South Africa v Sri Lanka, 1st Test – 5 Talking Points

Sri Lanka’s resistance couldn’t last long on the final day of the 2^nd Test at Port Elizabeth as the tourists were dismissed for 281 runs enabling Proteas seal a 206 run win to take a 1-0 lead in the series. South Africa needed five wickets to win the first Test against Sri Lanka on Day 5 which they snapped without wasting much time inside the first hour’s play.

It the Proteas seam attack that got better of Sri Lanka yet again Kyle Abbott emerged as the star on the last day Kagiso Rabada and Keshav Maharaj chipped in with three wickets each to wipe off the tail. Vernon Philander, who grabbed a five wicket haul in the first innings was impressive but could not manage to re create the same magic as his colleagues took the center stage.

1.Suranga Lakmal’s five-for:

Lakmal may have failed to stop the South Africans’ from building such a huge target but he was unarguably Sri Lanka’s most successful bowler this match with a combined figures of 6/127. While the second inning performance was quite forgettable, it was due to Lakmal’s superb five wicket haul in the first inning that Sri Lanka were able to bundle out the hosts under 300.

His nagging outside the stump line brought him good success. After a fruitless opening spell of the match, he followed it up with three big wickets of openers Stephen Cook and Dean Elgar and Hashim Amla. He added skipper Faf du Plessis to his tally, later on, ended the day with 4 wickets and eventually completed his five-wicket haul on day two with Keshav Maharaj’s wicket.

2. Vernon Philander’s reply:

Vernon Philander, who has sort of mastered the art of dominating opposition at home, troubled the Sri Lankans badly and grabbed figures of 5/45 to help Proteas bundle out Sri Lanka 81 runs short of their first innings total.

Philander is perhaps most lethal of the South African pacers. Acting like a slow poison,  he consistently bowled tight lines and swung the ball perfectly in both directions to trigger a collapse in the Lankan batting order.  His opening spell on the second day left the tourists reeling at 121/6 with him snapping three wickets.

3. De Silva’s efforts go in vain:

Sri Lanka has had trouble sorting out their batting position. The experiment of sending Perera ahead of Mendis failed, Lanka was left standing at 22/3. Opener Kaushal Silva and Angelo Mathews tried their bit in reviving the inning but were unable to do so. The onus later fell on the middle order. Although they couldn’t did anything miraculous, Dhanajaya de Silva, batting at No. 3 showed great intent and hot a commendable 43 runs knock.

He was mindful of what was required for him to do in order get Sri Lanka overhaul South Africa’s first innings total. To be fair his efforts ended in a search for an able partner who could cling on with him. He was involved in three short stands. He initially joined Chandimal put up 24 runs for the 6th wicket and the shared a 36 run 8th wicket stand with Rangana Herath and followed it up with another unbeaten 24 run stand for the 9th wicket with Chameera.

4. Stephen Cook’s century pushes Sri Lanka on the edge:

Stephen Cook registered his 3^rd Test century and the second in as many matches to lay the foundation for a big third innings total for South Africa. After impressing against the pink Ball against Australia, Cook, known for his textbook style, batting entertained the crowd with an exemplary display of run making.

He was initially troubled by the pacers early on in the innings but eventually established himself as the superior force, sharing an 116 runs partnership with the Elgar for the opening wicket.Cook was always ready to pounce on the loose ones while rotating the strike patiently. His defiance led to frustration in the Lankan camp who were left clueless after having tasted success again him in the previous innings. He reached his century by nudging a single in the fine leg region for a single.

5. Loose wicket costs the match:

Sri Lanka, with a 488 runs target to chase, had a tedious task. The only option left against the in-form South Africa pace attack was to play defensive and consume the day and walk home with a draw. The tourists were, in fact, looked more likely to be doing so and finished at an optimistic 240/5 on day four. The top order responded well and Angelo Mathews and Dhananjaya De Silva looked solid in the middle leading the claim for a draw.

However, Kyle Abbott changed the game in the favour of the hosts with a superb opening spell in the morning session which saw him snap both the overnight batsmen Mathews in his opening over of the day and De Silva, an over after dismissing the Lankan skipper to fasten the victory process for South Africa. Rabada and Keshav Maharaj then joined the party and wiped off the lower order to finish an exciting win.