Sri Lanka's Dimuth Karunaratne (L) plays a shot next to South Africa's Quinton de Kock
©REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte
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South African batsmen find themselves at their wit's end against Sri Lankan spinners
South African batsmen find themselves at their wit's end against Sri Lankan spinners
The South African second innings ended as soon as it began as spinners Dilruwan Perera and Rangana Herath wreaked havoc with 6 and 3 wickets respectively.
Sri Lanka 287 (Dimuth Karunaratne 158*; Kagiso Rabada 4-50) and 190 (Dimuth Karunaratne 60; Keshav Maharaj 4-58) win by 278 runs
South Africa 126 (Faf du Plessis 49; Dilruwan Perera 4-46) and 73 (Vernon Philander 22*; Dilruwan Perera 6-32)
Dilruwan Perera and Rangana Herath sent South Africa crashing as Sri Lanka swept to a massive 278-run win on the third day of the first Test at Galle. #SLvSA
— Sri Lanka Cricket (@OfficialSLC) July 14, 2018
SL 287 & 190
vs SA 126 & 73 all out (D Perera 6/32 , R Herath 3/38 )https://t.co/YutwB7VTp9 pic.twitter.com/rkGZ0LUtkw
It was already all a bit too gloomy for South Africa going into Day 3 of the first Test. With useful contributions from Angelo Mathews (35) and Skipper Suranga Lakmal (33), Sri Lanka added a few more runs to the lead before they were folded up for 190.
Player of the match: Dimuth Karunaratne for his brilliant 158* & 60 runs. Congratulations! #SLvSA pic.twitter.com/jFsUQ7r2TN
— Sri Lanka Cricket (@OfficialSLC) July 14, 2018
Keshav Maharaj was a much improved bowler in the second innings and picked up 4 wickets while Kagiso Rabada doubled up on his first innings performance, picking up 3 wickets.
Once Dean Elgar (4) was dismissed on the last ball of sixth over, there was no stopping the Lankan bowlers. As one South African wicket toppled after the other, opener Aiden Markram (19) tried to hold his end but that could last for only 46 deliveries.
Although Vernon Philander (22) remained unbeaten for 22, he did not get support from any other batsman as the entire team folded for a meager 73-run total within a session. While Bangladesh and Afghanistan have held this embarrassing record, it was not expected of the South African batsman to give up without fighting.
The last wicket falls and it's all over. South Africa are all out for 73 runs, their lowest Test total since readmission.
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) July 14, 2018
Congratulations Sri Lanka on their emphatic 278-run win. #SLvSA pic.twitter.com/Ez22PiV4XS
A lot of good things were expected of South Africa on the Sri Lankan tour. However, the first Test has clearly revealed that they are either not well prepared or possibly don't have the application to last long in turning sub-continental conditions.
The next Test is to be played at the SSC in Colombo and the questions asked of the South African batsman will be similar to Galle. What remains to be seen is that whether there would be any difference in their answers or not.
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