South Africa in complete control after Sri Lanka fold for 110
Cape Town, by Tristan Holme •
Last updated on Tue, 03 Jan, 2017, 09:56 PM
Kagiso Rabada engineered the Sri Lankan collapse with a four-wicket haul
Midway through the second day of the second Test, there was a growing feeling that Sri Lanka had learned some lessons from their mauling in Port Elizabeth and might offer some resistance to South Africa. Both sides had spoken of the Newlands track being a "new-ball wicket", and Dimuth Karunaratne and Kaushal Silva had seen off the most treacherous period in the innings, reaching a patient 31 without loss from 15 overs.
But any thought that a corner had been turned was crushed over the next hour of play, as Sri Lanka slumped to 110 all out in 43 overs to concede a first-innings deficit of 282. Before the close of day two, the series was essentially gone and the best that the visiting team could aim for in the remaining time was marginal gains. With South Africa choosing to bat again, and reaching 35 without loss at the close of play to lead by 317, only a miracle can save Sri Lanka here.
The disappointment of such a horrible batting collapse felt all the sharper for the fact that the first session had delivered such hope for the future. By adding three wickets to the three that he picked up on the opening day, 19-year-old Lahiru Kumara had become the second youngest Sri Lankan to record a five-wicket haul, behind Ravindra Pushpakumara. Kumara's 6 for 122 was reason to celebrate, as he kept South Africa to a first innings total of 392.
Resuming on 297 for six, the hosts lost Kyle Abbott in the second over of the day but were soon celebrating Quinton de Kock's third Test hundred. De Kock began the day on 68 and needed little time to reach three figures, with his hundred brought up in 122 deliveries. He became Kumara's fourth victim soon after when he chased a wide delivery, but the tail continued to wag thanks to Keshav Maharaj's unbeaten 32. Kumara eventually grabbed the final two wickets on the stroke of lunch to walk off with the match ball.
The focus was always going to be on how Sri Lanka could handle a green pitch, but ultimately they could not point to the surface as the reason for their swift downfall. While Vernon Philander and Kyle Abbott found plenty of lateral movement up front, it was perhaps too much and Karunaratne and Silva played and missed their way safely through the first hour after lunch.
It took Kagiso Rabada's extra pace to make the breakthrough as Silva played on from a short ball, and what followed was a sorry procession. Kusal Mendis, promoted to No. 3, hacked across the line to gift Maharaj a wicket moments before tea, and after the break Karunaratne (24) slapped Rabada straight to backward point. Angelo Mathews then fended Rabada tamely to second slip, and Dhananjaya de Silva danced down the wicket to be trapped LBW by Maharaj, with a review confirming that umpire Rod Tucker had made a bold but good decision. When Dinesh Chandimal threw his bat recklessly at a wide delivery from Rabada, Sri Lanka had lost six wickets for 47 runs.
The innings was closed in quick time by Philander, who dismissed Rangana Herath and Suranga Lakmal in one over, and then Kumara and Nuwan Pradeep in the next. Upul Tharanga could only watch on from the other end as he finished unbeaten on 26, with Philander recording figures of 4 for 27 and Rabada taking 4 for 37.
Faced with the option of enforcing the follow-on or batting again, Faf du Plessis went for the latter, presumably seeing no need to add unnecessary workload to his pace trio, who had just two days of rest in between back-to-back Tests. They were able to put their feet up on the team balcony and watch Stephen Cook and Dean Elgar advance South Africa's lead without any cause for alarm on a windy Cape evening.
By the close of play, Mathews had reverted back to his defensive fields, and it was difficult to see where Sri Lanka might draw the inspiration required to save some face in the match, and even the series.
© Cricbuzz
