Perera’s last-wicket heroics steer Sri Lanka to historic win
Kusal Perera produced a swashbuckling innings for the ages to almost single-handedly lift Sri Lanka to a remarkable one-wicket win over South Africa in a nail-biting conclusion to the first Test.
The tourists were on the verge of defeat in Durban when they subsided to 226 for nine in pursuit of 304, but Perera held his nerve to score an astonishing 153 not out which got them over the line.
His knock contained 12 fours and five sixes while he provided the bulk of the runs in an unbroken stand of 78 with Vishwa Fernando – the highest partnership for the last wicket in a successful chase in Test history.
Fernando contributed just six runs but was able to keep the home bowlers at bay in the 27 balls he faced, allowing his more senior partner to help Sri Lanka to a 1-0 lead in the two-Test series. “I thought Perera was unbelievable,” South Africa captain Faf du Plessis said. “A superman effort. He deserves all the accolades that will come to him after this game.
“We can go back and try and figure out where it went wrong and what we did wrong and what we could have done better but, at the end of the day, it was an amazing batting performance.”
Dale Steyn took two wickets in three balls as Sri Lanka slumped to 110 for five at the start of the penultimate day though Perera and Dhananjaya de Silva steadied proceedings with a 96-run stand.
But Dhananjaya was trapped lbw, overturned on review, for 48 by Keshav Maharaj, who then took the wicket of Suranga Lakmal with his next delivery while Lasith Embuldeniya and Kasun Rajitha were unable to offer much resistance.
With South Africa needing just one more wicket, Perera cut loose by thumping Maharaj high over the longon boundary before moving to only his second Test ton off 146 balls shortly afterwards.
South Africa, who were a bowler light because of paceman Vernon Philander’s hamstring injury, were starting to grow restless as Perera continued to pepper the boundary rope with regularity.
Steyn was twice swatted away over deep square leg for six, either side of Kagiso Rabada inducing a top edge from the left-hander that produced another maximum as the target came down to single figures.
It was a rare moment of fortune for Perera, who secured a momentous victory by steering a Rabada delivery down to the third-man boundary to the euphoria of the Sri Lanka dressing room.