SA vs SL | Nissanka and Chandimal’s coalition put Sri Lanka in command on Gqeberha's dry deck on day two

Debayan Sinha

ByDebayan Sinha, SportsCafe Editor

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Sri Lanka ended day two in command with the bat, closing their innings at 242/3 in 67 overs. Pathum Nissanka led the charge for Sri Lanka with a composed 89 off 157 deliveries, supported by Dinesh Chandimal’s steady 44 off 97, narrowing the deficit to 116 runs by the end of the day.

‌Riding on the back of Ryan Rickelton’s century and Temba Bavuma’s solid 78 off 109 balls, South Africa had a strong Day 1, finishing at 269/7. On a bright, sunny morning of Day 2, overnight batter Kyle Verreynne and new batter Keshav Maharaj walked to the crease. However, Maharaj was dismissed early in the first over of the day. Verreynne, alongside Kagiso Rabada, built a crucial partnership, adding 55 runs to the score and taking the total to 324/8 in 100 overs. During this phase, Verreynne played a brilliant knock, scoring a half-century off 95 balls, which helped South Africa reach a competitive total. As Verreynne and Rabada were building momentum, Asitha Fernando struck, breaking the partnership by dismissing Rabada. However, Verreynne continued his impressive form, reaching a century in 132 balls. The final wicket for South Africa fell when Dane Paterson was dismissed, and the hosts were all out for 358 runs. In reply, Sri Lanka’s openers, Pathum Nissanka and Dimuth Karunaratne, took a cautious approach. They safely navigated through the six overs before lunch, taking the score to 19/0 and trailing by 339 runs.

The pace and bounce at Gqeberha appeared to perplex the Sri Lankan openers, causing them to score at a sluggish rate post-lunch. With the scoreboard reading 25/0 after 10 overs, the Nissanka-Karunaratne partnership remained resolute in their defensive approach. However, there was a shift in their strategy when Karunaratne unleashed three boundaries off Marco Jansen in the 12th and 14th overs. Just as the duo seemed to settle in, Rabada struck, dismissing Karunaratne and providing the hosts with their first breakthrough. However, with the deck getting slower, the ball was coming late into the bat as Nissanka and Dinesh Chandimal kept the scorecard ticking as Sri Lanka tallied at 62/1 in 23 overs and trailed by 296 runs.  With occasional fours and running between the wickets, the duo took the scorecard to 103/1 in 33 overs as Tea was called. 

After tea, Pathum Nissanka brought up his seventh Test half-century off 107 deliveries, anchoring the innings alongside Dinesh Chandimal. The pair stitched together an impressive 109-run partnership, guiding Sri Lanka to 149/1 in 44 overs. South Africa’s persistence finally paid off when Dane Peterson dismissed Chandimal in the 45th over. However, Nissanka continued to shine with the bat, building on the momentum with Angelo Mathews as the visitors reached 175/2 in 51 overs, trailing by 183 runs. The pivotal moment came when Nissanka, attempting an ambitious shot, fell to Keshav Maharaj for a well-made 89. By the end of the day's play, Sri Lanka stood at 242/3, with Angelo Mathews and Kamindu Mendis at the crease, trailing by 116 runs.

Tough fight!

Ahh!

Great fight!

Yes that is true!

Yes it is!

Legend!

True that!

Yeah!

What a day for him!

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