Sri Lanka destroyed
Islanders continue their abysmal run of form in SA
at The Wanderers THERE’S men against boys, separating the grain from the chaff and taking the lambs to the slaughter. All three idioms accurately describe the threeday innings evisceration Faf du Plessis’s charges handed to the hapless islanders.
It’s easy to read between the lines of yesterday’s innings and 118-run hammering but the fine morsels of South Africa’s overwhelming series dominance lay in the 206- and 282-run heavy defeats they handed out in Port Elizabeth and Cape Town.
If there was a modicum of application from Angelo Mathews’s side, there could have been a chance of the game going into a fourth day. However, application and discipline aren’t qualities that are associated with under-the-pump touring teams, especially Sri Lanka with their abysmal record in South Africa.
Not at any point did they look like a team that would challenge South Africa or give the Proteas’ potent bowling attack enough time to stretch their legs.
Ruthlessness has been Du Plessis’s watchword and he got exactly what he wanted through his bowlers.
Taking 16 wickets for 228 runs in less than three sessions is any captain’s dream. There was also the fielding, where Du Plessis and Quinton de Kock took superb catches to get rid of Mathews in both innings.
“In these conditions, we’re expected to be on top of Sri Lanka but for me, it was to ensure that 95 to 99% of the time we can string together consistent performances and I think we’ve done that,” Du Plessis said. “Out of the 13 days of test cricket, we have been on top for 95% of the time. I’m pleased we’ve been consistent in most facets of the game for the best part of the series. THAT’S PROTEA FIRE: JP Duminy is congratulated by his teammates after he caught batsman Upul Tharanga (not pictured) during the third day of the third test against Sri Lanka at the Wanderers in Johannesburg yesterday
“I was especially impressed with the fielding, because, in the Australia series, there were some match-changing moments in the field and we had those in this series.”
While there were many signs of Sri Lanka’s capitulation and lack of fight, an indication of the uphill struggle Sri Lanka were about to face was through Vernon Philander’s pre-lunch spell to Kusal Mendis.
Having watched Kagiso Rabada get rid of Kaushal Silva with his first ball after the diminutive opener failed to get his glove out of the way of a vicious lifter, Mendis had his credentials as a
We know in KG and Vern we’ve got world-class bowlers who deliver
test-class No 3 thoroughly examined by Philander.
Pitching the ball on a strip of healthy grass on the tufty but firm surface from the Corlett Drive End, Philander jagged the ball into and away from the right-hander like a magician well versed in the art of levitating.
Mendis bumbled around his off stump like a toddler learning how to walk, and, by lunch, his glance up to the skies was one of relief.
An half an hour before the break, Sri Lanka had cascaded from their overnight 80/4 to 131 all out as they battled to deal with the conditions.
The humidity and the heavy cloud cover gave the Bull Ring the look and feel of Lord’s on the first morning of a test match.
With the grass freshened by heavy overnight rain, Sri Lanka were going to be hard-pressed to double their overnight 80/4, let alone get close to the 227 they needed to make South Africa bat again.
Their last six wickets tumbled for 51 runs as Philander’s relentlessness and Rabada’s venom were too much for them.
In the first two days, seven wickets had fallen in the first difficult batting sessions, which explained why the hosts had their tails up.
On the second day, they suffered at the hands of Nuwan Pradeep and his newfound mastery of swing. Retribution was going to be swift and brutal.
While Rabada and Philander, the series’ top wicket-takers with 19 and 17 sticks respectively, dominated the first innings, Wayne Parnell was the beneficiary of their second innings parsimony with career best figures of 4/51.
Du Plessis didn’t have enough superlatives for the bowlers, especially from the returning Parnell and newbie Duanne Olivier, who took 3/38 in the second innings.
“It’s great that they got wickets, especially when they were six down and they got two each to get some confidence going for the second innings,” Du Plessis said.
“We know in KG and Vern we’ve got world-class bowlers who deliver consistently and they’re also relentless. The plan is to make sure our third seamer can get to that level very quickly while hitting very good areas.
“Olivier and Wayne could say they leaked a bit of runs, but they got wickets and at least you have to get one right.”