Sri Lanka’s bowlers made the most of the overhead conditions and a pitch that was covered for a long time to have the Proteas reeling at lunch on day one of the first Test at Kingsmead.
The wicket was covered for 14 hours after a rain shower hit Durban overnight and in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The Sri Lankan’s capitalised after winning the toss and putting the South Africans in to bat.
The Proteas went into lunch on 80/4 when the a light drizzle brought a premature end to the first session.
Proteas captain Temba Bavuma (28 not out, 5x4) and wicket-keeper batsman Kyle Verreynne (9 not out) were still at the crease when the teams left the field.
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Aiden Markram (9) was the first to go on a morning where they ball was doing quite a bit in the air and off the surface. After hitting two scorching shots through the off-side in the first over, he edged an Asitha Fernando delivery that just seamed away from him.
His opening partner Tony de Zorzi (4) was out in the very next over, also feeling at a seaming delivery outside the off-stump off the bowling of left-armer Vishwa Fernando.
Tristan Stubbs and Bavuma steadied the ship and saw off the new ball bowlers. They looked a lot more comfortable against the extra pace of Sri Lankan speedster Lahiru Kumara.
However, after getting a few boundries off his first over that went for 17, Stubbs (16, 3x4) was out at the start of Kumara’s next over, also edging the ball to slip.
Kumara then got the wicket of Proteas No 5 David Bedingham (4), who was beaten by a brilliant delivery that seamed back towards him and clean bowled the Western Province batter.
Bavuma has looked really solid after not playing any cricket in the middle since October because of an elbow injury. He struck a couple of nice fours and seemed comfortable against the Sri Lankan attack.
However, he is fortunate to still be at the crease after he gloved a short ball off Kumar to the Sri Lankan wicket-keeper while trying to play a hook shot. However, the bowler had overstepped the line, giving the South African captain a life.
Verreynne, fresh off a Test century against Bangladesh in their previous series, also hit a couple of nice boundaries before the break.
Teams of Kingsmead
Proteas: Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs, Temba Bavuma (captain), David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne (wicket-keeper), Marco Jansen, Wiaan Mulder, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada.
Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva (captain), Kusal Mendis (wicket-keeper), Prabath Jayasuriya, Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando.
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