and leaves it alone. |
| 33.4 : S Lakmal to Plessis, Full and straight on the fifth stump line, Faf does not disturb it. |
| 33.5 : S Lakmal to Plessis, Good length delivery outside off, du Plessis lets the keeper get a feel of the ball. |
| 33.6 : S Lakmal to Plessis, Good length delivery on off, du Plessis waits for it and plays it late. He guides it to the fielder at gully. |
| 34.1 : L Embuldeniya to Kock, Shorter in length around middle and leg, de Kock flicks it towards square leg for a single. |
| 34.2 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Straighter delivery on middle, du Plessis defends it. |
| 34.3 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Flighted outside off, Faf hits it to the fielder at point. |
| 34.4 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Shorter delivery around off, Faf punches it to the fielder at mid off. |
| 34.5 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, FOUR! Short and wide by Embuldeniya, du Plessis cuts it beautifully wide of the point fielder for a boundary. |
| 34.6 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Flighted on middle, the skipper blocks it off his front foot. |
| 35.1 : S Lakmal to Kock, Full and staright on off, de Kock defends it off his front foot. |
| 35.2 : S Lakmal to Kock, Good length delivery around off, Quinton looks to defend it but it goes towards gully from the outer half of the bat and they take a single. |
| 35.3 : S Lakmal to Plessis, Good length delivery outside off, du Plessis defends it. |
| 35.4 : S Lakmal to Plessis, Good length delivery outside off, Faf leaves it alone. |
| 35.5 : S Lakmal to Plessis, Length delivery on the stumps, the South African skipper defends it off his front foot. |
| 35.6 : S Lakmal to Plessis, On the pads, Du Plessis tucks it to the on side and keeps the strike. |
| 36.1 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Shorter delivery outside off, du Plessis blocks it away. |
| 36.2 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, On middle and leg, Faf tucks it away to mid-wicket and rotates the strike. |
| 36.3 : L Embuldeniya to Kock, Tossed up delivery around off, de Kock pushes it towards point and gets to the other end. |
| 36.4 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Loopy delivery on the stumps, Faf keeps it out with a classical front foot defense. |
| 36.5 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, On the pads this time, du Plessis has no problem nudging it towards mid-wicket and rotating the strike. Sri Lanka are offering easy singles to these two. |
| 36.6 : L Embuldeniya to Kock, FOUR! Tossed up delivery outside off, de Kock brilliantly drives it through covers and the ball races away to the fence. Stumps on Day 2. South Africa lead by 170 runs. |
| Another eventful day comes to an end. 13 wickets falling and some gritty knocks played. Sri Lanka have done well to pick up four wickets but South Africa still hold the upper hand. The tourists didn't have the best of starts. They lost early wickets and succumbed to pressure. Courtesy Perera's 50 and some resolute defending by Embuldeniya, the Islanders although managed to cut the hosts' lead to 44. |
| The Proteas showed some patience at the start of their 2nd innings but then lost wickets in the middle to give the visitors a sniff. Skipper, du Plessis and de Kock are going along well and would hope they swell the lead to as much as possible. |
| Debutant, Lasith Embuldeniya had an awesome day out. He showed some fight with the bat and picked up two important wickets with the ball. Rajitha and Fernando ended the day with a wicket each. |
| Right then, South Africa have a healthy lead of 170 with 6 wickets in hand. There is still plenty of time left in this Test and they would like to bat for as long as possible. As of now, let's concentrate on Day 3. That will begin on Friday at 1000 local (0800 GMT). Do join us. Till then, take care! |
| ... Day 3, Session 1 ... |
| Hello and welcome to Day 3 of the the First Test. This game is really evenly poised as it stands. The home team might just have their noses very, very slightly ahead in the game as it stands but do not rule the visitors out as yet. The surface still has help for the pacers if they bowl in the right areas. With the conditions being overcast in the morning, a few early wickets for Sri Lanka will see them be right back in the reckoning. Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock holds the key for the Prote |
| The players and the officials make their way to the middle. Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock, the overnight batsmen. The skipper will be on strike for the first ball today. It will be bowled by Suranga Lakmal. Exciting stuff ahead, let's play!!! |
| 37.1 : S Lakmal to Plessis, Starts off with a ball on good length outside off, left alone by Du Plessis. |
| 37.2 : S Lakmal to Plessis, Goes fuller this time, Faf defends with soft hands towards the off side. |
| By the way, the Sun is out and it is shining nice and bright right now... |
| 37.3 : S Lakmal to Plessis, Loud appeal but the umpire is unmoved! A lovely ball from Lakmal just outside off, Faf looks to make a leave but the ball jags in a bit and goes off the top of his pad and to the keeper. He was hit outside the line of the off pole and hence the appeal is turned down by the umpire. |
| 37.4 : S Lakmal to Plessis, Length ball outside off, defended onto the ground on the off side. |
| 37.5 : S Lakmal to Plessis, Slightly fuller outside off, left alone. |
| 37.6 : S Lakmal to Plessis, The skipper lets the ball go outside his off stump once more to end the over. Maiden to start off Day 3. |
| Vishwa Fernando to bowl from the other end. |
| 38.1 : V Fernando to Kock, Length ball outside off, a solid front foot defense back to the bowler from Quinton. |
| 38.2 : V Fernando to Kock, Play and a miss! A length ball wide outside off and coming in after landing, de Kock goes for the slash without foot movement. The ball just whizzes past the outside edge. |
| 38.3 : V Fernando to de Kock, Edged and four! Again wide outside off and this time, de Kock leans into the drive. The ball catches the edge and goes to the right of gully. No third man means a boundary results. |
| 38.4 : V Fernando to Kock, On the middle stump line now, pushed towards mid-wicket. |
| 38.5 : V Fernando to Kock, Outside off on a length, de Kock mistimes his cover drive back towards the bowler from the inside half of the bat. |
| 38.6 : V Fernando to Kock, A single to deep cover-point to end the over. 5 off it in the end and QDK keeps strike for the next one. |
| 39.1 : S Lakmal to Kock, Good length ball outside off, holding the line and going away from the lefty. Quinton shoulders arms to it. |
| 39.2 : S Lakmal to Kock, Fuller length ball just outside off, this time South Africa's keeper-batsman defends it watchfully towards the leg side. |
| 39.3 : S Lakmal to Kock, Pushed towards mid on off the front foot. |
| 39.4 : S Lakmal to Kock, Length ball outside off, driven on the front foot to the mid off fielder by the southpaw. |
| 39.5 : S Lakmal to Kock, Ouch! That must have stung! A length ball coming in with the angle and Quinton de Kock fails to put bat on ball. It goes on and hits him in the box. Winces in a bit of pain but looks okay to continue. |
| 39.6 : S Lakmal to Kock, Kept out watchfully towards cover by de Kock to end the over. 2nd maiden on the trot for Lakmal. |
| 40.1 : V Fernando to du Plessis, Outside off on a length, good shot from Faf du Plessis towards deep cover-point for just a run though. |
| 40.2 : V Fernando to Kock, Length ball on top of off stump, pushed back towards the bowler with a straight bat. |
| 40.3 : V Fernando to Kock, Fuller length now, driven straight back to the mid off fielder. |
| 40.4 : V Fernando to de Kock, FOUR! Amazing shot! Some width outside off on a length and Quinton de Kock just leans into the drive and times it superbly away wide of deep cover for a boundary. |
| 40.5 : V Fernando to Kock, FOUR! Two in two! This is even better. A fuller length ball on middle and de Kock just pushes it casually back past mid on and all the way to the rope. |
| 40.6 : V Fernando to Kock, Very full on the middle and leg stump line, flicked away through mid-wicket by the southpaw for a couple. An expensive over, 11 off it in the end. |
| 41.1 : S Lakmal to Plessis, Short of a length outside off, Faf du Plessis stands tall and defends it back to the bowler. |
| 41.2 : S Lakmal to Plessis, Left alone outside off this time. |
| 41.3 : S Lakmal to Plessis, Way outside off this time and it does not interest the batsman who just lets it go. |
| 41.4 : S Lakmal to Plessis, Length ball on top of off stump, turned towards square leg. |
| 41.5 : S Lakmal to Plessis, On a length outside off, left alone by the right-hander. |
| 41.6 : S Lakmal to Plessis, On a length outside off, patted towards point and du Plessis looks for a quick run but is sent back by his partner. Ends the over, third maiden on the trot for Suranga Lakmal. |
| Dhananjaya de Silva to bowl now. |
| 42.1 : de Silva to Kock, Yes, no! But all is well in the end. A flatter one at the pads, tucked towards square leg by de Kock and the batsmen look for a run but then decide against it. |
| 42.2 : de Silva to de Kock, Flighted outside off, driven towards cover on the front foot. |
| 42.3 : de Silva to Kock, Shorter and quicker outside off, punched towards the cover fielder once more. |
| 42.4 : de Silva to Kock, A flatter arm ball outside off, left alone by Quinton. |
| 42.5 : de Silva to Kock, Good fielding! A fuller and flighted ball outside off, driven towards the right of cover. The fielder does well to move, dive and stop the ball. Prevents the single. |
| 42.6 : de Silva to de Kock, FOUR! This one goes through! A short ball outside off, cut away by de Kock wide of point. The fielder dives but cannot stop the ball. It goes to the rope. This also brings up the 50-run stand between these two. |
| 43.1 : S Lakmal to Plessis, FOUR! First runs off Lakmal this morning! A fuller one outside off, beautifully driven through cover for a boundary by Faf. The first time Suranga has bowled a half-volley this morning and he has gotten punished. |
| 43.2 : S Lakmal to Plessis, On the money this time from Lakmal, du Plessis watchfully defends it towards the mid-wicket region. |
| 43.3 : S Lakmal to Plessis, FOUR! This is a good ball but such is the class of Faf du Plessis. The Proteas skipper just pushes this wide of mid off and the ball is so well-timed that the fielder has no chance. |
| 43.4 : S Lakmal to Plessis, Outside off, defended with soft hands towards point. |
| 43.5 : S Lakmal to Plessis, Kept out towards the cover region. |
| 43.6 : S Lakmal to Plessis, Left alone outside off by Faf to end the over. 8 runs off this one, courtesy the two boundaries. |
| 44.1 : de Silva to Kock, Loopy delivery outside off, de Kock nudges it towards deep cover and takes a single. |
| 44.2 : de Silva to Plessis, Quicker around off, du Plessis pushes it to the fielder at cover. |
| 44.3 : de Silva to Plessis, On the pads, Faf flicks it to the on side and rotates the strike. The lead now is 200 for South Africa. |
| 44.4 : de Silva to Kock, Tossed up around off, de Kock pushes it away towards cover and takes a single. |
| 44.5 : de Silva to Plessis, Flighted on the stumps, Faf taps it back to the bowler. |
| 44.6 : de Silva to Plessis, On the pads, du Plessis tucks it towards square leg and gets a run. He will keep the strike for the start of the next over. |
| 45.1 : S Lakmal to Plessis, Length delivery outside off, the proteas skipper leaves it alone. |
| 45.2 : S Lakmal to Plessis, Good length delivery on off, du Plessis pushes it away towards cover for a single. |
| 45.3 : S Lakmal to Kock, Ouch! Good length delivery around off, the ball comes in with the angle. De Kock looks to defend it but the ball hits him on his gloves and then goes on and hits him on the unmentionable region. De Kock is in pain and understandably so. |
| 45.4 : S Lakmal to Kock, Back of a length delivery on the stumps, this time Quinton is able to defend it. |
| 45.5 : S Lakmal to Kock, Full and straight around off, Quinton hits it straight but does not time it well. The ball does not go to the fence but he gets a couple. |
| 45.6 : S Lakmal to Kock, Fuller length deliver on middle and off, it comes back in after pitching. De Kock flicks it to the fielder at mid-wicket. |
| Kasun Rajitha into the attack. |
| 46.1 : K Rajitha to Plessis, FOUR! Easy for du Plessis. Rajitha bowls it full and straight around leg, Faf just flicks it away through the vacant fine leg region for a boundary. Poor start by Kasun. |
| 46.2 : K Rajitha to Plessis, Full again, this time on middle and leg, Faf pushes it wide of mid on and takes a single. |
| 46.3 : K Rajitha to Kock, Good length delivery outside off, de Kock does not get in its way and lets it go. |
| 46.4 : K Rajitha to Kock, Good shot! On the pads by Rajitha, de Kock handsomely flicks it away towards mid-wicket but there's a fielder in the deep so he only gets a brace. |
| 46.5 : K Rajitha to Kock, On middle and leg, this time Quinton tucks it to the on side and gets only a single. |
| 46.6 : K Rajitha to Plessis, Once again on middle and leg, Faf nudges it to square leg and gets a run. |
| 47.1 : S Lakmal to Plessis, On middle and leg by Lakmal, du Plessis flicks it away to mid-wicket for a single. |
| 47.2 : S Lakmal to de Kock, Full and straight around off, de Kock drives it straight to the mid off fielder. |
| 47.3 : S Lakmal to Kock, Lakmal bowls this at 125 case, on a length. De Kock pushes it towards mid on and takes a quick single. |
| Du Plessis is not ready and sends Lakmal back to reload his run up. |
| 47.4 : S Lakmal to Plessis, Length delivery outside off, no swing on this one. Faf leaves it alone. |
| 47.5 : S Lakmal to Plessis, Back of a length delivery around off, Faf hits it to the fielder at cover. |
| 47.6 : S Lakmal to Plessis, Good length delivery on off, du Plessis keeps it out with a solid back foot defense to see off the over. |
| 48.1 : K Rajitha to Kock, Good length delivery on middle, de Kock defends it off his back foot. |
| 48.2 : K Rajitha to Kock, FOUR! Lovely shot. Full and straight on off, de Kock just gets on his front foot and drives it with ease straight through mid off. Lasith Embuldeniya gives it a chase but the ball wins the race and goes to the fence. |
| 48.3 : K Rajitha to de Kock, Shorter in length this time by Rajitha, Quinton pulls it away for a single. |
| Kusal Mendis is in a lot of pain here hurting his finger while going for a catch. That will require some medical attention. Let's hope it is nothing serious... Meanwhile, Drinks has also been called for. The first hour of the game has been all South Africa. Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock are slowly but surely batting the Lankans out of the game. |
| 48.4 : K Rajitha to du Plessis, Chance, actually no it's a no ball! Full length delivery on off, the ball slightly goes away from the batsman after pitching. Du Plessis looks to drive it but gets an outside edge. The ball falls short of the diving second slip fielder. Kusal Mendis there tries to catch it but it stings on his little finger and he is in a lot of pain. Such a great effort but it wouldn't have counted as Rajitha had overstepped his line. Also the batsmen meanwhile take a couple. |
| K Rajitha to Plessis, Back of a length delivery on off, du Plessis hits it to the fielder at mid off. |
| 48.5 : K Rajitha to du Plessis, Slightly fuller this time by Kasun,Faf pushes it to the fielder at mid on. |
| 48.6 : K Rajitha to Plessis, Good length delivery around off, du Plessis punches it to the fielder on the off side. |
| 49.1 : S Lakmal to Kock, On middle and leg, de Kock flicks it away to the fielder at mid-wicket. |
| 0.0 : Kusal Mendis has gone off the field and Lakshan Sandakan is replacing him. |
| 49.2 : S Lakmal to Kock, Full length delivery around off, the South African wicket keeper drives it to the fielder at cover. |
| 49.3 : S Lakmal to Kock, On the pads, de Kock tucks it away towards fine leg for a single. |
| 49.4 : S Lakmal to Plessis, Bouncer! On the leg stump line, Faf ducks underneath it. |
| 49.5 : S Lakmal to Plessis, Good looking shot! Length delivery outside off, du Plessis punches it towards sweeper cover and gets to the other end. |
| 49.6 : S Lakmal to Kock, Low full toss on middle, de Kock tucks it away towards mid-wicket. Quinton goes for a quick single, the fielder has a shy at the bowler's end. He misses and the fielder backing up behind misfields and they take 2 more runs. Quinton with those 3 runs gets to his 16th Test fifty. Second of the match. |
| Lasith Embuldeniya is now into the attack, the first time this morning. |
| 50.1 : L Embuldeniya to Kock, Flatter one outside off, defended with soft hands off the back foot by the southpaw. |
| 50.2 : L Embuldeniya to Kock, Fuller and quicker outside off, driven all along the ground by de Kock through cover-point for a single. |
| 50.3 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Lovely loop on that ball. Faf du Plessis looks to work that one away on the leg side but closes his bat face too quickly. The ball goes off the leading edge towards the off side. |
| 50.4 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Bowled way down the leg side, Faf lets the ball go. |
| 50.5 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Worked away off the pads to square leg for a run. |
| 50.6 : L Embuldeniya to Kock, Fuller and flighted on middle, driven to long on for a single. Quinton keeps strike. |
| Change of ends for Kasun Rajitha. |
| 51.1 : K Rajitha to Kock, On middle and leg, de Kock flicks it away towards mid-wicket and rotates the strike. |
| 51.2 : K Rajitha to Plessis, Back of a length outside off, du Plessis hits it towards mid off with a slant bat. |
| 51.3 : K Rajitha to Plessis, Full on middle and off, Faf hits it to the fielder at mid on. |
| 51.4 : K Rajitha to Plessis, Tempting the South African skipper to drive by bowling it outside off. Du Plessis though is not tempted and leaves it. |
| 51.5 : K Rajitha to du Plessis, Length delivery on off, du Plessis looks to defend it but gets an outside edge. He plays it with soft hands so it goes to the fielder at gully on a bounce who dives to his right. |
| 51.6 : K Rajitha to Plessis, Outside off, Faf offers no shot. |
| 52.1 : L Embuldeniya to Kock, Flighted on off, de Kock flicks it away towards square leg for a single. |
| 52.2 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Tossed up on middle, Faf defends it with a straight bat. |
| 52.3 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Slow and spinning in to the batsman. It is pitched on middle and leg, Faf initially looks to play but then he does not and the ball hits him on his thigh pad. |
| 52.4 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Flighted on off, du Plessis pushes it to cover. |
| Review time... Quinton de Kock has been adjudged LBW here. Looked like he is plumb in front and de Kock has just gone upstairs in sheer hope. Might be a wasted review! |
| 52.5 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Flighted on middle and leg, du Plessis pushes it to the fielder at mid on and takes a single. |
| 52.6 : L Embuldeniya to Kock, OUT! Yes it is a wasted review. It looked plumb and it is plumb. Off spinner pitching outside off on the rough. It keeps low after pitching. De Kock looks to flick it to the on side but gets beaten and hit on the pads. The debutant is up in celebration and the umpire also raises his finger. De Kock goes for the referral and the Hawk Eye shows all red as it was going to crash into the middle pole. South Africa lose their review and the partnership of 96 is broken. P. |
| Vernon Philander is the new man in. |
| 53.1 : K Rajitha to Plessis, Length outside off, left alone! |
| 53.2 : K Rajitha to Plessis, Fifty for the skipper! Wide outside off, Faf cuts it through point to get his 18th Test fifty. An important knock in the circumstances. |
| 53.3 : K Rajitha to Philander, Bouncer! Vernon ducks under the bouncer at the last moment. |
| 53.4 : K Rajitha to Philander, Philander lets the ball go outside his off stump. |
| 53.5 : K Rajitha to Philander, Outside off, left alone. |
| 53.6 : K Rajitha to Philander, On the pads, flicked away through square leg for one. |
| 54.1 : L Embuldeniya to Philander, Flighted on off, Philander blocks it off his front foot. |
| 54.2 : L Embuldeniya to Philander, On middle and leg, Vernon tucks it away to mid-wicket and takes a single. |
| 54.3 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Loopy delivery pitching outside leg, Faf lets it hit on his front pad. |
| 54.4 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Once again lands it outside off, again Du Plessis offers no shot and lets it hit on his pad. |
| 54.5 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, No ball. Quicker on middle, Faf defends it off his front foot. It is a no ball as Embuldeniya took the bails off. But the replays show it is a very cruel decision as he was nowhere close to the stumps. |
| L Embuldeniya to Plessis, On the pads, the Proteas skipper tucks it towards the on side for a single. |
| 54.6 : L Embuldeniya to Philander, Flighted on the stumps, Philander gets his front foot out and blocks it. |
| 55.1 : K Rajitha to Plessis, Outside off on a good length, defended back to the bowler by Faf. |
| 55.2 : K Rajitha to Plessis, Fuller length ball outside off, driven wide of mid off for a run by the skipper. |
| 55.3 : K Rajitha to Philander, Fuller length ball outside off, dead-batted by Vernon coming slightly ahead. |
| 55.4 : K Rajitha to Philander, A short of a length ball this time outside off, defended from the crease. |
| 55.5 : K Rajitha to Philander, Bouncer! On middle and Philander ducks under it to let the ball go. |
| 55.6 : K Rajitha to Philander, Short of a length outside off, VP rides the bounce and defends the ball onto the ground. |
| 56.1 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, On the pads, Faf flicks it away to the fielder at short fine leg. |
| 56.2 : L Embuldeniya to du Plessis, No run. |
| 56.3 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Soft hands to the rescue. Flighted delivery on odd and middle, the ball spins away after pitching. Du Plessis looks to defend it but finds the outside edge. He played it with soft hands and that's why it falls short of the slip fielder. |
| 56.4 : L Embuldeniya to Philander, Flighted on the pads, Philander offers no stroke and lets it hit on his front pad. |
| 56.5 : L Embuldeniya to Philander, Another one pitching outside leg, Vernon stretches out his front foot and lets it hit there. |
| 56.6 : L Embuldeniya to Philander, Tossed up delivery on the pads, Philander looks to defend but gets hit on the pad. There is a stifled appeal but the umpire turns it down. |
| 57.1 : K Rajitha to Plessis, A length ball sprayed way down the leg side, Faf du Plessis just lets the ball go. |
| 57.2 : K Rajitha to Plessis, Really full ball, almost yorking Faf. The batsman manages to get his bat down and drive it back towards the bowler with no timing though. |
| 57.3 : K Rajitha to Plessis, Length ball just outside off, defended from the crease with a straight bat. |
| 57.4 : K Rajitha to Plessis, Length ball outside off, keeping slightly low. The South Africa skipper adjusts well and keeps it out. |
| 57.5 : K Rajitha to Plessis, Pushed off the back foot towards the left of mid off. Single taken. |
| 57.6 : K Rajitha to Philander, Length ball on middle, turned away towards mid-wicket for a run. 200 comes up for the hosts! The lead is now 244. |
| 58.1 : L Embuldeniya to Philander, Tossed up on off, Philander defends it with a straight bat. |
| 58.2 : L Embuldeniya to V Philander, Flighted on middle,Vernon flicks it to the on side and gets a single. |
| 58.3 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Pitching outside leg, Faf offers no stroke and lets it hit him on his pad. |
| 58.4 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Once again a flighted delivery outside leg, du Plessis feels it on his pad. |
| 58.5 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, The batsman has offered no stroke to an incoming delivery which is pitched outside leg. |
| 58.6 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, On the pads, this time the South African skipper tucks it to square leg and gets a single. |
| Vishwa Fernando is back on. |
| 59.1 : V Fernando to Plessis, FOUR! Jammed away! A really full and wide ball outside off from Fernando to start the over. Du Plessis does really well to reach that ball and smash it away through backward point for a boundary. |
| 59.2 : V Fernando to Plessis, FOUR! That's two on the trot! A length ball outside off and the cover drive follows. This time the deep cover fielder is beaten to the right. |
| 59.3 : V Fernando to Plessis, Would have been interesting had he hit! A length ball outside off, tapped towards point by du Plessis for a quick single. Philander was late on the run but luckily for him, the fielder misses his shy at the striker's end. |
| 59.4 : V Fernando to Philander, Way, way outside off from the left-arm seamer, left alone by Philander. |
| 59.5 : V Fernando to Philander, Vernon decides to leave the ball outside the off stump once more. |
| 59.6 : V Fernando to Philander, Slower one on the top of middle, patted on the side of the pitch by Philander and he looks for a quick single but is wisely sent back by his skipper. Would have been suicidal. |
| 60.1 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Bowled outside leg, left alone by the batsman. |
| 60.2 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, On the pads once more, Faf looks to tuck the ball away but fails to put bat on it. |
| 60.3 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Shorter length this time, du Plessis stands back in his crease and looks to defend. Gets a thick inside edge onto the pads but the ball falls down safely on the pitch. |
| 60.4 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Punched off the back foot towards cover by the batsman. |
| 60.5 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, A short ball almost bowled halfway down the track. The ball takes a lot of bounce and hits Faf on the ribs as he was trying to leave it. |
| 60.6 : L Embuldeniya to du Plessis, FOUR! Shot! What a way to end the over. Short of a length outside off, cut away beautifully in the gap by du Plessis. Doing it all too easily here. |
| 61.1 : V Fernando to Philander, Length ball outside off, defended back towards the bowler. |
| 61.2 : V Fernando to Philander, Left alone outside off by Vernon. |
| 61.3 : V Fernando to Philander, Hurled wide of off stump by Vishwa, Philander does not get interested. |
| 61.4 : V Fernando to V Philander, FOUR! Edged and goes through the gap between slip and gully. A cutter outside off, no pace on that one but the ball goes off the outside edge of Philander as he looked to defend. It runs away to the third man boundary. |
| 61.5 : V Fernando to Philander, Short of a length on the leg stump line and that rears up suddenly. Philander was prodding ahead to play that towards the leg side but then has to adjust. The ball lobs off the inside half of the bat into the vacant leg side region. Single taken. |
| 61.6 : V Fernando to Plessis, Another single to the right of mid off by Faf. He keeps strike for the next over. |
| Oshada Fernando to roll his arm over. Most probably be the last over before the Lunch break. |
| 62.1 : O Fernando to Plessis, Short and wide outside off, hit away with a horizontal bat towards deep cover for a single by du Plessis. |
| 62.2 : O Fernando to Philander, Slower ball on middle, turned away wide of mid on for a single by Philander. |
| 62.3 : O Fernando to Plessis, Worked away by Faf to deep mid-wicket and he gets off strike. |
| 62.4 : O Fernando to Philander, A slow off-spinner this time on the pads, VP waits for the ball and nudges it towards fine leg for a run. |
| 62.5 : O Fernando to du Plessis, Pushed to long on for a single. 5 singles off 5 balls so far, will it be 6? |
| 62.6 : O Fernando to Philander, Yes, it will be! Really flighted on middle, Vernon pushes it with soft hands towards mid on and sets off for a quick single. Has to hurry in the end but the fielder misses his shy at the stumps. 6 runs off the over. THAT WILL BE LUNCH ON DAY 3! |
| A very good session for the hosts. Overnight batsmen, Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock started from where they left and both the batsmen got to their respective fifties. Quinton de Kock though didn't last longer after his half-century as he was caught straight in front of the stumps by Lasith Embuldeniya. The debutant broke the 96-run stand. Vernon Philander then joined his skipper in the middle and they have stitched an unbeaten 36-run stand. The two have played the left-arm spinner carefull |
| ... Day 3, Session 2 ... |
| We are back after our Lunch. The players and the umpires are out in the middle for the afternoon session. Skipper, Faf du Plessis and Vernon Philander will resume their batting. Suranga Lakmal will bowl the first over. |
| 63.1 : S Lakmal to Philander, Bowls it fuller around off. Philander shows the full bat face and blocks it. |
| 63.2 : S Lakmal to Philander, On middle this time, another front foot defense from Philander. |
| 63.3 : S Lakmal to Philander, Goes full again on middle and leg, Philander turns his bat to the on side. |
| 63.4 : S Lakmal to Philander, First run of the session. On a good length on middle, Vernon taps it with soft hands towards mid on for a single. |
| 63.5 : S Lakmal to Plessis, Little movement for Lakmal. Bowls this on a good length on off, shapes away. Faf guides it towards point to get off strike. |
| 63.6 : S Lakmal to Philander, WIDE! Bouncer too high. Philander ducks and the umpire gives it wide. |
| S Lakmal to Philander, Gets under this short ball and pulls it through square leg for one. |
| Lasith Embuldeniya to bowl. |
| 64.1 : L Embuldeniya to Philander, Shorter in length around off, Philander defends it off his back foot. |
| 64.2 : L Embuldeniya to Philander, Once again Embuldeniya lands it short, Vernon punches it to the fielder at cover. |
| 64.3 : L Embuldeniya to Philander, Tossed up on middle, Philander defends it off his front foot. |
| 64.4 : L Embuldeniya to Philander, Flighted on off and middle, Vernon blocks it with a straight bat. |
| 64.5 : L Embuldeniya to Philander, On middle, Philander keeps it away. |
| 64.6 : L Embuldeniya to Philander, Loopy ball on the stumps, Philander blocks it. |
| 65.1 : S Lakmal to Plessis, Short of a length outside off, defended back towards the bowler. |
| 0.0 : The ball is being checked by the umpire for some reason. Actually the previous defense from Du Plessis pushed the ball right on the freshly painted crease during the break. The paint has come onto the ball. Waiting for it to be removed... No, actually the ball is being replaced and a similarly aged ball has been called for. |
| 65.2 : S Lakmal to Plessis, Outside off and coming in slightly, du Plessis covers the line before letting it go. |
| 65.3 : S Lakmal to Plessis, Left alone outside off once more by Faf. |
| 65.4 : S Lakmal to Plessis, Short of a length outside off, FDP pats it on the off side towards point and sets off for a quick run. The point fielder scores a direct hit at the bowler's end but Du Plessis is in very safely. |
| 65.5 : S Lakmal to Philander, Length ball outside off, dabbed down towards gully. |
| 65.6 : S Lakmal to V Philander, Edged but does not carry. A length ball outside off, slight reverse swing. The ball takes the outside edge of Philander who was looking to defend. It goes towards slip on the bounce. |
| 66.1 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Flighted delivery outside leg, Faf offers no shot and lets it hit on his front pad. |
| 66.2 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, On middle and leg, du Plessis flicks it to the fielder at short fine leg. |
| 66.3 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, FOUR! Short and punished by du Plessis. Shorter in length outside off, Faf gets onto his back foot and punches it through covers for a boundary. |
| 66.4 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, On the pads this time, du Plessis flicks it to the fielder at mid-wicket. |
| 66.5 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Flighted on the stumps, Faf defends it with a straight bat. |
| 66.6 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Short and wide again outside off, Faf punches it wide of the sweeper cover and gets a brace. |
| 67.1 : S Lakmal to Philander, Length ball on top of off stump, Vernon defends it back to the bowler with a straight bat. |
| 67.2 : S Lakmal to Philander, Bouncer! On middle and leg, Philander ducks under the ball letting it go through. |
| 67.3 : S Lakmal to Philander, Length ball guided away wide of point for a single by VP. |
| 67.4 : S Lakmal to Plessis, Short of a length and the ball goes through really slowly after pitching. Du Plessis looks to pull but was too early into the shot. The keeper fails to collect it cleanly and the ball goes through his leg, almost hits the helmet kept behind. Just misses or it would have been 5 penalty runs for South Africa. |
| 67.5 : S Lakmal to Plessis, A length ball outside off, defended back towards the off side. |
| 67.6 : S Lakmal to du Plessis, Edged! Another edge induced by Lakmal, this time off the bat of Faf. The ball again does not carry to slip. The fielder fails to stop the ball cleanly, allowing for 3 runs to be taken till it is retrieved. That also brings up the 50-run stand between these two. |
| 68.1 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Loopy delivery on leg stump, du Plessis keeps it out with a front foot defense. |
| 68.2 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Turn and bounce on this one. Pitching outside leg and spinning away from the batsman, Faf offers no shot to this one and lets it hit him on body. |
| 68.3 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, On middle and leg, du Plessis tucks it away to the fielder at mid-wicket. |
| 68.4 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Flighted on off, du Plessis pushes it towards mid off and takes a single. |
| 68.5 : L Embuldeniya to Philander, Loppy ball outside leg, Vernon offers no shot to it and it hits him on his front pad. |
| 68.6 : L Embuldeniya to Philander, On the pads again, Philander lets it hit him on his pad. |
| 69.1 : S Lakmal to Plessis, Outside off on a good length, left alone by the Proteas skipper. |
| 0.0 : Review time... For a caught behind. The Sri Lankans have taken it upstairs after it was initially given not out. There doesn't seem to be any confidence though. |
| 69.2 : Lakmal to Plessis, NOT OUT! Sri Lanka lose the review! Nothing on the ball and du Plessis survives. A length ball outside off and moving away, keeps slightly low as well. Faf looks to push it into the off side but misses the ball. The keeper dives ahead and completes a good take. He then stands up and appeals, then the slip and the bowler join in. Dickwella reckons there's an edge and asks his skipper to take it upstairs. Replays show us there was absolutely nothing on that and the ball wa |
| 69.3 : S Lakmal to Plessis, Left alone outside off. |
| 69.4 : S Lakmal to Plessis, Beaten! A short length ball outside off, Faf stands tall and looks to cut that one away but misses out. It was very close to being an edge! |
| 69.5 : S Lakmal to Plessis, FDP shoulders arms to this one outside off on a length. |
| 69.6 : S Lakmal to Plessis, Another leave to complete a good over from Lakmal. |
| 70.1 : L Embuldeniya to Philander, Flighted on off and middle, Philander defends it. |
| 70.2 : L Embuldeniya to Philander, Shorter around off, Vernon defends it with soft hands towards point and takes a single. |
| 70.3 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Shorter in length on middle, Faf defends it off his back foot. |
| 70.4 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Tossed up outside leg, Faf stretches out his front foot and lets it hit on the pads. |
| 70.5 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Shorter in length, du Plessis punches it towards cover and takes a single. |
| 70.6 : L Embuldeniya to Philander, Flighted outside leg, Philander lets it hit him on his front pad. |
| Vishwa Fernando is back on. |
| 71.1 : V Fernando to Plessis, Ooh! Some spice on that one. Rears up weirdly after pitching on a length, Faf du Plessis removes his hand after defending it on the back foot. Looks likes he got a jolt there. |
| 71.2 : V Fernando to Plessis, Flicked away through deep mid-wicket for a couple. |
| 71.3 : V Fernando to Plessis, Outside off and shaping away, left alone by the batsman. |
| 71.4 : V Fernando to Plessis, Pitching outside leg, Faf runs it down fine towards deep fine leg for a single. |
| 71.5 : V Fernando to Philander, Loud appeal but the umpire is unmoved yet again! Sprayed down the leg side and Philander looks to flick it away but misses the ball. It seems to have gone off the side of the trousers of the batsman to the keeper. Good decision by the umpire. |
| 71.6 : V Fernando to Philander, Fuller one on leg, flicked away slightly uppishly by Vernon to long leg for a run. |
| 72.1 : L Embuldeniya to Philander, Short and slow outside off, cut away through cover for a single. 250 comes up for the hosts! The lead is now 294. |
| 72.2 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, On the pads from over the wicket to the SA skipper, he works it away towards square leg for a run. |
| 72.3 : L Embuldeniya to Philander, Around the wicket to Vernon, nicely flighted and Philander comes ahead to defend. The ball goes off the outside edge towards point. A single is turned down by the non-striker. |
| 72.4 : L Embuldeniya to Philander, OUT! Embuldeniya has his fourth! The stumps have been disturbed as this one has kept really low. A flatter ball on middle, Vernon goes on his back foot to play this one but the ball keeps really low and goes through. Disturbs the middle stump. The good stand of 60 has been broken finally. The lead is 295 and Philander departs after doing what was expected from him. |
| Keshav Maharaj walks in at number 8. |
| 72.5 : L Embuldeniya to Maharaj, Flighted on middle, pushed back towards cover. |
| 72.6 : L Embuldeniya to Maharaj, Another loopy one on middle, defended on the front foot towards mid on. End of a successful over for the visitors. |
| 73.1 : V Fernando to Plessis, Hurled on a length and at the hips, worked away to deep square leg for a single. |
| 73.2 : V Fernando to Maharaj, Good length ball on middle and holds its line. Defended back to the bowler by Keshav. |
| 73.3 : V Fernando to Maharaj, Full and outside off, driven towards the mid off region. |
| 73.4 : V Fernando to Maharaj, Bouncer! The batsman ducks under the bouncer at the last moment. |
| 73.5 : V Fernando to Maharaj, Yorker! Really good one too. Maharaj just about manages to remove his foot out of the way and bring his bat down to jam the ball away. |
| 73.6 : V Fernando to Maharaj, Sprayed down the leg side, left alone by the batsman as it is too far away to make a connection. |
| 74.1 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Shorter on middle, Faf hits it to the fielder at cover. |
| 74.2 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Once again pitches it on length, du Plessis defends it off his back foot. |
| 74.3 : L Embuldeniya to du Plessis, Tossed up on off, the ball spins away after pitching. Faf plays it with soft hands and gets a thick outside edge. The ball though keeps low and goes to the slip fielder. |
| 74.4 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Shorter on middle and off, Faf blocks it off his back foot. |
| 74.5 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Pitching outside leg, du Plessis offers no shot to it and lets it hit him on his pad. |
| 74.6 : L Embuldeniya to Plessis, Flighted on middle and leg, Faf looks to defend but gets an inside edge and onto the pads. |
| 75.1 : V Fernando to Maharaj, A length ball outside off, really well punched away in front of cover. A good effort from the fielder in the deep to push that inside the rope. Saves 2 runs for his team. Everyone applauds the commitment. |
| 75.2 : V Fernando to Maharaj, Around the wicket and on a length outside off, defended back towards the left of the bowler. A quick single is taken. |
| 75.3 : V Fernando to Plessis, Same line to Faf as well, he works it towards the square leg umpire. |
| 75.4 : V Fernando to Plessis, Defended back towards the bowler off the back foot. |
| 75.5 : V Fernando to Plessis, Loud appeal! Turned down by the umpire, seems too high to the naked eye. A length ball coming into the right-hander. Du Plessis looks to stand tall and flick it away onto the leg side but extra bounce causes him to miss the ball. Hits him on the thigh pad. Loud appeal from all the fielders but no movement from the umpire. |
| 75.6 : V Fernando to Plessis, OUT! A brainfade moment! Fernando has got a wicket after bowling on a good consistent line continuously. A length ball from around the wicket and coming into du Plessis, Faf looks to leave the ball but it comes and raps him in front of the stumps. It was not even high and hence would have gone on to hit the middle or leg stump most probably. The umpire's finger goes up in an instant and the South African skipper misses out on a well-deserved hundred! An important wic |
| Drinks has been taken here at the fall of the wicket! The last ball of the hour has brought a wicket for the Lankans, the second in this session so far. They will look to keep the lead to as less as possible. Meanwhile, Kagiso Rabada is next to the crease. |
| 76.1 : L Embuldeniya to Maharaj, Short and just outside off, Maharaj looks to cut it but it is too close to the off stump and he misses the cut. |
| 76.2 : L Embuldeniya to Maharaj, Short and outside off, this time Maharaj is able to cut it away for a single. The lead now is 300 for South Africa. |
| 76.3 : L Embuldeniya to Rabada, Flighted on middle and leg, Rabada looks to defend it but misses. The ball lobs up to the fielder at short leg who tries to take the catch but misses. |
| 76.4 : L Embuldeniya to Rabada, OUT! Embuldeniya gets his fifth wicket. Tossed up delivery on middle and leg, Rabada looks to defend it off his front foot but gets an inside edge onto the pads. The ball lobs up near short leg, Niroshan calls for it and takes an easy catch. Lasith Embuldeniya gets a 5-wicket haul in his debut match. Take a bow, young man |
| Dale Steyn is the new man in. |
| 76.5 : L Embuldeniya to Steyn, Tossed up on middle and off, Steyn watchfully defends it. |
| 76.6 : L Embuldeniya to Steyn, Flighted on middle, Dale confidently blocks it. |
| 77.1 : V Fernando to Maharaj, Almost snuck through! A fuller length ball on middle and Maharaj gets his bat down in the nick of time to keep the ball out towards mid-wicket. |
| 77.2 : Fernando to K Maharaj, OUT! Cleaned up! A length ball from around the wicket, landing outside off and coming in. Maharaj goes for the expansive drive and misses the line of the ball completely. It goes onto hit the top of middle stump. Nine down now the hosts! And the last 4 wickets for just 5 runs. The lead is 300 now and Sri Lanka will look to remove the last man without much more being added. |
| Duanne Olivier is the last man in. |
| 77.3 : V Fernando to Olivier, Well outside off, left alone by the batsman. |
| 77.4 : V Fernando to D Olivier, Outside off on a length, the ball goes off the outside edge and runs towards point. |
| 77.5 : V Fernando to Olivier, A bouncer but is bowled way outside off and Duanne does not have to do anything with the ball. |
| 77.6 : V Fernando to Olivier, Defended safely by Olivier as he plays this one off the back foot. |
| 78.1 : L Embuldeniya to Steyn, Tossed up on middle, Dale looks to defend it off his front foot but does so with the outer half of the bat. |
| 78.2 : L Embuldeniya to Steyn, Shorter on middle, Steyn tucks it away to the fielder at mid off. |
| 78.3 : L Embuldeniya to Steyn, On middle and leg, Steyn tucks it away towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 78.4 : L Embuldeniya to Olivier, On middle and leg, Olivier flicks it away to the fielder at mid-wicket. |
| 78.5 : L Embuldeniya to Olivier, Short and wide outside off, Olivier cuts it wide of the sweeper cover and takes a couple. |
| 78.6 : L Embuldeniya to Olivier, Flighted delivery pitching outside leg, Duanne lets it hit on the front pad. |
| 1 over before the new ball is available. Does it matter though? |
| 79.1 : Fernando to D Steyn, OUT! It absolutely does not matter! The leg stump goes for a toss! A fuller length ball on middle and leg, Steyn goes across and looks to flick but misses the ball. The leg stump is disturbed and SOUTH AFRICA are all out for 259. SRI LANKA WILL NEED 304 to win. |
| A great period of play after Lunch for the tourists. They took 5 wickets for just 32 runs and at one stage it looked like they will be chasing over 350, now they require 304. Debutant Lasith Embuldeniya was the pick of the bowlers and got a five-wicket haul. South Africa will be disappointed with the end and especially with their choke. They would feel they should have had scored at least 50 more runs. It is still a very tough total to chase down here in Durban. Sri Lanka will have to bat really |
| 0.1 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, Around the wicket on a length, worked away by Karunaratne for a single to deep fine leg. Sri Lanka are away. |
| 0.2 : D Steyn to Thirimanne, Over the wicket to Thirimanne, Steyn delivers it on a good length on middle. It is pushed back to the bowler. |
| 0.3 : D Steyn to Thirimanne, Just outside off on a good length, Thirimanne sticks his bat out to defend. The ball catches the inside edge and runs towards square leg. |
| 0.4 : D Steyn to Thirimanne, Short of a length on the hips, tucked away by Lahiru for a single down to fine leg. |
| 0.5 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, Bouncer! Outside off, Dimuth ducks and lets the ball go. |
| 0.6 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, Kept out watchfully towards the mid-wicket region off a good length. |
| Vernon Philander to share the cherry. |
| 1.1 : V Philander to Thirimanne, Full length delivery outside off, Thirimanne leaves it alone. |
| 1.2 : V Philander to Thirimanne, Full on off this time by Philander, Thirimanne defends it with a straight bat. |
| 1.3 : V Philander to Thirimanne, FOUR! Edgy but they will take it. Length delivery outside off, the ball goes away with the angle. Thirimanne looks to drive it through covers but gets an outside edge. The ball flies through the vacant gully region for a boundary. |
| 1.4 : V Philander to Thirimanne, Back of a length delivery on the body, Lahiru confidently defends it. |
| 1.5 : V Philander to Thirimanne, Good length delivery outside off, Lahiru looks to push it away but gets beaten. |
| 1.6 : V Philander to Thirimanne, Good shot! Full outside off, Thirimanne drives it through covers. He does not time it well so he only gets a single. |
| 2.1 : D Steyn to Thirimanne, Good length delivery around off, Thirimanne blocks it with a straight bat. |
| 2.2 : D Steyn to Thirimanne, Full on off and middle, Lahiru hits it towards mid-wicket with the inner half of his bat. |
| 2.3 : D Steyn to Thirimanne, In the air but safe. Good length delivery on the body of Thirimanne. Lahiru looks to tuck it on the onb side but ends up gloving it. The ball lobs uppishly towards the mid-wicket region but is short of Keshav Maharaj there. |
| 2.4 : D Steyn to Thirimanne, On the thigh pad region, this time Lahiru is able to flick it away to the fine leg region for a single. |
| 2.5 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, Back of a length outside off, Karunaratne hits it towards cover and gets to the other end. |
| 2.6 : D Steyn to Thirimanne, Full on middle and leg, Thirimanne flicks it away towards the fielder at fine leg for a single. |
| 3.1 : V Philander to Thirimanne, Back of a length on the thigh pads, Thirimanne looks to flick it across but he misses. The ball hits him on his thigh pad. |
| 3.2 : V Philander to Thirimanne, Full on middle and off, Lahiru defends it with a straight bat. |
| 3.3 : V Philander to Thirimanne, Fuller length delivery on off, Lahiru blocks it away. |
| 3.4 : V Philander to Thirimanne, Close! Length delivery outside off, Thirimanne looks to push it but misses. The ball misses the outside edge by just a whisker. |
| 3.5 : V Philander to Thirimanne, Once again fuller length delivery outside off, Thirimanne looks to play it but misses. |
| 3.6 : V Philander to Thirimanne, Good length delivery on middle and off, Lahiru defends it to see off the over. |
| 4.1 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, On middle and leg, Karunaratne flicks it away to the fielder at mid-wicket. |
| 4.2 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, Length delivery on off, Karunaratne pushes it to the fielder at mid off. |
| 4.3 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, Good length delivery outside off, Dimuth looks to drive it but the ball misses the outside edge. |
| 4.4 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, Fuller length delivery on off, Karunaratne defends it confidently. |
| 4.5 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, Length delivery on off, Dimuth keeps it out. |
| 4.6 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, FOUR! Full and straight on middle and off, Dimuth hits it straight through mid off for a boundary. |
| 5.1 : V Philander to Thirimanne, Good leave. Length delivery outside off, Lahiru covers his off stump and leaves it alone close to his stumps. |
| 5.2 : V Philander to Thirimanne, Good length delivery on off and middle, Thirimanne defends it with a straight bat. |
| 5.3 : V Philander to Thirimanne, On middle and leg, Lahiru tucks it to the on side and takes a single. |
| 5.4 : V Philander to Karunaratne, Full and straight outside off, Karunaratne shoulders arms to it. Interestingly the ball keeps low and reaches the wicket-keeper on a bounce. |
| 5.5 : V Philander to Karunaratne, Length delivery on off, Dimuth defends it. |
| 5.6 : V Philander to D Karunaratne, Full and straight on off, Karunaratne drives it to the fielder at mid off. |
| 6.1 : D Steyn to Thirimanne, Good length delivery outside off stump, Thirimanne looks to play it with vertical bat but gets an inside edge. The ball then goes towards the on side. |
| 6.2 : D Steyn to L Thirimanne, FOUR! That is a wonderful shot.Back of a length delivery on off, Thirimanne rocks onto his back foot and pulls it through mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 6.3 : D Steyn to Thirimanne, Length delivery outside off, Thirimanne drives it beautifully through point. The ball does not have the legs to go to the fence, though the batsmen are able to get 3 runs. |
| 6.4 : D Steyn to Karunaratne, Back of a length on off, Karunaratne drives it through covers and gets 3 runs. |
| 6.5 : D Steyn to Thirimanne, Back of a length on the stumps, Lahiru defends it off his back foot. |
| 6.6 : D Steyn to Thirimanne, Length delivery outside off, Thirimanne looks to play it but misses. |
| Keshav Maharaj to roll his arm over. |
| 7.1 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Loopy ball on the leg side, Karunaratne looks to tuck it but it goes off his thigh pad and settles in the hands of the short leg fielder. |
| 7.2 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Flicked through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 7.3 : K Maharaj to Thirimanne, On middle and leg, turned towards mid-wicket. |
| 7.4 : K Maharaj to Thirimanne, Similar line, Thirimanne works it away through square leg for one. |
| 7.5 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, On the leg side, Karunaratne taps it in front of him. |
| 7.6 : K Maharaj to Karunaratne, Fuller on middle and leg, driven towards mid on for one. THAT WILL BE TEA ON DAY 3. |
| Clearly this session belonged to Sri Lanka. They wrapped up the last 5 wickets of South Africa for just 32 runs, courtesy a 5-wicket haul from debutant Lasith Embuldeniya. With the target of 304 required, both the openers have seen off the 8 overs before Tea and the team total now reads 28/0. They require another 276 runs. The job is not done here for the openers and they will have to bat well post Tea. South Africa do not need to press the panic button yet and will look to take early wickets in |
| ... Day 3, Session 3 ... |
| We are back for the final session! Around 37 overs to go so we are in for a long session. The Lankan openers will resume their innings. Karunaratne will be on strike and he will face Vernon Philander. Here we go... |
| 8.1 : V Philander to Karunaratne, Starts off with a length ball around off, it comes back in a little after pitching. Karunaratne works it to the man at mid-wicket. |
| 8.2 : V Philander to Karunaratne, Bowls it on off again, Karunaratne gets behind the line once again and blocks it out. |
| 8.3 : V Philander to Karunaratne, Cut him into half! Back of a length ball and outside off, it jags back in sharply. Karunaratne looks to defend but is beaten by the inward movement. It goes between bat and pad and over the off pole. |
| 8.4 : V Philander to Karunaratne, BEATS THE OUTSIDE EDGE! This is top class bowling. The last one came back in, this one pitches on off and it shapes away. Karunaratne tries to defend but gets beaten. |
| 8.5 : V Philander to Karunaratne, Beaten for the third time in a row! Gets one to leave the batsman again from a length. Karunaratne is half-forward as he tries to block it but the ball whizzes past the outside edge. |
| 8.6 : V Philander to Karunaratne, Well left! In the 5th stump channel, DK shoulders arms. Good testing over comes to an end. |
| Kagiso Rabada to bowl from the other end. |
| 9.1 : K Rabada to Thirimanne, Well bowled! 7 good deliveries by the African bowlers so far. Length around off, shapes outwards after landing. Thirimanne's outside edge is beaten. |
| 9.2 : K Rabada to Thirimanne, Shortish and on the body, LH does well to nudge it to short leg. |
| 9.3 : K Rabada to Thirimanne, Goes back to bowling length on off, Thirimanne is solid in defense. |
| 9.4 : K Rabada to Thirimanne, Continues bowling it on off, blocked. |
| 9.5 : K Rabada to Thirimanne, A bumper down the leg side, Thirimanne ducks under it with ease. |
| 9.6 : K Rabada to L Thirimanne, FOUR! Through the gap between second and third slip! How fortunate was that? Dishes out the full delivery, wanting the batsman to drive. Thirimanne goes for it but gets an outside edge. It flies between du Plessis and Elgar, both do not go for it and it races to the fence. |
| 10.1 : V Philander to Karunaratne, A little too straight, this is tucked around the corner for a couple. |
| 10.2 : V Philander to Karunaratne, Goes back to bowling it on off, it is blocked out. |
| 10.3 : V Philander to Karunaratne, On the pads, the batter tries to work it on the leg side but misses. It hits his pads and rolls towards square leg. The batsmen take a leg bye. |
| 10.4 : V Philander to Thirimanne, Back of a length on off, defended by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 10.5 : V Philander to Thirimanne, Good leave in the end! That pitches just about outside off, comes back in just a little. Thirimanne plants his front foot forward and shoulders arms. The ball goes really close past the front pad. |
| 10.6 : V Philander to Thirimanne, A more comfortable leave this time as this one is wider to the off pole. |
| 11.1 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, From around the wicket angles it into the off pole, Karunaratne blocks it off the front foot. |
| 11.2 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, Back of a length on off, Karunaratne stands tall and defends it. |
| 11.3 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, On the shorter side on off, Karunaratne does exceedingly well to take one hand off the handle and block it out. |
| 11.4 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, Works it with the angle through square leg for a single. |
| 11.5 : K Rabada to Thirimanne, Slightly short but down the leg side, ducked under. |
| 11.6 : K Rabada to Thirimanne, On the off pole, kept out. |
| 12.1 : V Philander to Karunaratne, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 12.2 : V Philander to Karunaratne, On the off stump again, Karunaratne pushes it back to the bowler. Top bowling this, keeps landing it on one area and looking to move it both ways. |
| 12.3 : V Philander to Karunaratne, The ball however, is not doing a lot here as Karunaratne gets behind the line and keeps it out with ease. |
| 12.4 : V Philander to Karunaratne, On the pads, it is worked to the man at fine leg. A single taken. |
| 12.5 : V Philander to Thirimanne, The batsman works it down the leg side. |
| 12.6 : V Philander to Thirimanne, On the stumps, Thirimanne goes back and keeps it out. |
| 13.1 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, Play and a miss! Loose shot that. Wasn't quite full enough to drive, Karunaratne still goes for it but gets beaten. Now the, Ultra Edge just shows that there was a spike as the ball passes the bat. South Africa did appeal but it was a very soft one. Another reprieve for a Sri Lankan batsman. How much will this cost them? |
| 13.2 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, Goes shorter this time and closer to the off pole, defended. |
| 13.3 : K Rabada to Karunaratne, The fullest delivery by Rabada in this spell, Karunaratne works it towards mid-wicket for a quick run. |
| 13.4 : K Rabada to Thirimanne, On off, blocked. |
| 13.5 : K Rabada to Thirimanne, Bowled on the off pole again, it is guided to point. |
| 13.6 : K Rabada to Thirimanne, Lands it on off, Thirimanne pushes it to covers. |
| 14.1 : V Philander to Karunaratne, On the fuller side, it is hit back to the bowler. |
| 14.2 : V Philander to Karunaratne, On the pads, the batter looks to flick but misses to get hit on the pads. Philander starts appealing but then bails out. |
| 14.3 : V Philander to Karunaratne, Well played again! Extra bounce there for Philander as he lands it on off, Karunaratne tries to defend but it hits the sticker of the bat. |
| Review time! An appeal for an LBW has been turned down. South Africa review. It did come back but I don't think it has come back enough. |
| 14.4 : V Philander to Karunaratne, NOT OUT! Missing the off pole and by a long way! A poor review in the end by South Africa. They have lost one now. This starts from outside off, it comes back in a little. Karunaratne looks to make a leave but the ball hits the back pad. An appeal follows but the umpire shakes his head. After a chat with his teammates, Faf signals the 'T'. Replays roll in and it shows the on-field call is the right one. |
| 14.5 : V Philander to Karunaratne, FOUR! Top shot! There was a short mid-wicket and a mid on in place but Karunaratne has found the gap brilliantly. Full and on the pads, DK whips it through the gap and it reaches the fence. |
| 14.6 : V Philander to Karunaratne, A defensive stroke towards mid off to end the over. This is a good start by the Lankans. |
| 15.1 : K Rabada to Thirimanne, On the off pole, kept out. |
| 15.2 : K Rabada to Thirimanne, Goes for the yorker but misses it by just, Thirimanne works it to mid-wicket. |
| 15.3 : K Rabada to Thirimanne, Shortish and on off, Thirimanne stands tall and defends it onto the ground. He thinks of taking a run but then is sent back by his partner. |
| 15.4 : K Rabada to Thirimanne, On off angling away, Thirimanne covers the angle and defends it onto the ground/ |
| 15.5 : K Rabada to L Thirimanne, OUT! Edged and taken this time! The change of angle does the trick but to be honest a poor shot by Thirimanne. It was slightly behind the driving length, Thirimanne who got away with one earlier should have left that ball but he does not learn from his mistake. Throws his bat at it, the ball takes the outside edge and goes at a comfortable height for the second slip fielder. Faf du Plessis takes a tumbling catch. The opening stand has been broken and Sri Lanka's g |
| Oshada Fernando is the next man in. |
| 15.6 : K Rabada to Fernando, A solid back foot defense by the batsman on his first ball. |
| 16.1 : V Philander to Karunaratne, On the fuller side on off, Karunaratne strokes it nicely but can't get it past mid off. |
| 16.2 : V Philander to Karunaratne, On the off pole, blocked. |
| Sri Lanka review this time as Karunaratne has been give LBW. Only height can save him there. |
| 16.3 : V Philander to Karunaratne, OUT! Umpire's call as it is clipping the top of middle and leg stump. Karunaratne walks back now however, he does not take the review with him. Both the set batsmen though are back in the hut and suddenly Sri Lanka are in a spot of bother. The inswinger once again gets the better of the opener. It pitches on middle and comes back in. Karunaratne looks to keep it out but fails to put bat on ball. It hits his pads and an appeal follows. The umpire thinks and then |
| Kusal Mendis walks out to the middle. |
| 16.4 : V Philander to Mendis, A gem to bowl to the new batsman. On off and it moves away ever so slightly. Mendis plays the original trajectory and gets beaten. Not a lot you can do with that but just hope it does not take the edge. |
| 16.5 : V Philander to Mendis, Gets this one to pitch and go straight on. Mendis blocks it by getting right behind the line. |
| 16.6 : V Philander to Mendis, Takes a few steps down the track to cover the swing and pushes it to mid on. |
| 17.1 : K Rabada to Fernando, Well bowled and well played! The inswinger from wide of the crease and it is very full. The batter gets his pad out of the way and strokes it to mid on. |
| 17.2 : K Rabada to Fernando, Overthrows! Back of a length on off, Fernando taps it towards point and sets off for a run. The fielder there has a needless shy at the striker's end. Misses and concedes an overthrow. |
| 17.3 : K Rabada to Fernando, Good length on off, blocked. |
| 17.4 : K Rabada to Fernando, Almost drags it on! That was very loose by Fernando. It was a length ball outside off, comes back in a little. Fernando throws his bat at it but the ball goes off the inner half, over the off pole and down to the fine leg fence. |
| 17.5 : K Rabada to Fernando, FOUR! Back-to-back boundaries! This is more convincing! Short and outside off, Fernando stands tall and guides it through point for a boundary. |
| 17.6 : K Rabada to Fernando, Now gets right behind the line and defends it onto the ground. Good over this for the visitors. |
| Duanne Olivier is on now. |
| 18.1 : D Olivier to Mendis, Starts off with a shortish ball on the body, it is clipped towards mid-wicket. |
| 18.2 : D Olivier to Mendis, Back of a length on off, Mendis is solid in defense. |
| 18.3 : D Olivier to Mendis, On the shorter side outside off, Mendis looks to pull but is beaten by the low bounce. |
| 18.4 : D Olivier to Mendis, Another short one, Mendis ducks under it. |
| 18.5 : D Olivier to K Mendis, OUT! There goes no. 3! Olivier strikes in his first over itself! Another poor shot by another Sri Lankan batsman. It is short and just outside off. Mendis decides very late that he is going to upper cut it. The shot was never on as it there was not a lot of width on offer and also it was difficult to get on top of the bounce of that delivery. He only manages an outside edge. De Kock takes it with a leap. |
| Kusal Perera walks in next to bat. |
| 18.6 : D Olivier to Perera, Another short one on the body, Perera manages to keep it down towards short leg. |
| 19.1 : K Rabada to Fernando, On the fuller side, this is timed through the gap at the cover region for a couple. |
| 19.2 : K Rabada to Fernando, FOUR! Streaky! Through the vacant gully region. On a length and around off, Fernando goes at it with hard hands, it hits the edge and runs down to the third man fence. Living dangerously is the batter. |
| 19.3 : K Rabada to Fernando, The line is much starighter now, Fernando looks to flick but misses to get hit hgih on the pads. |
| 19.4 : K Rabada to Fernando, Back of a length on off, blocked. |
| 19.5 : K Rabada to Fernando, Back of a length again, Fernando gets behind the line and defends it onto the ground. |
| 19.6 : K Rabada to K Perera, Good running! Fernando pushes it towards point, they hesitate before going for the run, eventually go for it and complete it as the fielder misses his shy. |
| 20.1 : D Olivier to Fernando, Shortish on off, Fernando looks to pull but ends up getting it off the underedge to mid-wicket. |
| 20.2 : D Olivier to Fernando, On the pads, nudged to fine leg for a single. |
| 20.3 : D Olivier to Perera, In the air... but safe! Perera too takes on the challenge of pulling it. Ends up getting a top edge towards fine leg. Lands safe, a single taken. |
| 20.4 : D Olivier to Fernando, Short again, the batter transfers his weight on the back foot and keeps it out. |
| 20.5 : D Olivier to O Fernando, A bumper and it is down the leg side, Fernando pulls it to fine leg for a single. |
| 20.6 : D Olivier to Perera, A quick bouncer, Perera looks to pull but is beaten for pace. |
| 21.1 : K Rabada to Fernando, The batsman picked that bouncer early and let it through to the keeper. |
| 21.2 : K Rabada to Fernando, Shortish and on middle, blocked out towards mid-wicket for a run. |
| 21.3 : K Rabada to Perera, Back of a length on off, Perera defends it off the back foot. |
| 21.4 : K Rabada to Perera, Good length again on off, Perera pushes it to covers. |
| 21.5 : K Rabada to Perera, Stands tall and guides it to point. |
| 21.6 : K Rabada to Perera, FOUR! Up and over! Slightly fuller and Rabada pays the price. Perera stands and lofts it over mid off. A boundary results. |
| 22.1 : D Olivier to Fernando, Short and on the body, the batsman ducks under it. |
| 22.2 : D Olivier to Fernando, Just short! Since it was glove it did not carry! Not sure about the shot though. It is just outside off, Fernando looks to guide it down to third man, the ball goes off the glove and lands just ahead of the keeper. |
| 22.3 : D Olivier to Fernando, Back of a length on off, it is pushed to covers. |
| 22.4 : D Olivier to O Fernando, Goes for the pull but mistimes it to mid-wicket. |
| 22.5 : D Olivier to Fernando, Back of a length on off, kept out. |
| 22.6 : D Olivier to O Fernando, Another short one, another pull shot but once again finds the fielder. This time though the one at square leg. |
| Keshav Maharaj is on now. |
| 23.1 : K Maharaj to Perera, Plays the sweep but it goes off the inner half towards square leg. |
| 23.2 : K Maharaj to K Perera, Flighted delivery on off, Perera pushes it to covers and sets off for a run. Steyn picks the ball up and has a shy at the non-striker's end but misses. That would have been close as Perera dropped his just outside the crease. Replays later on show that he would have been short. |
| 23.3 : K Maharaj to Fernando, FOUR! Easy-peasy! Down the leg side, Fernando sweeps it fine and ti races to the fine leg fence. |
| 23.4 : K Maharaj to Fernando, Floats it up on middle, Fernando luges and keeps it out. |
| 23.5 : K Maharaj to Fernando, Another flighted ball, the batsman keeps it out with ease. |
| 23.6 : K Maharaj to Fernando, The arm ball to end, Fernando plays outside the line and it goes off the inner half towards square leg. |
| 24.1 : D Olivier to Perera, Good delivery! Angles this one across the left-hander. Perera plays inside the line and gets beaten. |
| 24.2 : D Olivier to Perera, On the body, Perera is hit on the body, it rolls towards square leg. The batsmen take a leg bye. |
| 24.3 : D Olivier to Fernando, Down the leg side, Fernando lets it be. Some excitement from the South African players as there was a noise as the ball passed the body. Nothing from the umpire though. Replays show that it flicked the shirt. |
| 24.4 : D Olivier to Fernando, Not sure this is a good shot! Short and outside off, Fernando looks to guide it through the slip cordon but misses. |
| 24.5 : D Olivier to Fernando, Down the leg side, the batsman looks to flick but misses. Once again the South Africans get excited but for no reason. |
| 24.6 : D Olivier to Fernando, Shortish and on the body, it is tucked to mid-wicket. |
| Drinks! |
| 25.1 : K Maharaj to Perera, Around off, Perera plays it back to the bowler. |
| 25.2 : K Maharaj to Perera, OUCH! Loopy ball on middle and leg, Perera gets low and swings at it. Markram at short leg takes one for the team. He though had his protection and doesn't look in any pain. |
| 25.3 : K Maharaj to K Perera, Around off, pushed to the cover region. |
| 25.4 : K Maharaj to Perera, A fraction short, Kusal pulls it to square leg. |
| 25.5 : K Maharaj to Fernando, On the pads, flicked away through square leg this time for one. |
| Aiden Markram is on now. Spin from both sides now. Maybe due to the fading lights the umpires have asked Faf to get on spinners from both ends. |
| 25.6 : K Maharaj to Fernando, Just outside off, Fernando plays it very late to third man and changes ends. |
| 26.1 : A Markram to Fernando, Slower through the air on middle, it is worked through mid-wicket for a run. |
| 26.2 : A Markram to K Perera, Short again, this is punched through covers for another run. |
| 26.3 : A Markram to Fernando, Flatter and on off, Fernando goes back and keeps it out. |
| 26.4 : A Markram to Fernando, Brings the reverse sweep out and hits it through backward point. The batter takes two. |
| 26.5 : A Markram to Fernando, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 26.6 : A Markram to Fernando, On the stumps again, Fernando blocks it out. |
| 27.1 : K Maharaj to Perera, Off spinner on middle, stonewalled by Perera. |
| 27.2 : K Maharaj to Perera, Flights this on off, bunted down by KP. |
| 27.3 : K Maharaj to Perera, Off spin on middle and leg, blocked in front of the batsman. |
| 27.4 : K Maharaj to K Perera, Loopy ball on off, Perera steps out and smacks it back but Maharaj does well to put his hand to it. That would have been a boundary if it had gone through. |
| 27.5 : K Maharaj to Perera, The batsman has flicked the ball off his pads. |
| 27.6 : K Maharaj to Perera, FOUR! Lovely! This one was outside off, Perera makes room and punches this through cover-point for a glorious boundary. |
| The umpires feel the light is not good enough to continue for now and they have asked the players to walk off. PLAY STOPPED DUE TO BAD LIGHT! The covers are also seen coming on. It is not raining for now but precautionary measures are taken. |
| The inevitable has happened. The lights haven't improved and the umpires have called STUMPS FOR DAY 3! Another excellent day of cricket for the hosts. They are in the driver's seat at the moment. They began the day in a healthy position and then strengthened their position in the game courtesy Faf du Plessis' partnerships with de Kock and Philander. |
| The South African skipper was adamant to give Sri Lanka a big target but the debutant Embuldeniya picked a fifer and kept Sri Lanka in the game. However Faf's 90 did ensure the visitors have a stiff target of 304. |
| The Lankan openers started off well, just like they did in the first innings but a wicket soon after the Tea break, led to 2 more quickly. From 42 for 0 they ended up being 52 for 3. However, Fernando and Kusal Perera are amidst a 31-run stand and if the Lankans stand any chance, the two will have to build a big partnership from here on whereas, South Africa would like to continue their good work. |
| Now then, will Day 4 be the last day of the Test Match? Sri Lanka need another 221 runs and South Africa need 7 wickets, and one would believe if there is no rain which is in the forecast, it should be the final day. Do join us for all the action on Saturday. Till then, goodbye and take care! |
| ... Day 4, Session 1 ... |
| Hello and welcome to Day 4 of the first Test between South Africa and Sri Lanka. The visitors were given a target of 304 and started well. But lapse in concentration towards the end of Day 3 saw them lose three wickets. They were 42/0 but suddenly slipped to 52/3. They still require 221 runs but will need their batsmen to do really well if they want to get close to that total. The pendulum is swinging towards the Proteas but a wicket-less session in the morning could get it right back in the cen |
| We are all set to begin. Overnight batsmen Kusal Perera and Oshada Fernando walk out to the middle to resume their innings. Kagiso Rabada to bowl the first over of the day. |
| 28.1 : K Rabada to Fernando, Rabada starts the day with bowling a good length delivery on off. Fernando gets on his back foot and defends it with soft hands. He looks for a quick single but is sent back by his partner. |
| 28.2 : K Rabada to Fernando, Length delivery outside off, Fernando calmly leaves it alone. |
| 28.3 : K Rabada to Fernando, Good length delivery on off and middle, Oshada tucks it to the on side with the inner half of his bat. |
| 28.4 : K Rabada to Fernando, Once again on a length by Rabada. Fernando blocks it away. |
| 28.5 : K Rabada to Fernando, Back of a length delivery around off, Fernando defends it with a straight bat. |
| 28.6 : K Rabada to Fernando, Maiden to start the day. Good length delivery on middle and off, Oshada defends it to see off the over. |
| Dale Steyn to partner Kagiso Rabada from the other end. |
| 29.1 : D Steyn to Perera, Steyn starts with a length delivery on off, Perera looks to defend it, he does so from the outer half of the bat. The ball goes towards point and they take a single. First run of the day. |
| 29.2 : D Steyn to Fernando, Sprays this down the leg side, Fernando looks to flick but misses. |
| 29.3 : D Steyn to Fernando, Good shot! Fuller in length outside off, Oshada gets on his front foot and drives it through point. It does not have the legs to go to the fence but the batsmen get 3 runs as the fielder gives it a chase. |
| 29.4 : D Steyn to Perera, On the thigh pad region, Kusal flicks it away towards fine leg and rotates the strike. |
| 29.5 : D Steyn to Fernando, Length delivery around off, Fernando pushes it away to the fielder at point. |
| 29.6 : D Steyn to Fernando, Good length delivery on middle and leg, Oshada taps it back to the bowler. |
| No Vernon Philander on the field yet. Seems like a hamstring niggle. Zubayr Hamza is the substitute for him. |
| 30.1 : K Rabada to K Perera, Length delivery on middle and leg. Perera looks to defend but gets an inside edge onto his pads. |
| 30.2 : K Rabada to K Perera, In the air but safe. Length delivery around off, Kusal frees his arms and looks to hit it over mid off. It hits high on his bat and goes uppishly through mid off. The fielder gives it a chase and stops the ball from going to the fence. Meanwhile the batsmen come back for the third. |
| 30.3 : K Rabada to Fernando, Good length delivery on middle and leg, Oshada defends it with straight bat. |
| 30.4 : K Rabada to Fernando, On middle and leg this time. Fernando flicks it to the fielder at mid-wicket. |
| 30.5 : K Rabada to Fernando, Nice ball this. On a length and it is straight, Oshada shows respect to this one and defends it off his front foot. |
| 30.6 : K Rabada to Fernando, Nice shot but for no runs. Good length delivery on off and middle, Fernando drives it straight back to the bowler. |
| 31.1 : D Steyn to Perera, Good length delivery around off, Kusal watchfully defends it and guides it to the fielder at cover. |
| 31.2 : D Steyn to Perera, Length delivery on off, Perera defends it with a straight bat. |
| 31.3 : D Steyn to Perera, Extra bounce on this one. Steyn bowls it on length around middle, Perera looks to defend it but gets hit on his glove. |
| 31.4 : D Steyn to Perera, Slightly fuller this time, Perera pushes it wide of mid off and takes quick single. |
| 31.5 : D Steyn to Fernando, Back of a length delivery on off and middle, the ball swing in a bit after pitching. Oshada looks to defend but gets an inside edge. The ball goes towards fine leg and they take a single. |
| 31.6 : D Steyn to Perera, Risky shot but safe in the end. Back of a length delivery outside off, Perera looks to hit it through mid off with a slant bat. It hits high on his bat and goes uppishly wide of the cover fielder. They are able to get a run as the ball goes behind. |
| 32.1 : K Rabada to Perera, Down the leg side, Perera tickles it towards fine leg for a single. Leg bye signalled. 209 more to win now. |
| 32.2 : K Rabada to Fernando, Outside off, 145 kph, Fernando is the least bit bothered. Lets de Kock feel the sting. |
| 32.3 : K Rabada to Fernando, Beaten! Nice comeback from Rabada. Mike Haysman on air informs that on this track, the ball speed reduces by 10-15 kph, so that much extra effort is required by the bowlers to make the ball look quick. KG bends his back, lands this on a length, forces Oshada to play at that but then gets the ball to kick and straighten, thereby beating the outside edge. |
| 32.4 : Rabada to Fernando, FOUR LEG BYES! Reverse swing on offer now. The Proteas have been working on the ball for quite some time and it is slowly paying dividends. Around middle and leg, a bit too full, OF misses his flick and the ball hits him on the pads. Rabada appeals but the umpire is unmoved. The ball deflects to the fine leg fence. |
| 32.5 : K Rabada to Fernando, Full and outside off, driven straight to mid off. |
| 32.6 : K Rabada to Fernando, A sharp bouncer outside off, Fernando comes forward to play but then has to withdraw his bat as the ball zips through, past his nose. |
| 33.1 : D Steyn to Perera, Totally miscued! A normal mid off would have swallowed this. 100 UP FOR SRI LANKA. 204 more needed now. A full ball outside off, Perera looks to go over the top but mistimes his really badly. The ball goes off the toe end of the bat towards mid off and would have been a simple catch - but it isn't because there is no one there. Faf du Plessis has stationed this man who is neither at mid off, nor at long off and he cannot get to the ball in time. A single taken. |
| 33.2 : D Steyn to Fernando, Full and around off, watchfully defended. |
| 33.3 : D Steyn to Fernando, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 33.4 : D Steyn to Fernando, A length ball outside off, pushed towards the off side. |
| 33.5 : D Steyn to Fernando, Full and just outside off, watchfully blocked out. |
| 33.6 : D Steyn to Fernando, That one kicked off the surface. A length ball outside off, Oshada comes forward to defend but suddenly the ball shoots up and he has to adjust. The cherry hits the bat on the higher part but drops down safely on the off side. |
| 34.1 : K Rabada to Perera, Good length delivery on middle and off, Kusal defends it with a slant bat. |
| 34.2 : K Rabada to Perera, Full length delivery on middle and leg, Perera flicks it away towards deep square leg for a single. |
| 34.3 : K Rabada to Fernando, Straighter delivery on a length, Oshada blocks it away. |
| 34.4 : K Rabada to Fernando, Hint of inswing on this one. Once again pitched outside off, Oshada leaves it alone. |
| 34.5 : K Rabada to Fernando, Good length delivery on off this time, Oshada defends it confidently with a straight bat. |
| 34.6 : K Rabada to O Fernando, FOUR! Great stroke! Full length delivery on off and middle, Fernando gets right behind that one and drives it through mid off for the first boundary of the day. Brings up the 50-run stand between these two. |
| 35.1 : D Steyn to K Perera, FOUR! This time it is Perera with a good shot. Back of a length delivery outside off, Perera slashes it through covers on his back foot. The fielder at cover dives to his right but cannot get anywhere close to the ball. First boundary of the day for Perera. |
| 35.2 : D Steyn to Perera, Good length delivery on middle and off, Kusal follows that boundary with a solid back foot defense. |
| 35.3 : D Steyn to Perera, Length delivery around off, Kusal pushes it to the fielder at cover. |
| 35.4 : D Steyn to Perera, Bouncer! On middle and leg, Perera ducks underneath it and lets it go to de Kock. |
| 35.5 : D Steyn to Perera, Length delivery on middle, Perera waits for it and defends it late. |
| 35.6 : D Steyn to Perera, Good shot! Length delivery outside off, Kusal cuts it beautifully but straight to the fielder at cover. |
| 36.1 : K Rabada to Fernando, Back of a length delivery outside off, Fernando cuts it straight to point fielder. |
| 36.2 : K Rabada to Fernando, Shorter in length outside off, Fernando leaves it alone. |
| 36.3 : K Rabada to Fernando, Bouncer. On off stump, Oshada sways away from it. |
| 36.4 : K Rabada to Fernando, Tempting Fernando to have a go at the ball outside off, but Oshada is not interested in doing so. |
| 36.5 : K Rabada to Fernando, Fuller on middle and off, Fernando pushes it to the fielder at cover. |
| 36.6 : K Rabada to Fernando, Lucky escape for Rabada. Attempts to bowl a yorker but ends up serving a full toss on middle and leg. Fernando though cannot make most of it and ends up flicking it towards deep square leg for a single. |
| 37.1 : D Steyn to Fernando, Fuller in length around off, Fernando defends it off his front foot. |
| 37.2 : D Steyn to Fernando, OUT! Steyn with the breakthrough. Cross seam delivery on off, the ball goes away from the batsman after pitching. The ball is on off, Oshada has no option but to play that one. He looks to push it but gets a thick outside edge and the ball flies to the second slip fielder. Faf du Plessis there takes a good catch at a comfortable height. And it is a huge blow for Sri Lanka as the 58-run stand is broken. |
| Niroshan Dickwella is the next man in. |
| 37.3 : D Steyn to Dickwella, Length delivery outside off, Dickwella leaves it alone. |
| 37.4 : Steyn to Dickwella, OUT! Soft dismissal but also a great catch. This is bowled seam up by Steyn. It is full on middle, the ball stops and comes at Dickwella. Niroshan initially looks to defend but then goes for the drive. He is in between those two and ends up chipping it towards the bowler. The ball goes uppishly to the right of Dale Steyn but he shows great reflexes and takes it with one hand. Second wicket of the over and Steyn is ecstatic. Half the side back in the pavilion and now th |
| The new man is Dhananjaya de Silva. |
| 37.5 : D Steyn to Silva, Good length delivery on the stumps, de Silva defends it with a straight bat. |
| 37.6 : D Steyn to Silva, Full on middle and leg, Dhananjaya pushes it to the fielder at mid on. |
| 38.1 : K Rabada to Perera, On middle and leg, played towards mid-wicket by Perera. |
| 38.2 : K Rabada to Perera, Comes round the wicket this time and lands it on off. Kusal taps it to the off side. |
| 38.3 : K Rabada to Perera, FOUR! Lovely! Rabada bangs it short on off, Kusal was on to it like a flash and pulled it through mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 38.4 : K Rabada to Perera, Down the leg side on the shorter side, Perera covers his stumps and lets it go. |
| 38.5 : K Rabada to Perera, Fuller ball around off, Perera drives it towards mid off and sets off for a run. The fielder there has a shy at the non-strikers end but fails to hit the target. No real backup there and they run on the overthrow. |
| 38.6 : K Rabada to Perera, Bouncer! Down leg, Perera ducks in time to let that one go over him. |
| 39.1 : D Steyn to de Silva, Full outside off, Dhananjaya drives it straight to the fielder at mid off. |
| 39.2 : D Steyn to Silva, Back of a length delivery, it is Quick from Steyn. De Silva looks to defend it but gets it off the inner half and the ball goes to the on side for a single. |
| 39.3 : D Steyn to Perera, Good length delivery outside off, Perera jumps and looks to keep the ball down but gets and inside edge and the ball goes behind to the keeper on a bounce. |
| 39.4 : D Steyn to Perera, Shorter in length, this time Kusal pulls it away towards deep square leg for a single. |
| 39.5 : D Steyn to Silva, Length delivery outside off, Dhananjaya lets it go to the keeper. |
| 39.6 : D Steyn to Silva, Hint of away swing on this one. It is pitched outside off, de Silva shoulders arms to it. |
| First bowling change of the day. Duanne Olivier replaces Kagiso Rabada. |
| 40.1 : D Olivier to Perera, Starts with a length delivery down the leg side, Kusal leaves it alone. |
| 40.2 : D Olivier to Perera, Shorter in length this time, Perera ducks underneath it. |
| 40.3 : D Olivier to Perera, Good length delivery on the leg side, Kusal expects it to bounce high so he jumps and looks to flick. The ball does not bounce high enough as he expected and it flicks his thigh pad and goes behind. De Kock behind the stump dives to his right and stops the ball. |
| 40.4 : D Olivier to Perera, Back of a length delivery outside off, Perera looks to cut uit but gets a bottom edge on that one. |
| 40.5 : D Olivier to Perera, Shorter in length, Perera pulls it in a controlled manner and it goes all along the ground towards deep square leg for a single. |
| 40.6 : D Olivier to de Silva, Once again back of a length by Olivier, de Silva pulls it away to the fielder at mid-wicket. |
| 41.1 : D Steyn to Perera, Good length delivery on off and middle, Kusal defends it off his back foot. |
| 41.2 : D Steyn to Perera, FOUR! Lucky escape! Off the inside edge but why are the South Africans appealing for LBW? Goodness me, they are thinking about the review too! Thankfully, they don't take it. Cross seam delivery on middle and leg, the ball comes in a bit after pitching. Kusal looks to punch it straight down the ground but gets an inside edge onto the pads. The ball flies past the leg stump and de Kock dives to his right but cannot stop it. Now, here is the drama. Steyn bellows out an LBW |
| 41.3 : D Steyn to Perera, Punched off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 41.4 : D Steyn to K Perera, Full and around off, swinging in, Kusal looks to punch but gets a thick inside edge onto his pads. |
| 41.5 : D Steyn to Perera, FOUR! Up and over! Short and outside off, Kusal slashes it over point for a boundary! |
| 41.6 : D Steyn to Perera, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| DRINKS! Sri Lanka were going good but a 2-wicket over from Steyn has swung the game. Sri Lanka still need more 177 runs to win. Will this game go till the final session today? |
| Seems like there is a problem with the ball. The umpires do not like the shape of it and they have decided to change the ball here. |
| 42.1 : D Olivier to Silva, Short of a length ball on leg, de Silva pulls it through mid-wicket for a brace. |
| 42.2 : D Olivier to de Silva, That keeps a tad low, still a bit short. Dhanajaya pulls it towards mid-wicket for another run. |
| 42.3 : D Olivier to Perera, Back of a length, Perera blocks it. |
| 42.4 : D Olivier to Perera, On the rib cage area, bunted down by Perera. |
| 42.5 : D Olivier to Perera, The short of length delivery has been cut away through square on the off side. Dot ball. |
| 42.6 : D Olivier to Perera, Down the leg side, flicked away towards square leg for a single. |
| Keshav Maharaj to roll his arm over. |
| 43.1 : K Maharaj to Perera, On off, reverse swept towards third man to get off strike. |
| 43.2 : K Maharaj to Silva, Jeez! Peach! Off spinner around off, Silva comes forward to defend but the ball stays low, beats the outside edge and misses the off stump too! Great take by de Kock. |
| 43.3 : K Maharaj to Silva, This is what balls like 43.2 can do. Straightaway de Silva steps out but is nowhere near the pitch of the ball. He looks to go over cover but miscues it. There is no one in the deep and the ball lands safely. It doesn't go the distance so they come back for the second. |
| 43.4 : K Maharaj to de Silva, That ball has taken the inside edge of the batsman and thudded into his pads. |
| 43.5 : K Maharaj to Silva, Flat in line of the stumps, de Silva stonewalls it. |
| 43.6 : K Maharaj to Silva, Cries of catch it but away from the short leg fielder. Looped up on leg, de Silva looks to block it but it takes the edge and flies to the on side. |
| 44.1 : D Olivier to Perera, Bouncer! Perera leaves it alone. |
| 44.2 : D Olivier to Perera, Olivier knows one way. Goes short again, Kusal sways away from it. |
| 44.3 : D Olivier to Perera, Length this time on middle and leg, turned away towards square leg for a single. |
| 44.4 : D Olivier to Silva, Short again, Dhananjaya has an easy sway. |
| 44.5 : D Olivier to Silva, On the shorter side, de Silva gets bat to it and taps it to the point region. |
| 44.6 : D Olivier to Silva, Half a shout. Down the leg side. De Silva tries tucking it but fails. De Kock collects the ball. |
| 45.1 : K Maharaj to Perera, FOUR! Too short. Didn't spin. Perera rocks back and cuts it through covers. The ball runs to the fence. |
| 45.2 : K Maharaj to Perera, This one spins back in, Perera keeps it out. |
| 45.3 : K Maharaj to Perera, Down the leg side, Perera doesn't offer any shot to it. The ball goes off his pads past Quinton de Kock towards fine leg. The batsmen do not run as Perera had padded it away. |
| 45.4 : K Maharaj to Perera, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 45.5 : K Maharaj to Perera, Perera uses his feet and hits it back to Keshav. |
| 45.6 : K Maharaj to Perera, 50 for Perera! His second in this game. Looks to cut this but gets a bottom edge to it. The ball rolls past the keeper and they come back for the second. |
| 46.1 : D Olivier to Silva, Short on off, played to the point region by the batsman. |
| 46.2 : D Olivier to Silva, Outside off again, guided to the man at point. |
| 46.3 : D Olivier to Silva, The batsman picked that bouncer early and let it through to the keeper. |
| 46.4 : D Olivier to Silva, FOUR! Short again, de Silva goes back into the crease and punches it through cover-point for a good looking boundary. |
| 46.5 : D Olivier to Silva, In the air... but safe. Short ball outside off, pulled aerially towards deep square leg. No fielder there and they take a run. |
| 46.6 : D Olivier to Perera, Pushed to the cover region by the batsman. |
| 47.1 : K Maharaj to Silva, Tossed up on middle, de Silva defends it off his front foot |
| 47.2 : K Maharaj to Silva, Slow off spinner pitching outside off, Dhananjaya looks to defend it but gets beaten. |
| 47.3 : K Maharaj to Silva, Once again de Silva looks to defend the ball but fails to do so. |
| 47.4 : K Maharaj to Silva, Flighted on the stumps by Keshav, de Silva solidly blocks it off his front foot. |
| 47.5 : K Maharaj to Silva, Good shot! Short around off by Maharaj. De Silva punches it through covers. The ball does not have the legs to go to the fence. Amla gives it a chase and saves the boundary. The batsmen pick three runs. |
| 47.6 : K Maharaj to Perera, Flatter on middle, Perera defends it. |
| 48.1 : D Olivier to Silva, ALMOST! Short, just a prod outside off. Dhananjaya looks to guide it but it falls just short of Temba at gully. 150 up for Sri Lanka. |
| 48.2 : D Olivier to Perera, On the pads, flicked away through square leg for one. |
| 48.3 : D Olivier to Silva, Short on off, pulled away to the man at short mid-wicket. |
| 48.4 : D Olivier to Silva, Slower short ball, de Silva is early into his pull and misses it. |
| 48.5 : D Olivier to Silva, Back of a length ball over the stumps, Dhananjaya hops a tad and blocks. |
| Looks like something has gone into de Silva's eye. He walks across to Hashim Amla and the senior helps him out a touch. The left eye it was. |
| 48.6 : D Olivier to Silva, Short outside off, pulled to mid-wicket. |
| 49.1 : K Maharaj to Perera, Tossed up on off, Kusal looks to defend it but gets it off his inner half. |
| 49.2 : K Maharaj to Perera, Shorter around off, Perera cuts it towards point and takes a single. Perera was looking for the second but de Silva is not interested. |
| 49.3 : K Maharaj to Silva, Gives this air on middle and leg, Dhananjaya is solid in hi defense. |
| 49.4 : K Maharaj to Silva, Similar line and length, front foot defense shown by DDS. |
| 49.5 : K Maharaj to Silva, On off, bunted down by de Silva. |
| 49.6 : K Maharaj to Silva, Nicely done. Flighted ball on off, Dhananjaya flicks it over mid-wicket. Amla from the circle stops it before the ropes and the batsmen take two. |
| Another halt in play. It is a steaming day. The temperature reads just 28 degrees Celsius but because it rained yesterday, heat seems to be dissipating from the surface. Kusal takes a whole bottle of water and nearly empties it on his head. Just 20 more minutes to Lunch, which will be a welcome break to all the players. |
| 50.1 : D Olivier to Perera, Short ball on off, Perera looks to block it but it comes off his glove. |
| 50.2 : D Olivier to Perera, Down the leg side, Perera looks to pull it but fails |
| 50.3 : D Olivier to Perera, Short but down leg, pulled away fine towards fine leg for a single. |
| 50.4 : D Olivier to Silva, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 50.5 : D Olivier to Silva, Short outside off, pulled away to the man stationed at short square leg. |
| 50.6 : D Olivier to Silva, Short on off, pulled away through mid-wicket. Elgar dives but fails to stop it. He catches his shoulder. Let's hope it is not serious. They manage to come back for the second. |
| 51.1 : K Maharaj to Perera, Outside off, Perera gets an outside edge to point. |
| 51.2 : K Maharaj to Silva, FOUR! Loopy ball on middle and leg, Dhananjaya sweeps and sweeps well. It goes through square leg and away to the fence. |
| 51.3 : K Maharaj to Silva, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 51.4 : K Maharaj to Silva, Gets behind this ball and blocks it. |
| 51.5 : K Maharaj to Silva, Flighted ball outside off, Dhananjaya charges down the wicket and decides to pad it out. |
| 51.6 : K Maharaj to Silva, Fraction short, de Silva stays inside and pushes it to the off side. |
| Kagiso Rabada back into the attack. |
| 52.1 : K Rabada to Perera, Driven through mid off by Kusal. They pick up a single. |
| 52.2 : K Rabada to Silva, Length ball around off, blocked by a straight bat by de Silva. |
| 52.3 : K Rabada to Silva, Around off again, de Silva punches it to the off side. |
| 52.4 : K Rabada to Silva, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 52.5 : K Rabada to Silva, Back of a length outside off, taped to the off side. |
| 52.6 : K Rabada to Silva, Dhananjaya stays inside and keeps this one out. |
| 53.1 : K Maharaj to Perera, Tossed up ball on off, Perera steps out and pushes it to mid off. They spot the weak arm of Amla and complete the run. |
| 53.2 : K Maharaj to Silva, De Silva has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 53.3 : K Maharaj to Silva, Loopy ball on off, bunted down by Dhananjaya. |
| 53.4 : K Maharaj to Silva, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 53.5 : K Maharaj to Silva, Turn and bounce! Beautiful. Off spinner on middle, it turns away from de Silva who gets beaten. |
| 53.6 : K Maharaj to Silva, Down leg, helped away to the fine leg region for a single. |
| 54.1 : K Rabada to Silva, Fuller length ball on the fifth stump line. Dhananjaya pushes it through covers to get to the other end. |
| 54.2 : K Rabada to Perera, This one is closer to the stumps. Perera blocks it well. |
| 54.3 : K Rabada to Perera, Over the stumps, played back to Rabada. |
| 54.4 : K Rabada to Perera, Bangs it in short, Perera ducks under it. |
| 54.5 : K Rabada to Perera, Length ball around off, Perera taps it to the off side. |
| 54.6 : K Rabada to Perera, Goes with the bouncer again, Perera gets low again. LUNCH, DAY 4. |
| Sri Lanka won't be too disappointed with how the session panned out. For starters they began well with Fernando and Perera. The former perished and few balls later keeper-batsman, Dickwella followed suit. Kusal Perera who is known for his attacking cricket has paced his innings well. He got to his second 50 of the match and has reduced the deficit to 138. |
| Philander's absence is not helping his side's cause. Steyn bowled with fire and his two-wicket over made the Proteas the favorites even more. Nothing much to speak about their bowling. The game is still on their side as they know the hosts are just a wicket away to get into the lower order. However, if Perera and Dhananjaya get the target to double digits, South Africa may start to get worried. Join us for the afternoon session in some time. |
| ... Day 4, Session 2 ... |
| We are back for the afternoon session. The umpires are out in the middle. Kusal Perera and Dhananjaya de Silva will resume their innings. It is overcast now, let's hope there is no rain later and we have a full session of play. Dale Steyn to bowl the first over of this session. |
| 55.1 : D Steyn to Silva, Hint of outswing for Steyn. Bowls it full around off, Dhananjaya defends it. |
| 55.2 : D Steyn to de Silva, Full and again an outswinger from Steyn. De Silva handsomely drives it to the fielder at mid off. |
| 55.3 : D Steyn to Silva, Good length delivery on the stumps, Dhananjya defends it with a straight bat. |
| 55.4 : D Steyn to Silva, Back of a length delivery on off, Dhananjaya gets on his back foot and keeps it out. |
| 55.5 : D Steyn to Silva, This time it is full on off, de Silva hits it straight to the fielder at mid off. |
| 55.6 : D Steyn to Silva, First runs of this session. Full length delivery outside off, de Silva drives it through covers and gets a brace. |
| Kagiso Rabada to continue from the other end. An FYI... the second session is extended, to cover up for the overs lost due to bad light yesterday. This will be a 135-minute session, with Tea scheduled at 2.55 pm local (1255 GMT). If there is a final session, that will be from 3.15 pm-5.30 pm local (1530 GMT) and if the match still continues with overs remaining, the extra half hour will be added too! So potentially, play could go on till 1600 GMT. |
| 56.1 : K Rabada to Perera, Good start! Full and going away from the southpaw. Perera looks to drive it but misses. The ball goes past his outside edge by just a few inches. |
| 56.2 : K Rabada to Perera, Good length delivery around off, Kusal pushes it to the fielder at point. |
| 56.3 : K Rabada to Perera, Length delivery outside off, Perara knows where his off stump is and leaves it alone. |
| 56.4 : K Rabada to K Perera, Good shot but only a single. Shorter in length, Perera pulls it beautifully but there is a fielder at fine leg so he only gets a single. |
| 56.5 : K Rabada to Silva, Length delivery on the stumps, de Silva defends it off his front foot. |
| 56.6 : K Rabada to Silva, FOUR! Dhanajaya is flirting with danger here. Length delivery outside off stump, de Silva looks to hit it on the off side but gets an outside edge on it. The ball flies past the diving Faf du Plessis at second slip and races away to the third man fence. Rabada is down on the ground in disbelief, and rightly so. 7 times out of 10 that edge goes straight to the slip fielder. |
| 57.1 : D Steyn to Perera, Good length ball just around off, Perera gets a bottom edge to it tries to block it. |
| 57.2 : D Steyn to Perera, The short of length delivery has been cut away through square on the off side. Dot ball. |
| 57.3 : D Steyn to Perera, Lovely from Steyn. Gets it to move away on off. Perera gets an outside edge towards the gully region. |
| 57.4 : D Steyn to Perera, Length again on middle and leg, Perera blocks it in front of him. |
| 57.5 : D Steyn to Perera, Right on the money. Good length at 138kph. Perera stonewalls it. |
| 57.6 : D Steyn to Perera, This one is slightly fuller around off, Perera swings and gets it past the cover region. Bavuma cleans it up near the ropes. Just two runs taken by the Sri Lankan batsmen. |
| 58.1 : K Rabada to Silva, Good length delivery around off, de Silva looks to defend it with soft hands but gets an outside edge. The ball goes to the right of the diving slip fielder. They take a single as the fielder cannot hold onto the ball. |
| 58.2 : K Rabada to Perera, Fuller on length around off, Perera hits it straight and rotates the strike. |
| 58.3 : K Rabada to Silva, Length delivery on middle and leg, d Silva hits it to the fielder at mid on. |
| 58.4 : K Rabada to Silva, FOUR! Effortless from Dhananjaya. Good length delivery around off, de Silva gets on his front foot foot and drives it through mid off for a boundary. |
| 58.5 : K Rabada to de Silva, Full length delivery on miffle and leg, Dhananjaya hits it wide of the mid on fielder and takes a single. |
| 58.6 : K Rabada to Perera, In the air but safe. Shorter length delivery by Rabada. Perera looks to pull but is in no control of it and the ball goes uppishly towards square leg. The ball falls short of Temba Bavuma. The batsman take a single. |
| 59.1 : D Steyn to Perera, Short ball on off, pulled away through square leg for a brace. |
| 59.2 : D Steyn to Perera, Length on middle, Perera pushes it to the off side. |
| 59.3 : D Steyn to Perera, Back of a length ball down the leg side. Perera looks to tuck it away but it goes off his glove. The ball rolls towards fine leg where they take another couple. The umpire however, gives it as leg byes. |
| 59.4 : D Steyn to Perera, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 59.5 : D Steyn to K Perera, Fuller ball outside off, Kusal drives it to mid off. Rabada there does well to stop it but cannot prevent the single. |
| 59.6 : D Steyn to Silva, Around off, defended by de Silva. |
| 60.1 : K Rabada to Perera, Good length delivery outside off, Perera pushes it to the fielder at cover. |
| 60.2 : K Rabada to Perera, FOUR! Short, wide and punished by Perera. Length delivery outside off, Kusal cuts it through point and the ball races away to the fence. |
| 60.3 : K Rabada to Perera, Back of a length delivery, Kusal defends it off his back foot. |
| 60.4 : K Rabada to Perera, Good length delivery on middle and off, the ball comes in after pitching. Kusal looks to defend but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| 60.5 : K Rabada to Perera, Uppish but safe. Length delivery outside off, Perera cuts it uppishly towards point. It is wide of the fielder and they take a single. |
| 60.6 : K Rabada to Silva, FOUR! Beautiful shot. Rabada offers width by bowling it outside off on a length. de Silva cuts it brilliantly through point for a boundary. |
| Keshav Maharaj is brought into the attack. |
| 61.1 : K Maharaj to Perera, Off spinner on middle, cut away through cover-point to get to the other end. |
| 61.2 : K Maharaj to Silva, Loopy ball on middle, blocked out by Dhananjaya. |
| 61.3 : K Maharaj to Silva, On off this time, kept out by DDS. |
| 61.4 : K Maharaj to Silva, Gets behind this ball and defense another out. |
| 61.5 : K Maharaj to Silva, Down the leg side, turned away to square leg. They cross. |
| 61.6 : K Maharaj to Perera, Quicker one on off, Perera blocks it with a straight bat. |
| 62.1 : K Rabada to de Silva, FOUR! A very controlled pull from de Silva. Shorter in length by Rabada, Dhananjyan gets on his back foot and pulls it through mid-wicket for a boundary. Sri Lanka have crossed the 200-run mark. |
| 62.2 : K Rabada to de Silva, Once again back of a length delivery by Kagiso, de Silva pulls it to the fielder at mid-wicket. |
| 62.3 : K Rabada to Silva, Once again bowls it, Dhananjaya pulls it towards deep square leg for a single. |
| 62.4 : K Rabada to Perera, Length delivery around off, Kusal pushes it to covers and straight away calls for a single. Keshav Maharaj there, gets to the ball quickly and has shy at the stumps at the bowler's end. He has one stump to aim at and he does. But Kusal Perera is inside. |
| 62.5 : K Rabada to Silva, Length delivery on off, de Silva pushes it to the fielder at point. |
| 62.6 : K Rabada to Silva, Shorter in length, de Silva pulls it away towards fine leg for a single. |
| Review time! Maharaj thinks he has got Dhanajaya lbw. Is this the turning point of the match? |
| 63.1 : K Maharaj to Silva, OUT! GONE! Three reds! What a review from Maharaj. Perfect. Arm ball on middle and leg, Dhananjaya gets low to sweep but misses the ball. He gets hit on the pads and Keshav puts in a huge appeal. The umpire stays unmoved. The spinner requests his skipper to take it up. Faf goes up. Replays roll in and show us that there was no bat involved and the ball would have gone to hit the leg stump. De Silva played well but the 96-run stand comes to an end. Is this the opening f |
| 0.0 : Suranga Lakmal walks out to the middle. |
| 63.2 : K Maharaj to S Lakmal, OUT! Two in two for Maharaj. Tossed up on off, Lakmal looks to defend it but is late in his defense. The ball hits the outside edge and goes towards the slip fielder. Faf du Plessis takes a good catch there on his right. Keshav is now on a hat-trick. The tide of this match has once again shifted in favour of South Africa. |
| Lasith Embuldeniya to face the hat-trick ball. |
| 63.3 : K Maharaj to Embuldeniya, Almost gets three in three. Arm ball outside off, Embuldeniya thinks of playing at it but withdraws at the last movement. |
| 63.4 : K Maharaj to L Embuldeniya, Around off, pushed to the cover region. |
| 63.5 : K Maharaj to Embuldeniya, This one comes back into Embuldeniya who does well to get his bat to it. |
| 63.6 : K Maharaj to Embuldeniya, Another one coming in. Embuldeniya defends it in front of him |
| 64.1 : K Rabada to K Perera, Good length delivery outside off, Perera cuts it away towards point and takes a single. |
| 64.2 : K Rabada to Embuldeniya, Full delivery on middle and leg, Embuldinya tucks it to the on side. The fielder at short leg hold the ball on his right and has a shy at the striker's end but he misses. |
| 64.3 : K Rabada to Embuldeniya, Full length delivery on the pads, Lasith flicks it away towards mid-wicket and gets a brace. |
| 64.4 : K Rabada to Embuldeniya, Back of a length delivery on middle and leg. Embuldeniya looks to duck but gets hit on the glove. The ball goes towards the on side and they rotate the strike. |
| 64.5 : K Rabada to Perera, OUCH! Kusal Perera is down in pain. He has thrown his bat in agony and is furiously catching his left wrist. A sharp short ball, around leg stump, Perera looks to fend it away but the ball kicks off the surface and hits him hard on the glove. |
| The physio has come out to the middle. Kusal is looking at his index finger. Seems to have got hit on the wrist. |
| Well, Kusal is up on his feet. Pops in a few tablets a couple of pain-killers and is ready to fight again. Good to see. Irrespective of the result, this has been a good fightback from Sri Lanka. |
| 64.6 : K Rabada to Perera, Sprays this down the leg side, Kusal jumps a bit and looks to flick it but misses. |
| 65.1 : K Maharaj to Embuldeniya, Loopy ball on middle and leg, Embuldeniya looks to sweep it but it hits his body. |
| 65.2 : K Maharaj to Embuldeniya, Tucks this uppishly through square leg for one. |
| 65.3 : K Maharaj to Perera, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 65.4 : K Maharaj to Perera, On off, Perera reverse sweeps this through short third man for a brace. |
| 65.5 : K Maharaj to Perera, Too close to cut, Perera still goes for it and gets a bottom edge to it. |
| 65.6 : K Maharaj to Perera, Played to the point region by Perera. One run added to the total. |
| Duanne Olivier back into the attack. |
| 66.1 : D Olivier to Perera, Sprays it down the leg side, Perera looks to flick it but misses. |
| 66.2 : D Olivier to Perera, Shorter in length, Kusal pulls it away towards deep square leg and takes a single. |
| 66.3 : D Olivier to Embuldeniya, Length delivery on the thigh pad, Lasith looks to flick but it flicks off his thigh pad. |
| 66.4 : D Olivier to Embuldeniya, Good length delivery on off and middle, Lasith blocks it. |
| 66.5 : D Olivier to L Embuldeniya, OUT! Shorter length delivery does the trick. Duanne bowls it short, the ball rises onto the batsman. Embuldeniya looks to defend it but then sees the ball rising onto him so he takes his eyes off. The ball hits his glove and lobs to the fielder at short leg. Aiden Markram there takes a very simple catch and South Africa now just 2 wickets away from wrapping up this game. The debutant cannot repeat his heroics from the 1st innings and he has to walk back. |
| Kasun Rajitha is in at no. 10. |
| 66.6 : D Olivier to Rajitha, Good length delivery on middle and leg, Rajitha blocks it away. |
| 67.1 : K Maharaj to Perera, Outside off, Perera gives room and looks to cut it. He gets a bottom edge to it which goes through the legs of de Kock. They come back for the second. |
| 67.2 : K Maharaj to Perera, Full on off, Perera sweeps it through square leg and takes the run. |
| 67.3 : K Maharaj to Rajitha, Jaffa! Serves this on middle. The ball spins sharply away from Rajitha and almost gets his outside edge. |
| 67.4 : K Maharaj to Rajitha, Angles this into the pads. Rajitha misses his flick and gets hit on his legs. The ball lobs into the hands of silly point. |
| 67.5 : K Maharaj to Rajitha, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 67.6 : K Maharaj to Rajitha, Fuller ball on leg, flicked away towards mid-wicket. Kasun survives. |
| Change of gloves for Kusal Perera now. All hopes are on him if Sri Lanka want to win this Test match. |
| 68.1 : D Olivier to Perera, Slower delivery full outside off stump, Perera hits it to the fielder at cover. |
| 68.2 : D Olivier to Perera, Back of a length on middle and leg, Kusal pulls it to the fine leg region for a single. Perera is showing confidence in Kasun. |
| 68.3 : D Olivier to Rajitha, Back of a length delivery around off, Rajitha does well to get on top of the bounce and keep it down. |
| 68.4 : D Olivier to Rajitha, Good length delivery on the body, Rajitha defends it. |
| 68.5 : D Olivier to K Perera, Comes 'round the wicket and bowls it on middle and leg. Rajitha tucks it towards mid-wicket. Perera looks for a quick single and gets on his bike. Maharaj gets to the ball and throws it at the keeper's end. Kusal puts in a dive to get in and Keshav misses his throw. It would have been close had he hit the stumps. Very puzzling why Perera took the single off the 5th ball here. |
| 68.6 : D Olivier to Perera, Bouncer. Perera pulls it calmly towards square leg and gets a single. |
| DRINKS! South Africa just the two wickets away from victory. Sri Lanka need more 83 runs but that looks farfetched. The important question will be, will Kusal Perera get to his 100? |
| 69.1 : K Maharaj to Perera, FOUR! Quicker on leg, Perera looks to sweep it. It flicks off his glove and goes to the fine leg fence for a boundary. |
| 69.2 : K Maharaj to Perera, Flighted on middle and leg, Perera sweeps it and gets to the other end. |
| 69.3 : K Maharaj to Rajitha, Beautiful. flighted around off the ball spins away after pitching. Kasun looks to defend but gets beaten. |
| Review taken! Rajitha has been caught in front of the stumps but takes a review. Look's out. |
| 69.4 : Maharaj to Rajitha, OUT! LBW! Rajitha has to walk off along with the review. Arm ball on middle and leg. Keeps going straight. Rajitha looks to flick it but misses. The ball hits him on the pads and the players appeal. Kasun takes the review but it does him no good. The ball was crashing into leg stump. Maharaj has another one and the hosts need just one more wicket for victory. |
| Vishwa Fernando walks out at number 11. |
| 69.5 : K Maharaj to Fernando, Flighted on off, Vishwa does well to defend it. |
| 69.6 : K Maharaj to Fernando, Tossed up on middle, Fernando blocks it to see off the over. |
| 70.1 : D Olivier to Perera, Fuller length ball on off, Perera drives it to covers. |
| 70.2 : D Olivier to Perera, Short ball on leg, Perera goes for the hook but cannot connect it well. It brushes his glove, hits the helmet and lobs towards square leg. |
| The physios are out in the middle to check on Kusal Perera. He looks fine to continue. |
| 70.3 : D Olivier to Perera, Goes short again down the leg side. Perera leaves it alone. The umpire gives it as a second bouncer of the over. |
| 70.4 : D Olivier to K Perera, Goes fuller for a change outside off, Perera drives it through covers and takes the run. |
| 70.5 : D Olivier to Fernando, Down the leg side, on the shorter side. No much trouble for Fernando. |
| 70.6 : D Olivier to Fernando, Bluffs him by bowling it full outside off. Fernando leaves it alone. |
| 71.1 : K Maharaj to Perera, SIX! Kusal has decided to attack now. Flighted delivery outside off, Perera comes down the track and heaves it over the mid-wicket fence for a maximum. Perera now moves into his 90's. |
| 71.2 : K Maharaj to Perera, Flighted on middle and off, Kusal sweeps it away to deep square leg for a single. Not the wisest decision to take a single here. |
| 71.3 : K Maharaj to Fernando, Flighted on the stumps, Fernando does well to block it. |
| 71.4 : K Maharaj to Fernando, Tossed up outside off, Vishwa looks to defend it but misses. |
| 71.5 : K Maharaj to Fernando, Full and around off, watchfully kept out again. |
| 71.6 : K Maharaj to Fernando, Ahhh.... flighted outside off, Fernando initially goes for the big one but in the end, blocks it out. |
| 72.1 : D Olivier to Perera, Length ball on middle and leg. Perera looks swing hard but gets hit on the thigh pad. |
| 72.2 : D Olivier to Perera, Fuller ball outside off, Perera swings again but fails to connect. |
| 72.3 : D Olivier to Perera, Back of a length delivery outside leg, Perera looks to pull but takes his eyes and one hand off the bat. He cannot keep his balance either and falls down. Meanwhile behind the stumps, de Kock drops the ball. |
| 72.4 : D Olivier to Perera, Shorter in length, Kusal pulls it away to deep mid-wicket for a single. |
| 72.5 : D Olivier to Fernando, Bouncer. Vishwa ducks underneath it. |
| 72.6 : D Olivier to Fernando, Good length delivery outside off, Fernando covers his off stump with a straight bat. |
| 73.1 : K Maharaj to Perera, Off spinner on middle, blocked in front of him. |
| 73.2 : K Maharaj to Perera, Fuller ball on middle and leg, swept away to square leg. |
| It is getting overcast again. A big group of rain clouds is arriving. Sri Lanka could do with that. Only they can hope is that the rain just delays its arrival till Perera's century... |
| 73.3 : K Maharaj to Perera, FOUR! What a shot! Goes for the reverse sweep and gets it off the middle. Gets in position early and reverse sweeps it over backward point. The ball bounces just before the ropes. Moves to 99 now. |
| 73.4 : K Maharaj to Perera, THERE IT IS! 100 for Kusal Perera! He has got it. What a fine innings this has been. Sri Lanka have fought back well and it has been centered around him. Only if he had more partners, might have taken the Lankans home too! As for this ball, Kusal just works this around the corner on the leg side for a single to get to his 2nd Test century. Well played! |
| 73.5 : K Maharaj to Fernando, Jaffa! On middle and leg, spins away from the hanging bat of Fernando. |
| 73.6 : K Maharaj to Fernando, Fernando survives. On middle, blocked well by Vishwa. |
| 74.1 : D Olivier to K Perera, Edge but safe. Fuller in length outside off, Perera looks to hit it to the off side but gets an outside edge. The ball goes towards the third man region but Kusal does not tak the single. |
| 74.2 : D Olivier to K Perera, Length delivery around off, Kusal looks to drive but again gets an outside edge and the ball once again goes to the fielder at third man. |
| 74.3 : D Olivier to Perera, Length delivery around off, Kusal pushes it to the fielder at point. |
| 74.4 : D Olivier to Perera, Length delivery outside off, Kusal cuts it towards deep point and this time takes a single. |
| 74.5 : D Olivier to Fernando, Comes 'round the wicket and bowls a shorter length delivery around off, Vishwa looks to play it and leaves his bat hanging but it goes past it to the keeper. |
| 74.6 : D Olivier to Fernando, This time bowls it over the wicket. Olivier bowls it full this time and he gets some reverse swing on it. Vishwa does well to keep it out. |
| 75.1 : K Maharaj to Perera, Fraction short down leg, Perera pulls it towards deep square leg. He comes back easily for the second. |
| 75.2 : K Maharaj to Perera, Kusal tried to sweep that one but missed it and was hit on the pads down leg. |
| 75.3 : K Maharaj to Perera, Covers his stumps and bunts this one down. |
| 75.4 : K Maharaj to Perera, Outside off, spins back in. Perera tries to cut it but the ball goes under his bat. |
| 75.5 : K Maharaj to Perera, Comes back in again. Perera gives room and cuts it towards backward point for a single. |
| 75.6 : K Maharaj to Fernando, Fernando gets behind the ball and keeps this out. |
| 76.1 : D Olivier to Perera, Good length delivery outside off, Perera cuts it through point and straight away calls for two. The ball is wide of third man. He runs the first one hard and comes back for the second easily. |
| 76.2 : D Olivier to Perera, SIX! Brilliant shot. Shorter in length around middle and off, Perera rocks onto his back foot and heaves it over the fine leg fence for a maximum. The total crosses 250 with that and Sri Lanka now require 52. |
| 76.3 : D Olivier to K Perera, Back of a length by Olivier, Kusal pulls it to mid-wicket. |
| 76.4 : D Olivier to Perera, Good length delivery around off, Perera pushes it to the fielder at point. |
| 76.5 : D Olivier to Perera, Good length delivery outside off, Kusal cuts it through point and takes a single. Can Fernando survive the last ball? |
| 76.6 : D Olivier to Fernando, Yes he can. Not in the most convincing way. Shorter in length around off, Fernando leaves his bat hanging. The ball goes away from him and to the keeper. |
| 77.1 : K Maharaj to Perera, Fuller ball on middle, blocked by Perera. |
| 77.2 : K Maharaj to Perera, Full in line of the stumps again. Perera looks to reverse sweep it but fails to get bat to ball. |
| 77.3 : K Maharaj to Perera, Around off, driven passed the cover region for a couple of runs. Required runs below 50 now. |
| 77.4 : K Maharaj to Perera, Down the leg side, paddled away to fine leg for another couple of runs. |
| 77.5 : K Maharaj to Perera, On the pads, flicked away to cow corner for another run. |
| 77.6 : K Maharaj to Fernando, Outside off, Fernando plays it to point. |
| Dale Steyn is brought back into the attack. |
| 78.1 : D Steyn to Perera, Full and outside off, Kusal leaves it alone. |
| 78.2 : D Steyn to Perera, Shot but for nothing. Outside off, cut away to deep point but refuses the run. |
| 78.3 : D Steyn to Perera, How did that miss? Length ball on middle, Kusal swings but the ball misses his bat as well as the stumps. |
| 78.4 : D Steyn to Perera, Yorker wide outside off, Perera tries getting bat to it but fails. |
| 78.5 : D Steyn to Perera, Takes the run now. Good from Perera. Turns his bat to the vacant mid-wicket region and gives his partner the strike. |
| 78.6 : D Steyn to V Fernando, What a beauty from Steyn. Outswinger around off. Fernando some how manages to get bat to it. The ball takes the outside edge and goes to the gully region. |
| 79.1 : K Maharaj to Perera, In the air... but falls well safe. Around off, slog swept away to cow corner. Decides against the run. |
| 79.2 : K Maharaj to Perera, Down leg, Perera looks to reverse sweep but the ball hits his pads and rolls towards fine leg. They come back for the couple. |
| 79.3 : K Maharaj to Perera, Outside off, Perera fails to put bat to it. |
| 79.4 : K Maharaj to Perera, Fuller ball on middle and leg, Kusal on-drives it towards mid on and gets to the other end. |
| 79.5 : K Maharaj to Fernando, Fernando blocks it. On middle, well played by Vishwa. |
| 79.6 : K Maharaj to Fernando, Covers his stumps and keeps another one out. |
| 80.1 : D Steyn to K Perera, BEAUTY! Yorker on middle, Perera does well to get bat to it. |
| 80.2 : D Steyn to Perera, Fuller on off, pushed to the off side. |
| 80.3 : D Steyn to Perera, Too wide. Tries a slower ball outside off, too far to make Kusal play at it. |
| 80.4 : Steyn to Perera, Yorker again on off, Perera keeps it out. |
| 80.5 : D Steyn to Perera, Steyn goes short on middle, Perera pulls it sweetly to deep square leg for a run. |
| New ball taken! Steyn will have just one delivery to have a go with it. |
| 80.6 : D Steyn to Fernando, Lovely! Length ball on off, swings away after pitching. Fernando hangs his bat and the ball goes past his outside edge. |
| Kagiso Rabada is back to bowl with the second new ball. |
| 81.1 : K Rabada to Perera, Fuller ball on off, driven towards covers. |
| 81.2 : K Rabada to Perera, On middle and leg, played with a straight bat. |
| 81.3 : K Rabada to Perera, Back of a length ball on the hips, tucked away to the on side. |
| 81.4 : K Rabada to Perera, Good running. This one was on a good length outside off. Perera cuts it to deep point. Bavuma does well to cut just before the ropes. The batsmen take two. |
| 81.5 : K Rabada to Perera, Wide. Unusual bounce. Too high to worry the batsman! Wide signalled by the umpire. |
| K Rabada to Perera, FOUR! Short ball on the leg side. Perera pulls it well and the ball crosses the ropes past the square leg boundary. Nicely played. |
| 81.6 : K Rabada to Perera, No run taken. Good for South Africa. Rabada goes short on purpose. Perera fails to put bat to it. Steyn will now have six balls to have a go at the no. 11. |
| 82.1 : D Steyn to Fernando, Length ball around off, Fernando looks to block it but it swings away from his bat. |
| 82.2 : D Steyn to V Fernando, DRAMA! Lots of it. Length ball around off, Fernando looks to defend but the ball swings away and take the outside edge. Luckily for the batsman, it falls just short of second slip. Sri Lanka want the run so Perera leaves his crease. Faf from the cordon has a shy at the non-striker's end but fails to hit the target. Had he hit, Fernando was a goner. To make matters worse, the ball runs away for four overthrows! |
| 82.3 : D Steyn to K Perera, Around off, driven to the cover region. |
| 82.4 : D Steyn to Perera, SIX! HUGE! OH MY WORD! Perera is taking the onus on himself. That's the 50- run stand and Kusal has made most of it. Fuller ball on the pads, Perera flicks it over square leg for a big hit. |
| 82.5 : D Steyn to Perera, Pushed to the cover region by the batsman. One run added to the total. |
| 82.6 : D Steyn to Fernando, Jaffa! But Steyn somehow fails to get the outside edge of Fernando. Bowls this on a good length around off. Fernando hangs his bat but the ball moves away from him. |
| Run out? Run out? Is Fernando short? Aleem Dar wants to check... |
| 83.1 : Rabada to Perera, SAFE! Reduce two more from the target. 20 more needed to win. Full and around leg stump, Perera works it through mid-wicket with soft hands and immediately calls for two. The substitute Zubayr Hamza, who is on for the injured Philander is a touch slow to get to the ball. He returns a weak throw to Rabada who takes the bails off but by that time, Fernando dives in. Aleem Dar shakes his head on the run out appeal but still takes it upstairs for confirmation. Replays confirm |
| 83.2 : K Rabada to Perera, Outside off, Kusal looks to cut but gets a bottom edge towards point. |
| 83.3 : K Rabada to Perera, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 83.4 : K Rabada to Perera, TOP EDGE, SIX! Kusal Perera is riding his luck here. A short ball, around leg stump, Perera looks to pull but is in no position to do so. He gets a top edge which sails high in the air. Fine leg starts to move to his left but the ball has cleared the ropes! 14 more to win now... |
| 83.5 : K Rabada to Perera, A bouncer but way down the leg side, left alone. |
| Last ball of the over. Faf du Plessis is frenetically making the field changes. Guess this is just a wastage of time, making Kusal wait... |
| 83.6 : K Rabada to Perera, Another bouncer, around leg, Perera ducks again. |
| 84.1 : D Steyn to Fernando, Short ball outside off, Fernando sways away from it. |
| 84.2 : D Steyn to Fernando, Short and outside off again, Fernando gets away from it. |
| 84.3 : D Steyn to Fernando, JUST WIDE! Around middle, Vishwa plays this uppishly, just wide of short leg and gets a single. |
| 84.4 : D Steyn to Perera, SIX! SLAP! That is gutsy shot and the runs required come into single digits! A length ball, around off, Kusal swings with all his might and clears mid-wicket with ease! Two men are waiting in the deep for this stroke, awaiting the top edge but it does not come. 7 more needed to win... |
| 84.5 : D Steyn to Perera, Outside off, Kusal punches this through the covers but does not run. |
| 84.6 : D Steyn to Perera, Outside off, very full, KP digs it out towards point and takes the single to retain the strike! 6 more needed to win now... |
| 85.1 : K Rabada to Perera, On a good length around middle and leg, Perera dabs it towards gully. |
| 85.2 : K Rabada to Perera, Down the leg side, Kusal misses his tuck but the ball goes off his pads past the keeper towards fine leg. It seems like the ball is running away to the fence but fine leg gets across in time. Two runs taken, leg byes signalled and the Lankans are a boundary away from a win! |
| 85.3 : K Rabada to Perera, FOUR! SRI LANKA WIN! Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable. A length ball, outside off, Perera just angles this towards third man but it is more of an outside edge. Luckily for him, the ball flies wide of the slip fielder and races to the third man fence! Just the second 1-wicket win for the Lankans in Tests, both against South Africa! |
| Sri Lanka touring South Africa? Yes. Match over in 4 days. Yes. South Africa go 1-0 up. A big NO. Oh the world, wherever you are, whatever you are doing, please spare some time and visit this match centre. Kusal Perera has done a Michael Hussey. A VVS Laxman. A Paul Collingwood. A Monty Panesar. A Jimmy Anderson. Take any name you wish. In short, Kusal Perera has done nothing short of a miracle. |
| Nothing is impossible, goes the cliche. But here, we have witnessed that nothing is indeed impossible. 206/6 - Dhananjaya de Silva falls. 98 needed with 4 wickets in hand. Match getting out of bounds for Sri Lanka. Then 206/7, 215/8 and 226/9 - 78 needed with 1 wicket in hand. Everyone dreams of a quick finish. But from there, Kusal Janith Perera has just stung the South Africans like a bee, staging an unbeaten 78-run stand with last man Vishwa Fernando and himself scoring 67 out of those! |
| Do not forget the contribution of Vishwa Fernando. His 6 not out from 27 balls played a huge role in assisting Kusal Perera and Sri Lanka. Wow. Don't they always say, cricket is a team game? |
| Okay. Now for the game summary. Let us begin in reverse order. With Embuldeniya's 5-for setting up a target of 304, Sri Lanka began well, reaching 42/0 but then slipped to 52/3 in no time. This morning, they resumed at 83/3, lost 2 wickets quickly, but the Kusal-Dhananjaya stand kept the Lankan hopes alive. However, Maharaj's late burst almost sealed the deal till the unbeaten last-wicket stand came along. |
| About the match in total, where did South Africa lose the game? Making just 235 in the first innings with just one half centurion in Quinton de Kock? Or losing their way from 251/5 to 259 all out in the second innings? Had they made 300 in either of the innings, it could have been a different story. The second innings saw two half centurions but overall, it was an average batting display. |
| Talking about the Saffa bowlers, they strut their stuff. Bundled out the Lankans to get a 44-run lead after a modest 235 and then, in the second innings, should have taken that 10th wicket but luck eluded them. Plenty of edges went past the fielders, landing in no man's land. Steyn took a 4-fer in the first innings while Keshav Maharaj took 3 in the second. Crucially, Vernon Philander was not feeling too well with his hamstring and did not take the field at all on Saturday, which proved to be a |
| And now. Sri Lanka. The first line of their national anthem means thus - 'Thou Mother Lanka, Oh Mother Lanka we salute, salute, salute, salute Thee!' Today, that salute goes to Kusal Perera and the entire Lankan team. Not many visiting teams have the courage to bowl first in South Africa. But they did. Restricted the Saffas to 235, probably lost it with the bat in the first innings but then, to believe that they can win with South Africa racing ahead at 251/5 in the second innings and leading by |
| South African skipper, Faf du Plessis, says that it was an incredible game of cricket. Adds that he is disappointed to finish on the losing side but says that if a fan watches 60-70 runs for the last wicket and sees the team win, there is nothing better. Praises Kusal Perera for single-handedly taking the Lankans home. Admits that the Proteas were average with the bat, making 50 below par in the first innings and then losing their way in the second. Is still struggling to answer as to how the S |
| Victorious Sri Lankan skipper, Dimuth Karunaratne, says that it was a great game. Adds that before this match, the Lankans knew that they had a great chance as their only win in South Africa before in a Test had also come at this venue, in 2011. Says that this will be a big boost to not only the players but also the fans back home. On the feelings in the dressing room during the last-wicket stand, Karunaratne smiles and says that no one was moving and everyone was praying. Adds that the feeling |
| KUSAL PERERA HAS BEEN NAMED THE MAN OF THE MATCH FOR HIS 51 AND 153 NOT OUT. On his feelings currently, he honestly says that he is tired and does not know what to say! Praises Vishwa Fernando for hanging around with him and helping the team across the line. On his own contribution, Perera says that he just did his bit with everyone else contributing their stuff. |
| Phew. Plenty written. Plenty said. Let us take a breather. Sri Lanka have won. Period. Sri Lanka have defeated South Africa. Double period. The Islanders have beaten the Proteas in the latter's backyard. Wow. Don't feel like putting a period here, do you? But we have to. A fantastic Test match has ended and it is great to be in the Lankan camp right now, while we offer our commiserations to the Proteas. But life moves on. So does the series. Can Sri Lanka achieve what no Asian team has done? Win |
Google +
Facebook
Twitter
Whatsapp