Sri Lankans have huge run mountain to climb
Proteas ahead by 317 runs Abbott on verge of giving up international career
RARELY can consecutive sessions of play have produced as radically different cameos of cricket as what was seen in the second Test at Newlands yesterday.
Between lunch and tea on the second day South Africa bowled 144 legal deliveries at Sri Lanka and conceded runs off only 22 of them.
Another 114 balls were bowled in the Lankan innings after tea and they yielded 23 scoring shots.
Not much difference there but there was a world of it in the wicket column.
Two went down before tea, the other eight after.
That saw the visitors dismissed for 110 in reply to South Africa’s first innings of 392, and that after being 56/1.
By stumps South Africa were 35 without loss in their second innings, which took their lead to 317.
Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada shared eight wickets and Keshav Maharaj claimed the other two, both among the top four batsmen.
But the star was Kyle Abbott, who was close to unhittable in the 48 balls he bowled, 45 of which were too good for the garnering of even a single.
Whatever is being served for tea in the dressingroom? Perhaps the anti-doping police should take an interest.
Or perhaps South Africa bowled their socks off on a responsive pitch against opponents who, like they did in the first Test at St George’s Park, ran out of resolve when they needed it most.
Faf du Plessis did not enforce the follow-on, perhaps because today’s forecast is for 32ºC.
Or it could be because he does not want to bat last on a pitch that he fears could offer spinner Rangana Herath too much for his men to handle.
The upshot is that the home side are in complete control of the match and the series, which they should wrap up long before Friday’s scheduled fifth day.
Only five of the Lankans made it into double figures and of them only Dimuth Karunaratne and Upul Tharanga stayed alive long enough to reach 20.
All of which made the century Quinton de Kock completed before lunch seem as if it had been scored a year ago.
South Africa resumed on 297/6 with De Kock 68 not out. He reached his third Test ton in the 11th over of the day and was caught behind off Lahiru Kumara for 101 just three balls later at 336/8. Then 56 runs were added after De Kock’s dismissal through the sturdy efforts of Philander, Maharaj, who made 32 not out, and Rabada.
When Herath had Abbott out, the diminutive bowler surpassed Chaminda Vaas as Sri Lanka’s second-highest Test wicket-taker with 356 wickets.
Philander’s dismissal, also caught behind, earned 19-year-old fast bowler Lahiru Kumara his maiden five-wicket haul in his third Test.
When Kumara had Rabada taken behind to end the innings with what became the last ball before lunch he owned the best figures by a Sri Lankan fast bowler in a Test innings in South Africa.
This was a magnificent haul of 6/122.
The visitors were depleted by the absence of fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep, who left the field with a quadriceps injury after bowling 15.4 overs on Monday.
Better news was that Dinesh Chandimal, who handed his wicketkeeping gloves to Kusal Mendis on Monday in an effort to aid his recovery from a fever, was back behind the stumps yesterday and keeping up to his usual standard. CRICKET SA (CSA) will meet with Kyle Abbott’s agents today following a report claiming the fast bowler plans to retire from international cricket at the end of the month to pursue a career in England.
ESPNCricinfo reported on Monday that Abbott is “on the verge” of signing “a three or four-year deal with Hampshire that will realistically end his international career”.
This translates into a Kolpak deal‚ the terms of which preclude players from representing South Africa.
“CSA is aware of the story on Abbott‚” CSA’s head of media and communications‚ Altaaf Kazi‚ said yesterday.
“We don’t have any comment at this stage and will be meeting with his agent (today) to get clarity.”
The move would come as a surprise considering Abbott‚ a victim of selectorial silliness in the past‚ has bowled his way into something close to an established position in South Africa’s attack.
Helped in part by injuries to Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander‚ Abbott has played in seven of South Africa’s last 13 completed Tests and taken 26 wickets at 22.03.
As recently as Friday‚ after the first Test against Sri Lanka at St George’s Park in which Abbott took match figures of 5/101‚ he seemed committed to the national cause.
“Being out the side and sitting on the sidelines for so long and now getting an opportunity and doing well‚ it’s a great feeling‚” Abbott said.
“It’s a long period of time of hard work that’s starting to pay off and getting an opportunity at this level to showcase my skills.
“The team’s in a great space and so am I.
“There’s only 90 or so of us who have played Test cricket (for South Africa since readmission) so I count myself incredibly lucky to be able to do it. It’s the place where you want to play your cricket.
“When Faf (du Plessis) welcomed Theunis de Bruyn into the squad he said‚ ‘This is where you’re going to be playing your cricket; it doesn’t get any better than this’‚ and he’s absolutely right.
“We’re enjoying our cricket at the moment because we’ve got that attitude of‚ ‘This is the place‚ this is where we want to play‚ this is the place we want to perform and really be tested.’”
Abbott is playing in the second Test against Sri Lanka at Newlands. — TMG Digital