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!
Sri Lanka wants this win🫣🥹tomorrow we wake up and demolish😏😂 #SAvsSL
— Sandpaper Girl ❤️ (@SportyGalV) December 6, 2024
Ahh!
baaki agr mood shi krna ho to, SAvsSL and NZvsENG ke matches bhi chl rhe h, ve dekhlo..m to teeno dekhta hu….bdiya
— Joe Goat (@Ricky_T_Ponting) December 6, 2024
Sri Lanka puts up a tough fight against South Africa. #SAvsSL #SLvSA #SAvSL pic.twitter.com/Bv6Aji5ow4
— Sachin Tomar (@SachinTomar9507) December 6, 2024
Yes that is true!
Yes it is!
What a fightback by Sri Lanka.
Good to see them comeback #SAvsSL pic.twitter.com/uCvCO0qtGP— Mahi (@Rcb_guy) December 6, 2024
Angelo Mathews completed 8000 runs
What a legend 👏🏻 #SAvsSL pic.twitter.com/wqcHh0hbc1— Mahi (@Rcb_guy) December 6, 2024
True that!
Srilanka looking strong on day 2.
If they manage to win, they can be in WTC finals. #SAvsSL— Vrushabh Satav (@VrushabhSatav) December 6, 2024
Yeah!
Angie gets to 8k test runs. What a wild ride it’s been for him over the past 16(!) years#SAvsSL
— Dominic Machado (@DominicMachado1) December 6, 2024
🚨 Angelo Mathews achieves a remarkable feat! 🚨
– Completes 8000 runs in Test cricket! 🔥
What an incredible achievement! 👏#AngeloMathews #SAvsSL #SLvsSA #TestCricket #Cricket pic.twitter.com/XSrjuI3IBe— Akaran.A (@Akaran_1) December 6, 2024
