Ken Borland

With the injury-decimated Sri Lankan side succumbing to an innings defeat midway through the fourth day, it may have seemed there was not much resistance from the tourists in the first Test against South Africa at Centurion, but Proteas captain Quinton de Kock said it was still a hard-fought win and there are plenty of positives the hosts will take from the game.

Sure, Sri Lanka were bowled out for just 180 in their second innings, with only Kusal Perera (64) and Wanindu Hasaranga (59) providing much resistance as they went down by an innings and 45 runs, but rewind to two days earlier and South Africa were certainly under pressure.

Having conceded 396, the third largest first innings total they have ever managed to overcome to win a Test, South Africa made it to lunch on 45 without loss. Openers Dean Elgar and Aiden Markram provided the ideal platform by taking that first-wicket stand to 141, but even then there was a mid-afternoon wobble as the Proteas slid from 200 for one to 220 for four.

And then enter Faf du Plessis with a magnificent 199, and Temba Bavuma and their crucial fifth-wicket partnership of 179, added to with great effect by Wiaan Mulder and Keshav Maharaj.

“A Test win never comes easy and we still had to earn it. We fought really hard with the bat after Sri Lanka came out with plenty of intent. It was quite a difficult pitch and we knew we had to be positive. Aiden and Dean started really well and their momentum really helped the rest of the batsmen. Then Faf showed how important is to have senior guys with experience, we needed that under pressure.

“And then the bowlers came back really nicely in the second innings. A guy like Wiaan Mulder is still a youngster but he bowled with maturity, he showed what he’s about and really added value with the ball. Lutho Sipamla made a great comeback, the first day all came down to his Test debut and nerves, he began to bowl like he has been in the nets and it was great to see that fight from him,” De Kock said after starting his Test captaincy tenure with a win.

De Kock said the presence of other leaders who have been captains in the franchise system in the Proteas team had helped him deal with captaincy for the first time in long-format cricket.

“I’ve never captained before in a first-class game but you do have more time to think about things and it helps to have good leaders in the team around me – guys like Dean, Rassie van der Dussen, Temba and Faf. I’ve been standing next to Faf for most of my Test career so I very much knew what Test captaincy is about.

“People always talk about youngsters coming through but you need a balance. Faf really showed his experience in this Test, we needed that under pressure. He showed his leadership and how to handle that pressure because he’s been through those situations many times before,” De Kock said.

South Africa had a 1-0 series lead safely tucked away in their property as they completed an innings-and-45-runs victory over Sri Lanka half-an-hour after lunch on the fourth day of the first Test at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Tuesday.

With this being just a two-match series, it means the Proteas are assured of not losing their fourth successive Test series.

The injury-decimated Sri Lankans were eventually put out of their misery on 180 with Dhananjaya de Silva the only batsman who eventually did not come to the crease.

Fast bowlers Lutho Sipamla and Anrich Nortje claimed the last two wickets as South Africa’s four pacemen took two wickets apiece and there was a run out.

The Proteas began the post-lunch session with two spinners in an attempt to lift their lagging over-rate, but once Sipamla returned, he had Wanindu Hasaranga caught as the plucky debutant tried to drive him down the ground. Hasaranga had belted 59 off just 53 balls, with 12 fours and a six.

Nortje then induced a catch in the gully from Kasun Rajitha (0) and South Africa will go into the second Test at the Wanderers with much to build on.

South Africa put themselves on the verge of victory in the morning session as they were able to tear through the visitors’ batting line-up, taking five wickets as Sri Lanka limped to lunch on 148 for seven, still trailing by 77 runs.

While Lungi Ngidi had been the wicket-taker on the third evening as Sri Lanka went to 65 for two overnight, it was seamer Wiaan Mulder who did most of the damage on the fourth morning with a fine spell of nine overs, two for 29.

He made the first breakthrough of the day when he jagged a delivery back through Dinesh Chandimal’s gate, hitting the top of off stump and bowling him for 25. Mulder bowled particularly well to the left-handers and then had Niroshan Dickwella caught behind for 10, using the natural angle from over the wicket to good effect.

Opener Kusal Perera was still there, however, and landed some tremendous blows as he belted 64 off 87 balls, taking on the Proteas pacemen with the same belligerent attitude as in his famous matchwinning innings in Durban in 2019.

It was Nortje who removed the dangerman, however, winning a caught-behind decision against the left-hander with umpire Adrian Holdstock’s not out decision being overturned on review as a thin edge was picked up on UltraEdge.

Sipamla, who has just been getting better and better after a tough first day at the office, then produced a superb delivery to dismiss first-innings fifty-maker Dasun Shanaka for just 6. The fast bowler angled a nice and full delivery into the right-hander and it then nipped away, finding the edge as the batsman went on a big flatfooted drive, wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock pouncing on the catch.

A chaotic run out, Vishwa Fernando (0) showing poor awareness of the situation as he went for a quick single with the injured Hasaranga, then completed another poor session for the Sri Lankans.

The attractiveness of top-class sport depends on the quality of the contest and Sri Lanka coach Mickey Arthur says the International Cricket Council will have to consider allowing substitutes in this time of Covid-19.

Sri Lanka have been decimated by a spate of injuries in the first Test against South Africa at Centurion, and if the ailment which saw Dinesh Chandimal limping off the field after the last ball of the third day and then lying down on the boundary edge proves to be something more serious than cramp then they could be down to just six fit players.

Arthur blamed the unprecedented number of injuries on a lack of time to properly condition the players for the rigours of Test cricket, due to the effects of Lockdown and the pressure it then puts on the schedule as administrators try to fit more into less time.

“With Colombo under curfew, the players were not allowed to leave their homes so they had to do a lot of their conditioning there. This South African tour was then on-off, on-off, but eventually we did get into camp together. But then the Lanka Premier League T20 meant we lost them for another month and only got them back the day we left for South Africa.

“So you can throw all of that into the melting pot, it probably all played a role. I hope Dinesh only has cramp or we only have six players to finish the Test, I’m afraid I have a feeling its something more serious but we will see how he pulls up in the morning. But it’s not good for anybody, for our team or the TV audience and I will be chatting about it with the ICC Cricket Committee that I am on,” Arthur said on Monday evening.

“We knew some of our players would be in danger with the short preparation time which is why we brought 21 players over here. It’s difficult with trying to fit in franchise competitions and 2021 is going to be very busy for national teams. Getting the balance right is very important and conditioning and having enough time for preparation is crucial. We didn’t get enough time, but if we had had ample time for preparation and getting the players’ conditioning loaded up, then we wouldn’t be in this dire situation we are in now.

“I see India lost one of their bowlers today in their Test against Australia and I suspect there will be more injuries. The workloads are just too much with players having to deal with Covid and quarantines as well. If the world was normal right now then we would not be in this situation and guys would be conditioned. But I’m certain allowing runners and substitutes will need to be looked at at ICC level,” Arthur added.

Sri Lanka will go into the penultimate day of the Test still 160 runs short of making South Africa bat again with only four or five wickets remaining, but the popular former Proteas, Australia and Pakistan coach was able to quip about his team’s desperate situation.

“It’s lucky we have 21 players here otherwise Grant Flower [batting coach] would be batting at three in the second Test at the Wanderers and I’d be at four! But we will get 400 tomorrow and then [part-time medium-pacer] Dimuth Karunaratne is going to take six wickets and win us the game!”

Faf du Plessis put his fabulous 199 against Sri Lanka on the third day of the first Test down to his single-minded focus on his fitness, the one area he said he could control during Lockdown.

While Sri Lanka coach Mickey Arthur was blaming Covid for the unprecedented glut of injuries in his team, Du Plessis seemed to have little sympathy for their plight, saying he had used Lockdown wisely.

“Obviously Covid has made things more intense as far as injuries are concerned, but everyone has had enough time to make sure they are physically fit enough for Test cricket. I did a lot of work during Lockdown, it meant I had a good off-season and, for me personally, I went through the process in the last six months of making sure I was in the best position possible to play really well.

“The one thing I could control was how fit I was and that work is really working for me now and at 36 I feel fitter now than I have ever been before. I’m moving better now than when I was 23 or 24. People have been saying I’m at the end of my career, but it all depends on how good your body is, how fit you are – that is much more important than your age,” Du Plessis said after his career-best masterpiece that lasted nearly seven hours.

The former captain acknowledged his disappointment at getting out one short of his maiden double century, being caught at a wide mid-on off debutant leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga, and said milestones were important for the team and not just the individual player.

“I thought I would just pop it over his head when the field was brought up like they always do when someone is on 99, but maybe I should have tried to hit it straighter because it was the googly. It’s a shot I play really well, just the execution wasn’t so good this time. I was pretty tired by then too and probably not in the greatest position to try and hit a six.
“You don’t think too much about making 200 but it does start when you get past a hundred because big hundreds are what the team strives for. Those are the match-winning knocks and if you get in, you want to make sure that you cash in big time. I felt really good at the crease and from a timing and statement point of view it was great to show those who have doubted my ability recently that nothing has changed,” Du Plessis said.