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South Africa 4 wickets away from series whitewash over lowly Sri Lanka, in 3rd Test at Wanderers

The highlights of the innings was a spectacular one-handed catch which Faf du Plessis took over his head when an edge off Angelo Mathews’ bat looked like flying over his head at second slip.

Dimuth Karunaratne brought up his 11 Test fifty to delay the defeat © Getty Images
Dimuth Karunaratne brought up his 11 Test fifty to delay the defeat © Getty Images

Sri Lanka were in tatters at 124 for 6 at the end of the second session on Day Three of the Third Test against South Africa, in their second innings at Johannesburg. Sri Lankan opener Dimuth Karunaratne (50) played the anchors’ role for his team before Kagiso Rabada disturbed his timbers. He brought up his career’s 11th Test fifty to delay the defeat but except for him, no other Sri Lankan batsman could provide any stability. At the end of the second session, Upul Tharanga and Rangana Herath were batting on 9 and 6 respectively. The second session started off with some sturdy batting from Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis. But as the session progressed, the tourists kept on losing wickets and now stare will be a humiliating whitewash against the Proteas.

Resuming from the score of 13 for 1, Karunaratne showed some resilience in spite losing partners on the other end at regular intervals. The South African pace attack comprising of Vernon Philander, Rabada, Wayne Parnell and debutant Duanne Olivier continued to bowl probing spells, not allowing the batsmen to free their arms. There were some dropped chances in the slip area, the first being Mendis and then of Karunaratne himself. Mendis departed two deliveries later after being dropped but Karunaratne rectified his mistake and went on to score a half-century. The highlights of the innings was a spectacular one-handed catch which Faf du Plessis took over his head when an edge off Angelo Mathews’ bat looked like flying over his head at second slip.

LIVE CRICKET SCORECARD: South Africa vs Sri Lanka, 3rd Test at Johannesburg

The start of the second session saw the visitors change their batting tactics. They avoided poking their bat at anything that was bowled outside the line of off-stump, something which cost them heavily in their first innings. But the hosts deployed themselves in the right manner to break the tourists’ deftness. Now with six wickets gone, it is only a matter of time before the Sri Lankans are done and dusted in this series for one last time.  Sri Lanka managed to score 111 runs in this second session but at the cost of 5 wickets which have put them on course to a humiliating whitewash.

Brief scores:

South Africa 426 (JP Duminy 155, Hashim Amla 134; Nuwan Pradeep 4 for 78) lead Sri Lanka 131 and 124 for 6 (Dimuth Karunaratne 50, Kusal Mendis 24; Kagiso Rabada 2 for 34) by 171 runs.

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