Wickets tumble as SL chase series win

PORTELIZABETH: Sri Lanka’s seamers set up a thrilling finish to the second and final Test against South Africa after closing Day Two on 60 for two in pursuit of a victory target of 197 on Friday, leaving the series finely balanced at St George’s Park.

Eighteen wickets fell on the second day, the most at this ground since 1914, as first Sri Lanka capitulated to 154 in their first innings and then skittled their hosts for 128 in South Africa’s second visit to the crease.

The bowlers did superbly to restrict the home side, especially as they are without frontline slow bowler Lasith Embuldeniya, who broke his thumb attempting a caught and bowled in South Africa’s first innings and is out of the Test.

Oshada Fernando (17 batting) and Kusal Mendis (10 batting) will push for victory on the third morning, but with 31 wickets having fallen in six sessions, South Africa will still feel in the game.

The struggles of the batsmen on both sides would suggest a difficult wicket, but while there is some seam movement and bounce, it is not the minefield those numbers suggest.

Sri Lanka started their second innings an hour before the close and took the score to 32 before Lahiru Thirimanne (10) nicked fast bowler Kagiso Rabada to wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock.

Two runs later, Duanne Olivier found the edge of Dimuth Karunaratne’s bat when he had 19. The home side was not able to prise out any more wickets before the close as they seek to win the Test and avoid a first home series loss to a side from Asia.

Brief scores: South Africa 222 and 128 (H Amla 32, Du Plessis 50*; S Lakmal 4-39, D de Silva 3-36) vs Sri Lanka 154 (N Dickwella 42; K Rabada 4-38) and 60-2 (D Karunaratne 19, O Fernando 17*)