The Proteas dominated an extraordinary second day of the first test in which 19 wickets fell, dismissing Sri Lanka for a record low of 42 at a sunny, blustery day at Kingsmead in Durban on Thursday.
Despite being grateful for skipper Temba Bavuma’s gritty 70 in their first innings of 191, the Proteas would hardly have considered their total satisfactory.
But 78 minutes and 13.5 overs into the afternoon session they could happily revise that assessment after Marco Jansen (a career-best 7-13) helped shoot the visitors out for 42 – their lowest test total against South Africa and the lowest at the ground.
By the close of play that first-innings lead of 149 had been extended to 281 as South Africa finished on 132 for three in their second knock with Bavuma continuing his good form on 24 off 46 balls and Tristan Stubbs on 17 off 50 balls.
Stumps are called on day 2 on the first Test ➡️
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) November 28, 2024
South Africa ends the day with a commanding lead of 281 runs 🙌
📺 Stream #SAvSL on DStv: https://t.co/rM90YyQxaw pic.twitter.com/x0nqXPHeKo
The pair have so far added 43 off 92 balls for the fourth wicket in the late afternoon sunshine in an almost serenely calm partnership that contrasted markedly with the feverish events that took place in the afternoon.
Aiden Markram had led the way with a solid 47 in 80 balls before being bowled by Vishwa Fernando while there were lesser contributions from Tony de Zorzi (14) and Wiaan Mulder, batting at three with a fractured finger.
It was unclear why the injured man came in at all, let alone at three, but it was somehow all part of a slightly crazy day.
De Zorzi’s dismissal, caught at deep square leg, was significant in that it provided Jayasuriya with his 100th test wicket, the second quickest to the mark after just 17 tests.
BAVUMA STANDS TALL
In a day positively packed with incident, the action began with South Africa resuming on 80 for four after their batters had endured a torrid morning session on Wednesday under thick cloud before rain put an end to play at lunch.
Instead of the gloom, Kingsmead was bathed in sunshine on Thursday although a strong, blustery south-wester tore across the ground.
Sri Lanka struck early through their fastest bowler, Lahiru Kumara, whose pace was consistently in the 140s as he opened with some venom.
Not only did he trap Kyle Verreynne leg before in the fourth over of the day, he also rapped Mulder on the middle finger of his right hand with a delivery that rose sharply off a length.
After minutes spent patching it up, Mulder decided to leave the field for further treatment.
Later it was announced that the middle finger of his right hand was fractured and that he would not field or bowl in the match.
Jansen joined Bavuma and clipped a couple of fours before he fell leg before to left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya in his second over.
Gerald Coetzee soon followed, caught in the deep attempting mayhem against the spinner.
Enter Keshav Maharaj, who has had a lean time with the bat of late with four consecutive test ducks.
He looked confident this time around, driving Jayasuriya for six and four and then glancing him for another boundary in an over that cost the tourists 15 runs.
South Africa’s premier spinner was tempted once too often, however, as he tamely holed out to wide mid-off off paceman Vishwa Fernando for a bright 24 in 35 balls.
Bavuma, who had watched most of the action from the bowler’s end, finally reached a doughty half-century, his 22nd at this level, that had taken him 201 minutes and 93 balls and included seven fours.
A gritty knock from Bavuma!👏
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) November 28, 2024
He stood tall against a strong Sri Lankan bowling attack in our 1st innings.🔥
Well played skipper.🇿🇦🏏#WozaNawe #BePartOfIt #SAvSL pic.twitter.com/iF1b4aQRGy
He briefly opened up after passing that landmark, driving Kumara for boundaries and then leaping in the air to ramp him for six over third man before finally holing out to mid-on.
His was a fine, stubborn innings that helped to partly alleviate the stress his team had endured.
Mulder returned to the fray and he and Kagiso Rabada added 26 for the last wicket with the all-rounder managing a straight six off spinner Dhananjaya de Silva before Rabada (15) was caught at fine leg hooking Asitha Fernando.
Asitha and Kumara were the most successful of the Sri Lankan bowlers with three wickets apiece while Vishwa and Jayusuriya chipped in with a couple each.
JANSEN ON FIRE
The afternoon session was all about Jansen’s fine bowling – and Sri Lanka’s poor batting.
It was the lanky left-arm pace bowler’s finest hour to date. Only his second five-for in test cricket, his seven scalps spanned just 41 legitimate deliveries that made it the equal fewest number of balls in which seven wickets were taken.
But well though he bowled on a bouncy, pacey Kingsmead pitch, he will probably never receive so much help from the batters.
South Africa's hero of the day 🙌💥
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) November 28, 2024
Marco Jansen takes us through his 7-wicket haul 👇#SAvSL | #SummerOfCricket pic.twitter.com/8htG1gT8Ib
The Sri Lankan blood began to flow in the third over, delivered by Rabada, when Dimuth Karunaratne fenced at one outside the off stump, edging to David Bedingham at first slip who took a fine low catch.
It was the first of Bedingham’s three catches in the position, to go with Tristan Stubbs’s brace in the cordon.
Jansen bowled throughout from the Old Fort Road end with a powerful south-westerly wind at his back and he soon got into the act when he had Pathum Nissanka caught by Stubbs in the fourth over.
He then added to his tally when he ripped out Dinesh Chandimal’s leg-stump with a delivery that darted through the gap between bat and pad with the batter trapped on the crease.
Angelo Mathews was the next to go, flapping outside his off-stump and edging again to Bedingham.
Kamindu Mendis flayed three hours before slashing once too often, edging Gerald Coetzee to that man Bedingham.
Thereafter it was all too easy for the Proteas’ bowlers with Coetzee trapping Kusal Mendis leg before and Jansen cleaning up the tail with three more victims, the last being Asitha Fernando who played a classic tailenders hoick to loft a return catch to the big man.
'ENJOYING MY CRICKET A LOT'
Jansen said he and his teammates expected Thursday’s sunny conditions to somewhat calm things down after the ball had swung and seamed prodigiously on Wednesday under thick cloud.
“We thought the movement would be less, but we bowled really well in terms of intensity and energy on the ball. It was important for us to get the batters to play as much as possible with the ball still nipping around a bit. Three of his wickets were bunched with no-balls and there were jokes about betting and bookmakers.
“That was just the way it turned out,” he laughed. “The wind was quite strong and at times it affected my rhythm.”
He described himself as “mentally refreshed and physically stronger. I feel as if I can go on for longer now. I’m enjoying my cricket a lot.”
He praised his captain, Bavuma, for his key innings of 70 in the Proteas’ first knock.
“We thought we’d maybe get to 120, but Temba’s knock was crucial in pushing that further out.”
Asked about the Kingsmead pitch, he said the curator had said it would play quite quick with the extra grass left on.
“But it also turned a bit, as Jayasuriya proved. But somehow I don’t think the spinners will play a major role in this match, he smiled.
SOUTH AFRICA: Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs, Temba Bavuma (capt.), David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Marco Jansen, Wiaan Mulder, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada
SRI LANKA: Dimuth Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva (capt), Kusal Mendis (wk), Prabath Jayasuriya, Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando