South Africa v Sri Lanka, 1st Test Day 2 – 5 Talking Points

After an impressive opening day for the visitors, South Africa came back strongly on the 2nd day of the opening Test and finished the day’s play with their tails up against a talented Sri Lankan side. The hosts began very poorly and lost their remaining four wickets for only 19 runs. While Suranga Lakmal bagged a five-wicket haul, Chameera, and Rangana Herath chipped in with two wickets each.

Sri Lanka faltered from the outset and kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Vernon Philander and Kyle Abbott were brilliant up front and reduced the visitors to 94/5 in no time. Two more wickets fell during the end of the day before Dhanajaya de Sliva played a crucial knock and remained unbeaten on 43 to take Sri Lanka’s score to 181/7 at the end of the day. Chameera who was there at the other end was batting on 7.

1. Lankan pacers wipe out the tail

Beginning the 2nd day’s play at 267/6, the hosts looked totally out of sorts and found it really difficult to cope with the pace and swing of Suranga Lakmal and Nuwan Pradeep. Lakmal finished with a five-wicket haul while Pradeep chipped in with a couple of wickets.

Pradeep made the first breakthrough in the day by dismissing Vernon Philander with a short ball. After pulling a couple of deliveries, Philander failed to keep the ball down and gave an easy catch to Dusmantha Chameera fielding at the deep. Lakmal bagged his five-wicket haul by inducing Keshav Maharaja into a false drive which took the outside edge and was safely pouched Chandimal behind the stumps.

Kyle Abbott followed soon after being run out by Chandimal and Pradeep brought down the curtains on the South African innings by dismissing Quinton de Cock with a fantastic Yorker. The stumps went for a cartwheel as the hosts were bundled out for 286 in their 1st essay.

2. Vernon Philander’s terrific opening spell

Medium pacer Vernon Philander was the most lethal of the South African pacers. He bowled in the right areas and swung the ball perfectly in both directions. The openers were totally all over the face while facing him, missing innumerable deliveries in the process. He finished with 3/35 in 16 overs before bad light brought a premature end to the day’s play.

Kusal Perera who looked wayward in his short stay went after a wide delivery to edge it to de Cock behind the stumps. It was a brilliant display of fast bowling from both Philander and Kyle Abbott. Philander came back strongly in his 2nd smell and removed opener Kausal Silva and Dinesh Chandimal in quick succession.

Silva’s long vigil at the crease was ended by Philander outswinger which struck Silva plumb in front. Though he decided to go for a review the replays showed that the ball would have crashed onto the stumps. He followed it up with Chandimal’s wicket with a similar kind of a delivery which struck him right in front. It swung just enough to hit the leg stump. Following the dismissal of Chandimal, the visitors were tottering at 121/6.

3. Kyle Abbott makes life difficult for the Lankan top order

Medium pacer Kyle Abbott worked as a perfect foil for Vernon Philander. Both the pacers bowled their heart out and most importantly pitched the ball in the right areas and got enough assistance from the pitch.

Abbott troubled the Sri Lankan openers with his immaculate line and length and swing and finally got his breakthrough in the 4th over of the innings. It was a full delivery outside the off-stump which lured Karunaratne into the drive. He didn’t go to the pitch of the ball and played away from the body which took the inside edge of the bat and crashed into leg stump.

Youngster Kusal Mendis was the next to follow as Abbott induced a false drive from Mendis which took the outside edge of the bat and was safely pouched by de Cock behind the stumps. The ball moved just enough after pitching to take the outside edge.

4. Dhananjaya de Silva’s fighting knock

Coming into the crease at the fall of Captain Angelo Mathew’s wicket, de Silva looked solid from the outset. He was hardly troubled by any South African bowlers and stitched together crucial partnerships with lower order batsman to keep the visitors in the hunt.

First, he shared a 36 run 8th wicket stand with Rangana Herath and followed it up with an unbeaten 24 run stand for the 9th wicket. After stumps was called early due to bad light Sri Lanka finished the day’s play at 181/7. De Silva would surely want to bat well on the 3rd day morning and the lower order will look to provide him ample support.

5. Bad light ends the day early

With Dhanjaya de Silva and Dusmantha Chameera in the middle and Sri Lanka precariously placed at 181/7 the onfield umpires Aleem Dar and Bruce Oxenford decided to call the players off the ground after checking their light metre. In the earlier days, the umpires used to offer the lights to the batsmen but the scenario is different now as the umpires tend to think of the safety of the players first.

With as many as 22 overs lost due to bad light, we might be in for a half an hour early start in the 3rd day morning. While the hosts will be eager to finish of the Lankan tail at their earliest, youngster Dhananjaya de Silva will look to score as many as possible and take the visitors close to the South African total.