SA v SL 1st Test Day 3, Review: South Africa in command with healthy lead

The chips were down for Sri Lanka on day 2 of the first Test against South Africa. They had finished at 181/7 at the end of day 2 owing to fiery bowling spells from the Proteas quickies. Earlier in the day, they had managed to restrict South Africa to 286 in their first innings. It was Suranga Lakmal’s career-best five-wicket haul that had led the visitors’ bowling attack. Coming into day 3, a lot of expected to precipitate out of the day’s play.

Dhananjaya de Silva and Dushmantha Chameera walked in to bat with 181 runs on the board for Sri Lanka. De Silva could not add a run to his overnight score of 43 and was dismissed by Vernon Philander on the very first ball of the day. The South Africans were in joy with the priced scalp.

In the very same over of the day, Philander for rid of Lakmal (4) to complete his 11th five-wicket haul in Test cricket. It was only a matter of time that the innings wrapped up. Chameera was the last man to be dismissed on 19 by Kyle Abbott. Sri Lanka could score just 24 runs on the day before bundling out on 205. Philander was the pick of the bowlers with 5/45 and Abbott picked up 3.

South Africa openers walked in to open the innings with a first innings lead of 81 runs. Stephen Cook and Dean Elgar started the day for the Proteas batsmen. Unlike the first innings, Lakmal’s bowling provided no threat for the African openers. They kept scoring at a decent rate and went in wicketless in to the lunch hour. Soon after the lunch, they brought up their second 100-run stand of the match. Both batsmen reached their respective fifties.

The partnership was eventually broken in the 33rd over of the innings when Suranga Lakmal managed to hurry one on to Elgar as Angelo Mathews pocketed a simple catch at mid-on. Elgar scored 52 before heading back to the pavilion as the 116 run opening stand ended. In walked Hashim Amla to join Stephen Cook, who looked good for more after scoring his third Test fifty. A chance beckoned for the Lankans when Cook edged one to the gully fielder Dhananjaya de Silva. However, the fielder failed to stick on to it.

A failed review followed and Cook reached his ton soon after to add salt to the wounds. It was his second successive ton in Tests. Soon after the ton, he lost the support of Hashim Amla, who was dismissed on 48 by Nuwan Pradeep and became the 10000th lbw dismissal in Test cricket history. Another pacer, Chameera, got into the wickets column to when he bagged the key wicket of Stephen Cook on 117 (178).

JP Duminy was joined by Faf du Plessis at the crease and they could add just 22 runs before Duminy was dismissed by Dhananjaya de Silva on 25. De Silva’s lucky run with the ball continued as he bagged another wicket in the form of Temba Bavuma (8). Du Plessis was joined by Quinton de Kock at the crease.

Both batsmen looked to step on the accelerator in the final hour of the play. They added quick runs as South Africa lead went past the 400 run mark. Few more attacking shots followed, particularly from the bat of De Kock, to take South African total past the 350-run mark. They finished at 351/5 in 80 overs at the end of ay 3. A handsome lead of 432 runs puts them in the driver’s seat in the Test match. Du Plessis remained unbeaten on 41 off 55 balls and Quinton de Kock scored a brisk unbeaten 42 off 51 balls.

Brief Scores:

South Africa: 286/10 in 98.5 overs (Duminy 63, Cook 59, Lakmal 5/63; Herath 2/48)

Sri Lanka: 205/10 (Dhananjaya 43, Mathews 39, Philander 5/45, Abbott 3/63)

South Africa: 351/5 (Cook 117, Amla 48, De Silva 2/74, Lakmal 1/57)