1st Test
Day-1 Highlights:
Sri Lanka pacers has dominated South Africa’s top order on rain-affected day
At The Stumps of Day-1:
South Africa scored 80/4 (1st Innings) vs Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka’s pacers capitalized on the lively morning conditions in Durban, dismantling South Africa’s top order on the opening day.
After opting to bowl first, the visitors took advantage of the conditions that favored seam movement, aided by some cloud cover.
Batting proved challenging, though Aiden Markram began with a couple of crisp boundaries off Asitha Fernando.
However, Fernando had the last laugh, getting Markram to edge one outside off.
At the other end, Vishwa Fernando had Tony de Zorzi caught in the slip cordon, reducing South Africa to two wickets down in the space of three balls.
With the openers back in the pavilion early, South Africa found themselves on the backfoot.
Tristan Stubbs and Temba Bavuma briefly steadied the ship, seeing off the opening bowlers and showing signs of recovery.
Lahiru Kumara was hit for 17 runs in his first over as South Africa made some progress, but Kumara struck back quickly, getting Stubbs to edge behind in his next over.
Kumara then had David Bedingham chop on in his subsequent over, leaving South Africa reeling at 54/4.
Through the chaos, Bavuma stood firm, offering solid defense, though he was dropped on 1 by Karunaratne off Vishwa Fernando.
Bavuma, alongside Kyle Verreynne, managed to weather the storm until the rain brought an early end to the session.
The persistent rain washed out the rest of the day’s play, leaving South Africa struggling.
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