SA vs SL 2024/25, South Africa vs Sri Lanka 2nd Test, Day 4, Gqeberha Match Report, December 05 – 09, 2024

Online Editor "Valley Vision" 4 days ago

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South Africa 358 and 282 for 8 (Maharaj 2*, Rabada 0*, Jayasuriya 5-117) lead Sri Lanka 328 by 312 runs

Sri Lanka claimed five wickets with the old ball on the fourth morning, to work their way back into a Test that had been at risk of slipping away. Prabath Jayasuriya was their primary weapon, bowling yet another long spell into the rough that has developed outside the right-hander’s leg stump. Through the course of his 13 overs, he dismissed Temba Bavuma, David Bedingham, and Marco Jansen, to complete a first five-wicket haul overseas. He went to lunch with figures of 5 for 117, having bowled 33 of Sri Lanka’s 82 overs. This was his tenth five-for in Tests all told.

Although Sri Lanka will be pleased with their morning’s work, South Africa nevertheless marched to a lead of 312, making 91 runs in the session. They will hope their tail can produce some partnerships, as they had done in the first innings. Sri Lanka mull taking the second new ball over lunch. They chose to persist with the old ball in the two overs it had been available in this session.

Of all the dismissals South Africa will rue Tristan Stubbs’ run out the most. He and overnight partner Bavuma had begun the day brightly, and had extended their fourth-wicket stand to 103, when Bavuma clubbed a Lahiru Kumara ball to deep midwicket, and took off for a tight two. Stubbs hesitated upon turning for the second, however, and attempted to turn Bavuma back, but the ball-watching earlier meant it was too late. The pair were caught mid-pitch for long enough that Kumara could get back to the non-striker’s stumps and run Stubbs out with ease. He was out for 47.

Bavuma, who early in the day completed his fourth half-century of the series (one of these is a hundred), then put on a 41-run stand with Bedingham, whom Sri Lanka tested with the short ball with a stacked leg-side field (he had been dropped twice trying to pull in the first innings). They got through that period, but Bavuma could not defy Jayasuriya forever. He was bowled trying to sweep the spinner, the ball leaping out of the rough. With this 66, Bavuma has 327 runs for the series.

Bedingham batted with much more caution than he had displayed in the first innings for his 35, but edged Jayasuriya to slip, the ball once again kicking off the surface to take the outside edge. Vishwa Fernando then zipped one off the surface in the channel to have Kyle Verreynne caught behind for nine. Jansen had attempted to hit out against Jayasuriya, and was caught on the deep-midwicket boundary.

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