Watch cricket video highlights of Sri Lanka tour of South Africa 2024. 2nd Test between Sri Lanka and South Africa. Venue of the match will be Gqeberha.
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On the third day at St George’s Park, South Africa overtook Sri Lanka thanks to an unbroken fourth-wicket partnership of 82 between Temba Bavuma and Tristan Stubbs. After knocking Sri Lanka out for 328 earlier in the day, they gained a narrow 30-run lead from the first innings and increased their lead to 221. Aiden Markram’s half-century and Dane Paterson’s first Test five-for, which opened their second innings, were the foundation of South Africa’s impressive showing.
Bavuma has already amassed over 300 runs in the series and is two runs away from scoring fifty or more for the fourth time in a row. Bavuma is seeing the ball better than anybody else and has added an aggressive approach to his strokeplay, even though he missed two months of competitive cricket to recuperate from an elbow injury before to this series. The third day saw the highest number of wickets in the Test thus far (10), although the blue skies were still ideal for batting.
There was still some movement in Sri Lanka’s seam attack, and Prabath Jayasuriya showed some promise, which will probably satisfy South Africa more than their guests. Keshav Maharaj could be used later on as the surface is predicted to begin degrading in dry conditions on day four. Knowing that the greatest successful chase at this stadium is 271 and that South Africa is 50 runs short of that total, Sri Lanka will first search for seven wickets. However, the glimmers of spin will give them hope, especially because it has already produced some results.
As Tony de Zorzi attempted to drive, Jayasuriya foxed him with a ball that curled through the bat-pad gap, ending a 55-run first-wicket partnership and posing Sri Lanka’s first spin danger. After scoring 177 runs in Bangladesh, De Zorzi’s series finished with a poor total of 40 runs from four innings. Although he edged Asitha Fernando’s second delivery, his opening partner Markram did better. The opportunity missed the second slip. As his innings lengthened, Markram appeared more assured but never quite at ease.
With a stunning cover drive that restored his control, he squeezed by Gully for four and swiped at a short, wide Vishwa delivery as he went close to fifty. It was significant since it was his first fifty in twelve innings across all forms. A diving Kusal Mendis, whose anticipation skills were on full show, caught him one-handed after he had just survived six more balls after he edged a blazing cover drive off Vishwa. Although he began with the same vigilance as his opening innings, Ryan Rickelton was unable to sustain himself for another century.
He had to depart for 24 after missing a Jayasuriya ball that slid on and struck him in front of the middle stump. Following their reunion after scoring hundreds in the second innings in Durban, Stubbs and Bavuma took the brunt of the strain for the following eight overs. There were only 13 runs scored. An LBW call against Stubbs off Asitha was reviewed by Sri Lanka after Stubbs left a ball that appeared to be heading down leg. That was confirmed by ball-tracking.
For his first boundary, Bavuma pushed Kumara through the empty slip area, but he then dragged Jayasuriya in front of the square and hit him over long-range twice for six. Naturally, Stubbs was the more daring partner and continued to play his shots as the day wore on. In the third-last over of the day, Stubbs had a lucky break when he tried a reverse scoop and bottom-edged it between Mendis and first slip. When Marco Jansen opened the scoring with the old ball in the tenth over of the morning, everything went South Africa’s way virtually immediately.
He kicked a delivery off the surface to a confident Angelo Mathews, who gloved in an attempt to block it. The catch was taken in front of Kyle Verreynne’s face. South Africa grabbed the new ball as soon as it was available after giving up just 24 runs in the day’s first 13 overs, and it paid off right away. As Jansen gained more bounce, Kamindu Mendis, who had been dismissed by de Zorzi at short leg earlier, nicked off the third ball. After that, Jansen might have had Kusal Mendis out twice in four overs after rapping him on the glove first up.
When he was uncertain whether to leave a ball down leg and got bat on it, Kusal gave his first opportunity off the third ball he faced. Verreynne would probably record that as a difficult request, but he had to dive full stretch to his left and get fingers on it. The following chance was easier to understand. Kusal initially slipped after getting a strong outside edge, but Markam quickly dove over David Bedingham and dropped it. Then, at gully off Paterson, who replaced Jansen and would later have the last word, Kusal delivered a strong edge to Stubbs’ right.
Paterson continued to locate late movement and keep tight lines after bowling two outstanding spells on the second day, and he reapt the rewards. Fast-forwarding to his second over, Dhananjaya de Silva edged the opening ball. Lahiru Kumara was well caught by Jansen’s outstretched left hand at gully two balls after Kusal’s delivery, which nipped back into him and dislodged the bails. South Africa was ahead by 60 runs after Sri Lanka dropped from a respectably comfortable 297 for 5 to 298 for 8.
The innings continued into the second session as Paterson persisted in his quest for a five-for after Jayasuriya eroded that advantage with three well put fours. When he struck Jayasuriya on the full on the pad and persuaded Bavuma to review, he believed he had it, but ball-tracking revealed an umpire’s call decision on leg stump. Vishwa Fernando edged Paterson to Verreynne in his subsequent over, resulting in a regulation dismissal. Paterson was so excited that he got out the baby-cradle celebration for his new baby.
Five balls later, Jayasuriya was stumped after stepping well out of his crease in response to a ball that Maharaj had flung up. Twenty-five minutes into the second session, Sri Lanka’s innings came to a conclusion, with South Africa leading by thirty runs.
