Sri Lanka 338 (Dhananjaya 60, Gunathilaka 57, Maharaj 9-129) v South Africa
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
A last-wicket stand of 74 between Akila Dananjaya and Rangana Herath allowed Sri Lanka to cross 300 for the first time in the two-Test series on a dry, turning Colombo pitch. Sri Lanka’s tenth wicket has made the second-most runs for them in the series – 164 across both matches – second only to their opening stand, which has scored 211.
It was also the second time the Sri Lankan tail has frustrated the South African attack. In the first innings in Galle, the last two partnerships added 111 runs to the Sri Lankan total, with the 10th-wicket pair scoring 63, adding a lack of efficiency at the end of an innings to South Africa’s mounting problems.
But one man won’t think about that. Keshav Maharaj secured the best innings figures by a South African bowler in an away Test , surpassing Alan Donald’s 8 for 71 against Zimbabwe in Harare in 1995, and the second-best figures by a South African in an innings anywhere. As the sole specialist in the XI, Maharaj has led the attack, and questions over South Africa’s decision not to include a second slow bowler will continue to be asked, especially as the pacers struggled.
Kagiso Rabada has been the most impressive of South Africa’s three seamers and started the morning alongside Maharaj. He also had the first real chance. Two balls after Akila ramped him over the slip cordon, Rabada had Akila fending a short ball to short leg, but Temba Bavuma could not hold on to the chance.
Herath did not want to miss out on the fun, and in Rabada’s next over, swung hard to send one over backward point. He left most of the boundary-hitting to Akila, who had some luck – a top-edge off Maharaj flew over slip – and showed some deft touches – he guided a Rabada length ball to third man to bring up the 300.
Maharaj’s first chance came when Herath missed a reverse sweep and Faf du Plessis used South Africa’s remaining review to check for lbw. Replays showed the ball had pitched outside leg stump.
A better chance came with the next ball. Akila drilled a drive back to Lungi Ngidi, who tried to take the catch in his followthrough, but hurt his shin instead. Ngidi bowled one more ball before he had to leave the field for treatment. Luckily, the injury did not prove serious and Ngidi returned shortly afterwards.
Aiden Markram completed Ngidi’s over, leaving Dale Steyn to wait until two overs before the drinks break to get his first bowl of the morning. And he may have wished he didn’t. Herath sent Steyn’s first ball through midwicket for four, and three balls later, slapped a short ball over mid-on. Steyn bowled another over, but went wicketless to finish still one wicket shy of overtaking Shaun Pollock as South Africa’s leading Test wicket-taker.
An hour and 10 minutes into the day, Maharaj ended the Sri Lankan innings, having Herath caught at leg-slip while sweeping: the fifth Sri Lankan batsman to fall to that shot in the innings. Herath reviewed, in vain, and Maharaj led the team off the field, but a big job awaits them with the bat.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo