Proteas strike back after SL bowl out hosts cheaply
PORTELIZABETH: Three late strikes by South Africa’s fast bowlers on Thursday helped atone for a poor batting performance on the first day of the second Test against Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka were 60 for three at the close at St George’s Park after bowling out South Africa for 222.
Earlier, Vishwa Fernando and Kasun Rajitha both took three wickets as Sri Lanka followed up their surprise win in the first Test in Durban with a disciplined bowling performance on a slow but well-grassed pitch.
Some of their good work was undone after Dimuth Karunaratne and Lahiru Thirimanne gave the Sri Lankan innings a reasonable start, putting on 25 for the first wicket.
Captain Karunaratne was caught behind off Kagiso Rabada for 17 in the 12th over. Duanne Olivier then bowled Oshada Fernando and had Kusal Mendis caught behind.
South Africa, needing a win to share the series, made a poor start after winning the toss, losing three wickets with the total on 15, two of them off successive balls from Vishwa Fernando.
They never recovered fully despite three half-century stands, two of which involved top-scorer Quinton de Kock, who made 86.
South Africa 1st inngs 222 all out in 61.2 overs (A Markram 60, Q de Kock 86; V Fernando 3-62, K Rajitha 3-67) vs Sri Lanka 1st inngs 60-3 in 20 overs (L Thirimanne 25*, D Olivier 2-25)
RANATUNGA LOSES
COLOMBO: World Cup-winning skipper Arjuna Ranatunga suffered a comprehensive defeat in his bid to take control of Sri Lanka’s crisis-ridden national cricket board on Thursday.
Ranatunga, 55, contested one of two vice-president posts but only came third in voting. His brother, Nishantha, who was nominated as secretary, was also defeated.
Ranatunga ally Jayantha Dharmadasa also failed in his bid to become Sri Lanka Cricket president, losing out to Shammi Silva -- a loyalist of former SLC chief Thilanga Sumathipala, Ranatunga’s arch-rival.