Sri Lanka yesterday completed a 2-0 Test sweep of South Africa to record their first series win over the Proteas since 2006 after Rangana Herath wreaked havoc with six wickets.
The visitors were all out for 290 in the second session of the fourth day in Colombo, 200 runs short of their highly improbable winning target of 490 on a bone-dry wicket.
It was South Africa’s first Test whitewash since they went down 2-0 to Sri Lanka in a two-match series almost 12 years ago.
Photo: Reuters
Sri Lanka had wrapped up the first Test in Galle within three days, reducing South Africa to 73 in the second innings — their lowest Test total since readmission to international cricket.
“Right through the series we didn’t have that ability to score partnerships. I think we only had three partnerships of 50 and above the whole series, but once again you have to give credit to the opposition. They were able to put us under pressure for long periods of time and therefore we made a lot of mistakes,” South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis said. “In hindsight, I think we definitely would have played a second spinner. Our thinking was on this surface that the ball would reverse [swing], but there was zero reverse swing this innings.”
In the second Test, Sri Lanka scored 338 in their first innings and South Africa could only respond with 124 as versatile off-spinner Akila Dananjaya made hay, taking five wickets.
The hosts then scored 275-5 before declaring halfway through the afternoon session on the third day, setting the visitors a highly improbable victory target.
They were already five wickets down for 139 at stumps on Sunday, with Dananjaya dismissing Du Plessis for 7 and Herath getting Hashim Amla for 6.
The wickets fell despite a comedy of errors from Sri Lanka, who dropped two catches, wasted both their reviews — on successive balls — and could have had Dean Elgar out twice beforehand had Perera not overstepped.
Theunis de Bruyn and Temba Bavuma kept the spinners at bay for most of the first session yesterday, putting on a valiant sixth-wicket stand of 123.
Bavuma’s resistance ended when he was caught behind off left-arm spinner Herath for 63.
Herath trapped wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock leg before wicket for 8 on the stroke of lunch.
De Bruyn recorded his maiden century after lunch, but was bowled by Herath for 101.
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