Sri Lanka skittled for second lowest score in history as South Africa, led by Marco Jansen, destroys their Test Championship aspirations.
– BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE.
(eLanka Sports Editor)
Sri Lanka were reduced to a shellshocked mess as South Africa fought back to skittle them for their lowest Test score, 42 all out, since being elevated to the top tier of cricket, in Durban.
Since gaining Test status in 1982, Sri Lanka have maintained a respectable record in cricket, but the debacle in Durban will go down in the annals of history as a horrific reminder of a team without an idea on how to counter a treacherous bowler friendly track that saw 16 wickets fall in a day.
It was the second lowest total in the games history, sandwiched between India’s lowest and third lowest recorded against Australia.
The Test began with Sri Lanka’s bowlers taking control on day one where they reduced the home team to 80 for 4 before rain interrupted the rest of the day’s play.
They pressed home the advantage to rip through the rest of South Africa’s batting restricting them to 191 all out in 49.4 overs, and setting the stage for their batters to provide a winning platform.
They rued the let off given to South Africa Skipper Temba Bavuma early in the innings, dropped by Dimuth Karunaratne, and then bowled by Lahiru Kumara off a no-ball, before he reached double figures. He went on to make 70.
A decent reply was not to be as South Africa’s bowlers ripped the heart out of a shocking batting line-up that were clueless and mostly irresponsible against genuine pace and swing that clearly exposed their technical vulnerability.
By all appearances, the atrocious shot selection to balls best left alone exposed a lack of temperament by Sri Lanka’s experienced batters in this format. Plenty of soul searching should go into why they squandered a golden opportunity. Five ducks, three scoring less than five and only two in double figures, and no resistance by all of them poses serious questions to the batting coaches on tour.
Lanky speedster Marco Jansen led the Sri Lankan demolition giving the Sri Lanka batters nightmare recollections of a batting display gone horribly wrong. Jansen took 7 for 13 in a career best effort signalling his potency in the South African attack.
The wicket laid out showed plenty in it for the fast men as Sri Lanka’s pace attack grabbed eight of the South African wickets.
South Africa returned fire with Jansen (7), Gerald Coetzee (2), and Kagso Rabada 1 wicket destroying the flat footed Sri Lanka batting.
South Africa only needed 13.5 overs to dismantle a shocking batting effort by the Lankans who arrived at Kingsmead with an impressive record of being unbeaten at this venue. That record is certainly in danger of being erased as the home team took a 282 run lead with seven wickets intact heading into day four of the Test.
Sri Lanka arrived in South Africa harbouring thoughts of success and a possible final in the World Test cricket Championship against India or Australia. This setback if they fold, will certainly put them out of contention unless they can register a clean sweep when they face the Australians at home after this tour.
Sri Lanka’s batters hold the key to saving face with a more disciplined effort in their second dig as South Africa will surely endeavour to put them beyond reach.
