Sri Lankan pacer Lahiru Kumara took the internet by storm with a sensational delivery against South Africa in the first Test at Kingsmead in Durban on Wednesday. Sri Lanka left South Africa reeling at 80/4 on rain-affected Day 1 of the first Test at Kingsmead, Durban after they were on Wednesday, November 27. Lahiru Kumara was the pick of the bowlers for Sri Lanka as he scalped 2/35 in four overs while Vishwa Fernando (1/17) and Asitha Fernando (1/22) also picked up one wicket each.
Lahiru Kumara led the three frontline quicks who posed varying challenges to South Africa’s batters. Left-armer Vishwa Fernando swung the ball in the air into the right-handers’ pads, and got some balls to hold their line, angling it across the batters. Asitha Fernando plugged away outside the channel. Lahiru Kumara nipped ball back and unsettled South Africa with his pace, bowling at around 144kph on occasion. Captain Temba Bavuma (28*) and Kyle Verreynne (9*) are at the crease for the hosts who will aim to rebuild their innings on Day 2.
Pitch Report and Toss
Pitch report: Its gonna be a sporting wicket, gonna be a good challenge for the South African batters. The wind is gonna be a challenge as well. It is gonna assist the quicker bowlers early on. An area round about good length, there is a good covering of grass. It does traditionally spin here, but for the first couple of days it is gonna be for the seamers. Can feel it (the surface) is a touch soft,” reckon Hashim Amla and Mike Haysman.
Toss : Sri Lanka skipper Dhananjaya De Silva won the toss and chose to field with 3 seamers in the playing XI . South Africa under new skipper Temba Bavuma batting first aims to score more in the first innings
Day 1 : Morning Session : Lahiru Kumara and pacers rip through SA top-order in lively morning session on Day 1
Sri Lanka’s pacers made full use of the lively morning conditions in Durban as they ripped through South Africa’s top order on the first day. Having chosen to bowl, the visitors got the ball moving early on conditions favoring seam movement. With a bit of cloud cover as well, batting was far from easy although Aiden Markram started off with couple of crisp boundaries off Asitha Fernando. But the pacer had the final word as he had Markram nicking while poking at a delivery outside off.
Earlier in the day, Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva won the toss and elected to bowl first and the decision was vindicated by Asitha Fernando who managed to dismiss Aiden Markram (9) in just the third over of the day getting him caught at slips. Just three balls later, Vishwa Fernando got the second success of the day for his team as he managed to find the edge of Tony de Zorzi’s bat which was safely grabbed by Kamindu Mendis at second slip.
At the other end, Vishwa Fernando had Tony de Zorzi punching and nicking to the slip cordon in the following over. Having lost their openers within the space of three balls, South Africa were on the backfoot straightaway. Tristan Stubbs and Temba Bavuma arrested the slide for a brief period, seeing off the spell from the opening bowlers and giving some evidence of settling in.
Vishwa Fernando and Asitha Fernando had led Sri Lanka’s advances, zipping the ball around on a somewhat moist surface to frequently beat and occasionally collect the outside edges of South African bats.
Vishwa, the left-arm quick, was especially disciplined, finding significant inswing in the air from over the wicket, as well as away movement off the deck. He took the wicket of Tony de Zorzi, who was caught by a diving Kamindu Mendis at second slip, soon after Asitha had Aiden Markram held in the cordon – both bowlers striking in their second over of the day.
Sri Lanka seamers continued to pose challenges to South Africa bowling under overcast conditions by continuously testing their defence. However, they were let down by their fielders as Dimuth Karunaratne dropped Bavuma on 1. The South African skipper rubbed salt into the wounds by scoring a couple of boundaries in the very next over.
Temba Bavuma and Tristan Stubbs scratched their way through to the drinks break, putting on 32 together, with many of those runs coming off the outside edge through deep third. But Lahiru Kumara, Sri Lanka’s fastest bowler, made amends for a wayward first over by having Stubbs fend one to third slip. Soon after, he nipped a ball through David Bendingham’s defenses to send his off stump cartwheeling – the most dramatic dismissal of a short day’s play.
Sri Lanka could have had an even better morning but for two indiscretions. Bavuma, who survived 47 balls and ended the day on 28, should have been held by Dimuth Karunaratne for 1, but he grassed the low chance at second slip. That was off the bowling of Vishwa.
Then, shortly before rain arrived to cut the session four minutes short, Bavuma edged a Lahiru Kumara bouncer he was trying hook, but Kumara was found to have marginally overstepped. Bavuma was on his way to the dressing room when the umpires called him back. He was on 20 at that point.
Bavuma, however, was perhaps the most restrained of South Africa’s batters. He covered the line of his stumps nicely as Sri Lanka’s opening bowlers plugged away in the channel, and though he frequently had his outside edge beaten, he did not appear especially eager to feel bat on ball. He had wicketkeeper-batter Kyle Verreynne for company when the showers came through.
Though Lahiru Kumara claimed two wickets, his four overs cost 35 runs. Asitha and Vishwa both went at less than three an over. Lahiru Kumara was hit for 17 in his first over as South Africa landed their first blows back. But that joy was short-lived, for Kumara had Stubbs nicking in his following over. Kumara added the cherry on top as David Bedingham then chopped on in his following over, leaving South Africa in tatters at 54/4.
Bavuma, through the carnage, offered steadfast defence to hold one end up after being dropped on 1 by Karunaratne off Vishwa. Along with Kyle Verreynne, he saw South Africa through in the first session which was curtailed by the onset of rain towards the end of the session.
Tristan Stubbs also took on the attack from the other end hitting Lahiru Kumara for four boundaries in the 14th over. However, the right-arm speedster had the last laugh who managed to find his edge in the next over which was taken after a few attempts by Karunaratne. Lahiru Kumara further thrashed the stumps of David Bedingham in his next over leaving the Proteas on 54/4.
He even made Bavuma glove one behind to wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis but unfortunately ended up overstepping giving second reprieve to the South Africa skipper. Despite losing wickets, Kyle Verreynne and Bavuma continued to find boundaries keeping the scoreboard moving. With South Africa on 84/4, the heavens opened up and strong showers pouring down interrupting the play in first session. There was no more play possible in the day as fans from both sides were left wanting for more.
Road Ahead on Day 2 for SA and SL
Under dark Durban skies, Sri Lanka had very nearly their perfect first morning of a first Test, their captain inserting the opposition, before his seamers removed four South Africa batters. But only 20.4 overs were possible on the first day before rain arrived just before scheduled lunch. It stayed put over Kingsmead, until play was called off at around 3 pm.
Murky conditions. Rain expected. And there was no surprise when Sri Lanka chose to bowl. The bowlers surely didn’t let their skipper down. Got rid of the openers cheaply and should have had Bavuma twice (dropped once and got caught off a no-ball), but not to be. After the brilliant opening hour from the Fernando’s, it was the turn of Lahiru Kumara in the second.
After conceding 17 (includes 4 leg byes) off his opening over, Lahiru Kumara removed a promising Stubbs and Bedingham in quick succession to push South Africa into further trouble. Unfortunately, that was all the action we had. Two sessions wiped out due to rain, but the radar looks promising for the rest of the Test. Remember, there will be no early start tomorrow and we might have a couple of 135-minute sessions instead, followed by an extra half-hour in the final session.