DAY 3: Subrayen dazzles to give SA ‘A’ final-day chance

A splendid exhibition of spin bowling by Prenelan Subrayen gave South Africa A (SA ‘A’) the advantage before Sri Lanka A (SL ‘A’) fought back to leave the second and final unofficial test finely poised after three days of action at Willowmoore Park in Benoni on Tuesday.

The Hollywoodbets Dolphins star claimed 6-64 in 22 overs to turn the game on its head and bowl out the tourists for 319 – an innings deficit of 15 – before the hosts then reached stumps on 112 for three.

That gave them a lead of 127 with every result possible on Wednesday, the final day of the series.

It was a good comeback from the South Africans after they were put under pressure for a large part of the day by Lahiru Udara, who completed an excellent century.

The opener struck 129 (192 balls, 16 fours, 1 six) and was the mainstay for his side, carrying them from their overnight score of 134 for two to 236 for two.

He put on 179 for the third wicket with his captain Pasindu Sooriyabandara (92 off 166 balls, 9 fours, 1 six), before home skipper Neil Brand (2-45) finally claimed the first wicket of the day when he bowled the former.

The latter continued to thwart SA as he added a further 36 with Janith Liyanage (14) to carry his side to 272 for three.

But that was when the Subrayen show began, with the off-break bowler claiming six of the remaining seven wickets to ensure his side ended the innings with a lead.

In all, Sri Lanka lost their last seven wickets for 47 to gift the home side a slight advantage at the changeover.

But three wickets – Brand (7), Tshepang Dithole (19) and Marques Ackerman (6) – were lost early in the second innings to leave South Africa in trouble on 68 for three, just 83 runs ahead at that stage.

However, a vital unbroken 44-run fourth-wicket partnership between Jean du Plessis (45*) and Dewald Brevis (29*) lead the recovery, giving their side the chance to force a result on day four.

SOUTH AFRICA A: Tshepang Dithole, Neil Brand (c), Jean du Plessis, Marques Ackerman, Dewald Brevis, Mihlali Mpongwana , Rivaldo Moonsamy (wk), Beyers Swanepoel, Migael Pretorius, Prenelan Subrayen, Lutho Sipamla

SRI LANKA A: Lahiru Udara, Nuwanidu Fernando, Pavan Rathnayake, Pasindu Sooriyabandara (c), Janith Liyanage, Sonal Dinusha, Vishad Randika (wk), Wanuja Sahan, Isitha Wijesundara, Mohamed Shiraz, Eshan Malinga

Four-Day Matches

8 - 11 September

South Africa A lost to Sri Lanka A by 6 wickets - Kimberley Oval, Kimberley

15 - 18 September at 10am

South Africa A v Sri Lanka A - Willowmoore Park, Benoni