Ken Borland

It took the Proteas less than an hour’s batting to wrap up victory by 10 wickets in the second Test against Sri Lanka at the Wanderers on Tuesday, just the nin^th time South Africa have won by that margin.

Set just 67 to win, Aiden Markram (36*) and Dean Elgar (31*) needed just 13.2 overs to get there and clinch a 2-0 series win. The last time South Africa won by 10 wickets was against India at Kingsmead in 2013, while they beat Sri Lanka by the same margin at Newlands in 2012.

Sri Lanka had collapsed in a rash of poor strokes on the third morning, South Africa’s pacemen filling their boots as the tourists lost their last six wickets for 61 runs.

Resuming on 150 for four, and leading by five runs, Sri Lanka were bowled out for 211 after little more than 90 minutes on the third day. Lungi Ngidi, who bowled some superb deliveries and finished with four for 44, and Lutho Sipamla, who wrapped up the tail with three for 40, were the chief beneficiaries of the tourists’ largesse.

Markram (16*) and Elgar (8*) had reached 24 without loss at lunch.

Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne and Niroshan Dickwella started the day in positive fashion, adding 26 runs in the first five overs as they reached 176 for four.

Karunaratne became the first Sri Lankan batsman to score a Test century at the Wanderers, but he lasted only a handful more deliveries as fast bowler Anrich Nortje (2-64) cramped him with an effort ball of extra pace, the left-hander’s attempted pull shot merely sending a leading edge high to square-leg. The skipper’s 103 had come off just 128 deliveries, a great innings that was both pugnacious and determined.

His demise ended a promising fifth-wicket stand of 67 with Dickwella, and the wicketkeeper/batsman’s soft dismissal for 36 in the next over knocked the stuffing out of the visitors. Dickwella played an awful stroke, trying to wallop Ngidi on the up, over midwicket from a middle-and-off line, and he could only slice a catch to mid-off running round.

Wiaan Mulder (1-52) picked up the wicket of Dasun Shanaka (8), flicking lamely to mid-on, but Wanindu Hasaranga looked up for a fight as he dug in for nearly an hour in scoring 16. But he too lost his head, trying to hit Sipamla over the top and being comprehensively bowled.

The rookie fast bowler soon added the scalps of Dushmantha Chameera and Asitha Fernando for ducks, completing an innings which promised some hope for the Sri Lankans but ended in an embarrassing mess.

A top-class century by Dean Elgar on a tricky Wanderers pitch has put South Africa in a position of strength in the second Test against Sri Lanka and the gritty left-hander said on Monday that he enjoyed the challenge and being able to cope with the various fluctuations in batting flow that inevitably happen during four hours at the crease.

Elgar’s 127 was the bedrock of the South African first innings of 302 that gave them a commanding lead of 145, but apart from displaying his usual tenacious streak, it was also a fluent innings, coming off just 163 deliveries and featuring 22 boundaries.

“It’s about the ebb and flow of batting in Test cricket and you do go through periods when you have to absorb pressure, and then you’ll have a short window where you can score more freely when the bowlers maybe start searching for a little bit extra. So I went through the gears quite a bit, but that’s the nature of Test cricket – you can’t just have one gear and expect to be consistent.

“It was tough, we know what the Wanderers is like, it was bowler-friendly conditions and there was a lot of movement and in the air too. So the mental aspects of batting are challenged and it’s nice to put yourself through a challenge like that. It’s like coming out the other side of a tunnel and if your team is then in a good position then that’s all you can ask for,” Elgar said after notching the second-fastest of his 13 Test centuries.

While Elgar and Rassie van der Dussen (67) shared a second-wicket stand of 184 – a record both for South Africa against Sri Lanka and in all Wanderers Tests – there was a glaring failure by the rest of the batting line-up to capitalise as the Proteas lost their last nine wickets for 84 runs. Instead of shutting the tourists out of the game through sheer pressure of runs, they gave Sri Lanka a glimmer of hope and the visitors batted gamely, led by captain Dimuth Karunaratne’s 91 not out, to reach 150 for four at stumps.

“It was a well-under-par total especially after the big partnership, but this is not an easy place to bat, especially for the new batsman coming in. There were quite a few very good balls bowled so credit to Sri Lanka, and when you come in you have to really be on form. If you’re able to get through that tough time up front, if you respect the conditions, then you can cash in.

“It was not ideal that I got out and then Rassie straight afterwards, but maybe we relaxed a bit mentally, maybe we need to trust our techniques a bit longer. If you can apply yourself for lengthy periods, leave well and trust your defence, then the conditions will start to flatten out. If you stay in your bubble and not play rash shots, then the pitch does start to do less,” Elgar said.

Sri Lankan captain Dimuth Karunaratne is standing between the Proteas and victory in the second Test as he scored 91 not out to shepherd his team to 150 for four, a lead of five runs, at stumps on the second day at the Wanderers on Monday.

Karunaratne is certainly leading from the front as he has occupied the crease for 190 minutes, but the left-hander is putting away the bad ball effectively as he has collected 17 fours off 116 deliveries. With Sri Lanka trailing by 145 runs on first innings and losing master blaster opener Kusal Perera for just a single in the third over, bowled through the gate by a beautiful Lungi Ngidi delivery, it has been important for Karunaratne to keep the scoreboard ticking over.

Niroshan Dickwella is with him on 18*.

South Africa’s inexperienced attack endured a flat period as Karunaratne and Lahiru Thirimanne (31) added 85 for the second wicket following the dismissal of Kusal, and it took a big moment of good fortune for the Proteas to shift the momentum.

Thirimanne, who had played a series of superb drives, tried to glance Ngidi off his hip and was caught down the leg side by wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock. Amazingly, Ngidi’s next delivery was similarly off-target but it dismissed Kusal Mendis for a first-ball duck, De Kock taking a stunning leg-side catch diving at full-length. The unfortunate Mendis therefore completed a pair and his third successive duck.

Anrich Nortje then bounced out debutant Minod Bhanuka for 1, Keshav Maharaj taking a brilliant running catch off a top-edged hook, and the Proteas attack looked much more threatening in the last hour of the day, but by then the luck seemed to have shifted and several edges went over the slips or through the gaps between them.

South Africa had begun the second day on 148 for one, just nine runs behind and with both Dean Elgar, on 92 and Rassie van der Dussen, on 40, approaching milestones.

Elgar reached the landmark of three figures first, notching the second-fastest of his 13 Test centuries as he got there in 133 balls, with 18 fours. Van der Dussen went to his half-century off 98 deliveries and the pair passed South Africa’s record second-wicket partnership against Sri Lanka (125 between Elgar & Faf du Plessis in Galle in 2014) and then also broke the Wanderers record of 182 set by Andrew Strauss and Rob Key for England back in 2004/5.

Elgar scored the couple of runs that took the partnership to 184, but he was dismissed by the next delivery, Dushmantha Chameera bowling a fine delivery that just nipped away a touch to find the edge of the left-hander’s bat. Elgar was caught at first slip for 127, ending four hours of quality batsmanship in which he showed a tremendous ability to bat fluently, absorb pressure and then lift the scoring rate again.

The wicket of Van der Dussen followed in the next over, Sri Lanka needing good use of the review system to confirm the 31-year-old had gloved a paddle-pull down the leg side off Dasun Shanaka, wicketkeeper Dickwella scrambling to take the catch.

Sri Lanka then quickly ran through the rest of the Proteas batting, the last nine wickets falling for just 84 runs as they were bowled out for 302, left-arm swing bowler Vishwa Fernando leading an excellent bowling comeback with five for 101, his maiden five-wicket haul.

He was well supported by skilful seamer Shanaka and feisty debutant Asitha Fernando, who took two wickets each.

An emphasis on dot-balls – being able to both deliver them and absorb them when batting – stood the Proteas in good stead on Sunday as they dominated the opening day of the second Test against Sri Lanka at the Wanderers.

Having lost the toss and being sent into the field to bowl first, South Africa had to weather a blazing 60 off 67 balls by opener Kusal Perera before fighting back to claim the last nine wickets for just 86 runs to bowl Sri Lanka out for only 157. Wiaan Mulder sparked the collapse by taking three wickets for one run just before lunch, before fast bowler Anrich Nortje ran through the rest of the batting with career-best figures of six for 56.

Dean Elgar (92*) and Rassie van der Dussen (40*) were then able to adapt their games to how well Sri Lanka were bowling as they added 114 for the second wicket to take the Proteas to 148 for one at stumps. There were periods when the Sri Lankan bowling was exceptional and both batsmen showed great composure and patience to ride out those tough periods.

Elgar changed gears impressively: his first 25 runs came at a run-a-ball but he reached his half-century off 70 deliveries, before accelerating again as his next 42 runs came off 49 balls. Van der Dussen faced 26 deliveries before getting off the mark but refused to give his wicket away in an immense display of restraint.

“As a bowling unit we did very well and it was great to improve the way we did after the first innings at Centurion. Lungi Ngidi bowling three maidens up front set the tone and we knew that if we were building dots them something will happen. Credit to Wiaan for bowling really well from the start, he didn’t just bowl dot balls but got wickets as well which helps us so much.

“We just wanted to be tight and keep things as simple as possible, use the extra bounce and not try and do miracles. We stuck to what we wanted which was to bowl in the channel, get dot balls and not try to do too much. It’s very important to bring the run-rate down because that usually creates wickets, but Dean and Rassie knew they had a lot of time and did not rush. They played that tight period very well, they knew there was no need to try and hit balls outside off that posed a risk. They played the conditions really well and when the straight balls came they got the runs. Credit to them, they really batted well,” Nortje said after the close of play.

Mulder may not have the excess speed of Nortje, but it was the all-rounder who pulled Sri Lanka back by removing Kusal with a good length delivery angled across the left-hander. Sticking to that probing line and length and getting a bit of movement was what he used to dismiss Kusal Mendis and Lahiru Thirimanne as well.

“Wiaan got the wickets he deserved and he has been amazing for us. He still bowls at a good speed, but to have control like that is so valuable. Dwaine Pretorius did a similar role against England and it’s nice to have a bowling partnership like that. Wiaan just keeps doing what he does and that makes it much easier for the rest of us.

“He doesn’t just hold up an end. He’s building pressure and adding a lot of value to the attack,” Nortje said.