Last time out in South Africa t’was bittersweet
Sri Lankans registered their first away win against South Africa in 2011
Looking back on the 2011 Tour of South Africa, the Sri Lankans will have mixed feelings — pardonable pride and abject disappointment. The opening Test lost by an innings and 81 runs, saw Man-of-the-Match Vernon Philander (10 for 102) and Dale Steyn (6 for 54) once again exposing Sri Lanka batsmen’s vulnerability to the seaming delivery.
The 3rd Test, which the hosts won by 10 wickets, was set up by a marathon 224 runs from, arguably, the best all-rounder in the world at that time, Jacques Kallis. Philander, once again, with six, Steyn and Kallis with 3 apiece, sealed off all escape routes.
The second Test at Kingsmead, Durban, was, collectively, Sri Lanka’s Magnum Opus. Skipper TM Dilshan became the first Lankan leader to triumph on South African soil. This was his first victory in eleven Tests, and Sri Lanka won a Test after Galle in 2010. Fifteen matches well played in the interim.
1st Test – Super Sport Park, Centurion: Dec 15-17, 2011
Invited to take first lease, the visitors folded up for a mediocre 180. Tharanga Paranavithana (32), Mahela Jayawardena (30), Thilan Samaraweera (36) and Angelo Mathews (38) all made starts, but no one went on to play the big innings that matters in a Test. Philander (5 for 53) and Steyn (4 for 18) cleaned up Dilshan’s men. South Africa’s reply of 411, was a sizable one. Mercurial AB de Villiers (99) showed he had nerves, after all. Graeme Smith and Marc Boucher with 60s, Jacques Rudolph with 44 and 30s from Kallis and Ashwel Prince saw them to a lead of 231. Chanaka Welagedara and Thisara Perera with three scalps each, performed best.
The second innings effort of 150 was disappointing. Samaraweera topped the lot with 32, while bowlers Rangana Herath and Perera made 20s. Philander had another 5-for. Mathews, please note, the big paceman, is yet alive and a-kicking!
To turn things round in a matter of eight days and win the Boxing Day Test at Kingsmead, speaks volumes for the team. Samaraweera made 102, Dilshan 47, Jayawardena 31, Mathews 30 and Herath 30. A 22-year-old debutant, Dinesh Chandimal was among the runs with 58, for a total of 338. Another first-timer (big and burly as they come) Marchant de Lange, captured 7 for 81 in his first outing.
Despite Hashim Amla grinding out 68 precious runs, the left-arm combination of Welagedara (5 for 52) and Herath (4 for 49) ensured the home team terminated their innings at 168 — conceding an important lead of 170 runs.
In the second knock, hitherto low-profile, Kumar Sangakkara came up with 102. Chandimal repeated his feat (another 58) and Samaraweera, who had come to relish the South African attack, produced 43, for a total of 280. Steyn had a 5-for while Morne Morkel and Imran Thahir bagged 2 each.
The target of 450 was never on. Amla made his second half-century of the match, AB was the top run-getter with 69, Steyn (43) chipped in, while Smith and Rudolph entered the 20s. Herath (5 for 79) kept nibbling them out with his persistent accuracy. Dilhara Fernando helped in a small way. Smith’s men were packed off for 241, and a history-making win by 209 runs was Dilshan’s reward.
It was 1-1 and everything to play for at Cape Town, just four days later. A chastened Proteas batting lineup turned it on, and the runs flowed (580-4). Kallis took centre stage with 224, not one to be left in the shadows, AB turned on the heat with an unbeaten 160, Rudolph nicked and nudged to 51. Alviro Petersen also reached triple figures. Dhammika Prasad suffered but picked up 2 for 154.
Sri Lanka replied with a hopelessly inadequate 239. The skipper topped the lot with 78, Sangakkara, Jayawardena and Chandimal entered the 30s, while Lahiru Thirimanne (presently in the doghouse), got 23.
Invited to bat again, the visitors’ performance improved visibly. Samaraweera became the only Sri Lankan to score two hundreds in a short 3-match series in South Africa. He was left high and dry on 115 — his 14th hundred in Tests. Mathews made a valiant 68, Sangakkara Thirimanne and Perera entered the 30s as the team was dismissed for 342. Smith’s men had the formality of scoring two runs for a win. Kallis took the Man-of-the-Match award, while de Villiers made off with the Man-of-the-Series award.
Almost three years later, Sri Lanka returned the hospitality, inviting them for two Tests at Galle and at the SSC. The Galle match was lost by 153 runs. But at the SSC, the visitors were left holding on for dear life at 159-8, in pursuit of 369. But that’s another story.