Fast bowlers put SA in the lead on day two
Steyn’s four wickets put him into seventh on all-time list
Dale Steyn and his fellow fast bowlers enabled SA to gain an advantage over Sri Lanka on the second day of the first Test against Sri Lanka at Kingsmead in Durban yesterday.
Steyn took four for 48 as SA took a first innings lead of 44. They stretched their lead to 170 by reaching 126 for four at the close.
SA’s decision to pick five specialist bowlers meant that their advantage was some way short of being decisive, with Faf du Plessis (25 not out) and Quinton de Kock (15 not out) their last two recognised batsmen going into day three.
Sri Lanka were bowled out for 191 and were unable to build on a good first day when their inexperienced bowlers surprised the SA batsmen, who could manage only 235 in their first innings.
Steyn and Vernon Philander soon put their stamp on the game when Sri Lanka resumed at 49 for one, on Thursday, taking three wickets in the first 10 overs of the morning.
Kusal Perera played some bold and occasionally lucky strokes in making 51 off 63 balls for Sri Lanka and the hosts were frustrated when a barrage of short-pitched bowling could not break a stubborn ninth wicket partnership of 32, the joint second-highest of the innings, between debutant Lasith Embuldeniya and Kasun Rajitha.
It was particularly frustrating for Steyn, who bowled unchanged for a 10-over spell after lunch in a bid to claim a 27th five-wicket haul of his Test career. He had already taken four wickets when Rajitha, on 10, gloved what looked like a simple chance to Dean Elgar in the gully, only for the fielder to put it down.
The stand was eventually ended by a smart run-out of Rajitha by Aiden Markram at short leg.
Steyn took his career tally to 437 Test wickets, passing India’s Kapil Dev (434) and drawing level with Stuart Broad of England in joint seventh place on the alltime list. –