Sri Lanka seamer Kasun Rajitha yesterday took two wickets as South Africa limped to 91-5 at tea on the second day of the second and final Test at St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, as the match continued to move forward at pace.
The hosts have an overall lead of 159, but suffered a massive blow when they lost in-form Quinton de Kock to the last ball before the interval, caught and bowled by Suranga Lakmal.
Captain Faf du Plessis (31 not out) was to resume after the break with debutant all-rounder Wiaan Mulder, seeking to push the South Africa lead past 200.
The hosts’ top-order struggles have continued as opening batsman Dean Elgar’s wretched form meant he was out for 2 on the last ball before lunch to seamer Vishwa Fernando.
Aiden Markram (18) had looked in good touch before he turned a Rajitha (2-20) delivery to Oshada Fernando at a short midwicket and Temba Bavuma (6) edged the same bowler to wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella.
Hashim Amla (32) was out 10 minutes before the interval when he edged part-time spinner Dhananjaya de Silva to slip, before the wicket of De Kock made it Sri Lanka’s session.
The bowlers have done superbly to restrict the hosts, especially as they are without frontline slow bowler Lasith Embuldeniya, who broke his thumb attempting a caught and bowled in South Africa’s first innings and is out of the Test.
Earlier, fast bowler Kagiso Rabada took four wickets as South Africa raced through Sri Lanka’s batting lineup to bowl the tourists out for 154.
Sri Lanka came out guns blazing from their overnight 60-3, but the hosts kept chipping away at the wickets column and took 90 minutes to end the tourists’ innings.
The visitors clearly had a plan to attack the home bowlers and scored 94 runs in 17.4 overs, but could not stem the fall of wickets.
Lahiru Thirimanne (29) provided a caught-and-bowled chance for Duanne Olivier, who took 3-61, before Rabada removed nightwatchman Rajitha.
Kusal Perera raced to 20 from 15 balls before he edged Rabada to wicketkeeper De Kock.
The hosts then made light work of the lower order, though Dickwella (42) mounted a spirited fightback before he was the last man out, a fine running catch from Elgar off Rabada, who finished with 4-38.
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