It’s a matter of time than a matter of pride
The maiden Test five-for for Akila Dananjaya
That visiting teams have a distinct wdisadvantage playing in ‘alien’ conditions is common knowledge. Local pitches are tailored to give the home side a definite advantage and this was in evidence at the SSC grounds as Sri Lanka snarled towards yet another thumping win in the two-match series.
At stumps on day two, Sri Lanka, with a first innings lead of 214 runs, seemingly put the visitors out of the contest. Having taken an overall lead of 365 runs with seven wickets in hand on a deteriorating pitch, they left the tourists to play for survival rather than pride. A win here will give the home team the series 2-0, their second series win against South Africa following the 2-0 win in 2006.
It is impossible now for South Africa to win or draw from here, with three days of test cricket left and against three of the most potent and dangerous spinners—Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera and Akila Dananjaya.
After posting a formidable score of 338, including a defiant 74 runs for the last wicket between Herath and Dananjaya, Sri Lanka’s three-pronged spin attack bowled to a consistent line and length to dismantle South Africa’s first innings inside 35 overs for 124—their second lowest total in Sri Lanka.
Barring skipper Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock, who played two counter-attacking innings during their brief stay, others looked like deer caught in headlights, folding like nine pins against the spin.
Not that South Africa are a weak opponent. They are the world’s No. 2 rank team with an astonishing recent record—15 wins off 25–but their lack of constant exposure against quality spin was a significant factor in their struggle in the sub-continent. This was on display during the series.
South Africa reached lunch at 19 for 3 with their top three batsmen back in the pavilion in quick succession. Akila Dananjaya and Rangana Herath shared first session honours and the procession continued soon after lunch as Dananjaya and Dilruwan Perera ripped through the innings despite a resilient fourth wicket partnership between Hashim Amla and du Plessis.
Openers Dimuth Karunaratne (L) and Danushka Gunathilaka have brought back stability in the recent times - Pix by Amila Gamage
When Dilruwan finally broke the partnership worth 55 runs by removing Amla, who reached his 9000 Test runs courtesy a drop catch off Rangana Herath at short cover by Danushka Gunathileka, it was all but over for the visitors.
Du Plessis fell two short of a defiant half-century and de Kock made 32, the only significant contribution to the South African total. Dananjaya, playing just his second match, claimed his maiden five wicket haul while Dilruwan—the tormentor in Galle—took four wickets to rattle the tourists just before tea.
South Africa’s capitulation is understood. But the Sri Lankan team’s think-tank must find answers to how a seemingly unknown spinner like Keshav Maharaj ran through the team in the first innings. After all, we are a subcontinent side that consistently plays spin. While South Africa’s three-pronged pace attack was easily negotiated by the Lankan batters, they struggled against Maharaj who bowled at a steady line and length allowing hardly any room for the batsmen to free their arms. The fate of Sri Lankan batters, given how weakly they countered South Africa’s one-man spin threats, would be a serious concern at the hands of quality spinners.
Keshav Maharaj took nine wickets in an inning
Maharaj’s 9 for 129 in the first innings—is the best ever bowling figures by a visiting bowler in Sri Lanka and South Africa’s second best bowling effort in their history behind HJ Tayfield who had returned figures of 9 for 114 against a visiting English side in 1957. Despite his effort, Sri Lanka managed to push their score towards a formidable score largely thanks to a magnificent batting effort from Akila Dananjaya (43 not out) and Rangana Herath (35) at the tail-end of the innings before Maharaj completed his record wicket haul.
Having bowled out South Africa for 124 runs, Sri Lanka had the option of enforcing the follow on. Instead, stand-in skipper Suranga Lakmal decided to bat again. As in the first innings, Sri Lanka got off to a solid start, adding 91 runs for the first wicket before Danushka Gunathilaka was removed by Maharaj for an aggressive 61 runs—his second 50 plus score in the match.
Dimuth Karunaratne, who is enjoying a dream run in the series, remained unbeaten on 59—his fourth fifty plus score in the series, having scored a century and two half centuries in his previous three innings. Angelo Mathews has struggled since his return to the side after a long injury lay-off. He is unbeaten on 12 and, with Sri Lanka in driver’s seat, will look to put a decent score before his name to boost his confidence. Maharaj picked up two out of the three wickets that fell last afternoon with the third that of Kusal Mendis was thanks to a brilliant piece of fielding. Dale Steyn needs just one wicket to become South Africa’s all time Test wicket taker surpassing Shaun Pollock (421) but was made to wait yet another day. He was wicket-less for the second day running.
Scoreboard
Sri Lanka 1st innings
Danushka Gunathilaka c Rabada b Maharaj 57
(Tears in from deep square leg, tumbles forward, and takes a ripper of a catch with both hands)
Dimuth Karunaratne c de Kock b Maharaj 53
(Flicks and tickles it behind to the keeper)
Dhananjaya de Silva lbw b Maharaj 60
(A slider from Maharaj traps him on the front foot in front of middle)
Kusal Mendis c Rabada b Maharaj 21
(Sweeps, bottom edge to the of the bat to midwicket)
Angelo Mathews c du Plessis b Maharaj 10
(Bounces to graze the outside edge and flies to first slip)
Roshen Silva b Rabada 22
(Clean york, completely outdone)
Niroshan Dickwella c du Plessis b Maharaj 5
(Gloved to a rising length ball, trying to fetch it from way outside off. Lobs up to first slip)
Dilruwan Perera c Ngidi b Maharaj 17
(Sweeps but goes flat and straight to the backward square)
Akila Dananjaya not out 43
Suranga Lakmal c Markram b Maharaj 0
(Drives uppishly but a brilliant one handed take at short extra-cover)
Rangana Herath c Elgar b Maharaj 35
(Ball kisses the under-glove, then the flap of the pad and into the hands of leg-slip)
Extras (4b, 2lb, 1nb, 8w) 15
Total (all out; 104.1 overs) 338
Fall of Wickets: 1-116 (Karunaratne), 2-117 (Gunathilaka), 3-153 (Mendis), 4-169 (Mathews), 5-223 (Silva), 6-238 (Dickwella), 7-247 (de Silva), 8-264 (Perera), 9-264 (Lakmal), 10-338 (Herath)
Bowling: Dale Steyn 17-3-60-0, Kagiso Rabada 20-3-55-1, Lungi Ngidi 14.2-1-54-0, Keshav Maharaj 41.1-10-129-9, Aiden Markram 8.4-1-24-0, Dean Elgar 3-1-10-0
South Africa 1st innings
Aiden Markram lbw b Herath 7
(Arm ball, pinned in front)
Dean Elgar c de Silva b Dananjaya 0
(Drifts in from around the wicket, gets it to break away outside off, batsman presses forward, but the ball dips and finds the edge to second slip)
Thenunis de Bruyn c Dickwella b Dananjaya 3
(Ripper of a ball, no turn, drags batsman to play, nicks it to the keeper)
Hashim Amla c Mendis b Perera 19
(Gets an inside edge to the pad that shoots up for forward short leg)
Faf du Plessis c Dickwella b Perera 48
(Attempts to sweep from outside off, gets a faint edge to the wicketkeeper)
Temba Bavuma c Mendis b Perera 11
(Flies off the full face of the bat to the right of forward short leg)
Quinton de Kock lbw b Dananjaya 32
(Employs a short stride and plays around his front pad, pinned in front of middle)
Keshav Maharaj c de Silva b Dananjaya 2
(Sweeps, top edge to the man behind square leg)
Kagiso Rabada c Mathews b Perera 1
(Spins away from middle and off, takes the edge to first slip)
Dale Steyn lbw b Dananjaya 0
(Trapped in front of middle, given out, refers and it was umpires call)
Lungi Ngidi not out 0
Extras (1nb) 1
Total (all out; 34.5 overs) 124
Fall of wickets: 1-4 (Elgar), 2-9 (de Bruyn), 3-15(Markram), 4-70 (Amla), 5-85 (du Plessis), 6-114 (Bavuma), 7-120 (Maharaj), 8-124 (de Kock), 9-124 (Steyn), 10-124 (Rabada)
Bowling: Dilruwan Perera 12.5-1-40-4, Akila Dananjaya 13-2-52-5, Rangana Herath 8-1-32-1
Sri Lanka 2nd innings
Danuhska Gunathilaka c Elgar b Maharaj 61
(Marches down and holes out to deep midwicket)
Dimuth Karunaratne not out 59
Dhananjaya de Silva lbw b Maharaj 0
(Trapped leg before as he marches down and manages no contact with the bat)
Kusal Mendis run out 18
(A mix-up between the batsmen as they takes the third run, Markram gathers the ball and throws it the keeper who catches Mendis short)
Angelo Mathews not out 12
Extras (1nb) 1
Total (For 3 wickets; 34 overs) 151
To bat: Roshen Silva, Niroshan Dickwella, Dilruwn Perera, Akila Dananjaya, Suranga Lakmal, Rangana Herath
Fall of wickets: 1-91 (Gunathilaka), 2-102 (de Silva), 3-136 (Mendis)
Bowling: Keshav Maharaj 17-0-90-2, Kagiso Rabada 4-0-22-0, Aiden Markram 3-1-9-0, Theunis de Bruyn 3-0-13-0, Dale Steyn 4-1-11-0, Lungi Ngidi 2-1-4-0, Dean Elgar 1-0-2-0