We played some terrible shots -- Mathews

PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa, Dec 31, 2016 (AFP) - Sri Lanka cricket captain Angelo Mathews said that their players should be mentally strong and told themselves together when they go in for the second Test just two days after their 206 run defeat at St. George’s Park on Friday.

Sri Lankan captain Mathews said his team had contributed to their own downfall.

"The bowlers did pretty well to restrict them to 286 but it was hard work for the batters on the first two days. After that it got better but we played some terrible shots. We have to bat better from the beginning so that we don't have to fight back all the time."

Mathews said it would be difficult for the tourists to turn their fortunes around in the two days before the second Test starts in Cape Town on Monday but added that his players needed to be mentally strong.

"A two-day break is just a mindset. We've had 14 or 15 days of good training. It's not the skill, it's the mindset. We've got to be tough out there."

Batting well would be the key if Sri Lanka were to play their way back into the series. "We've got to put some decent runs on the board for our bowlers to bowl at," said Mathews.

South African captain Faf du Plessis said there was room for improvement.

It took just 70 minutes and 13.3 overs for South Africa to claim the remaining five Sri Lankan wickets on the final morning and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Fast bowler Kyle Abbott made two crucial strikes, dismissing overnight batsmen Angelo Mathews (59) and Dhananjaya de Silva (22) inside the first seven overs. Sri Lanka was bowled out for 281 after adding 41 runs on Friday.

"We're playing some really good cricket," said Du Plessis. "But it's about being consistent. As a team we're flying at about 80 percent, so we still have another 20 percent in the tank. The bowlers are doing a really good job but we can do better as a batting unit."

Du Plessis said that although South Africa had to work hard in the second innings they had played well enough to keep Sri Lanka under pressure.