Sri Lanka versus South Africa Test Series, 2024

2nd Test

Day-2 Morning Session Highlights:

South Africa has finished the first innings with 358 runs after Kyle Verreynne’s century

At The Lunch of Day-2:

South Africa scored 358 (1st Innings), where as Sri Lanka scored 19 for no loss.

Kyle Verreynne’s unbeaten 105 guided South Africa to a total of 358, despite Sri Lanka’s pacers continuing to chip away with regular wickets.

The visitors then safely reached 19 for no loss at Lunch on the second day at St George’s Park.

With movement on offer, Sri Lanka struck early on Friday.

In the third over of the morning, Vishwa Fernando induced an edge off Keshav Maharaj’s bat, and he was caught at first slip.

Amidst a few play-and-misses, Kagiso Rabada also blasted a few boundaries.

As he picked up pace and Verreynne skillfully rotated the strike with singles and twos, South Africa maintained a healthy scoring rate during the morning session.

Verreynne soon joined Rabada in the boundary spree, taking on Vishwa’s short balls and pulling and cutting the pacer to the boundary on either side of the wicket.

Sri Lanka’s continued use of the short ball backfired, with Verreynne punishing Asitha Fernando by hitting three boundaries off an over soon after they crossed the 300-run mark.

Rabada also treated Lahiru Kumara’s short-pitched deliveries similarly, before falling to a length delivery from Asitha that went through his bat and pad to clean him up.

The 56-run partnership between Rabada and Verreynne was crucial for the hosts.

With only the last batter for company, Verreynne shifted gears, hitting Prabath Jayasuriya for a six over extra cover and then smashing two more sixes and a boundary off Asitha.

Dane Paterson contributed with a couple of boundaries before edging a cross-batted shot to be caught.

Pathum Nissanka and Dimuth Karunaratne saw out the final moments of the morning session, heading to the break unbeaten, aided by three byes that raced to the boundary.