Fernando shines as Sri Lanka defy odds

Sri Lanka – who arrived without form, senior players and in some turmoil – did particularly well to dismiss South Africa for a modest 235 in 59.4 overs on the first day of the first test at Kingsmead in Durban on Wednesday.

Indeed, without an important 80 from Quinton de Kock – the only half-century from a Proteas’ batsman – the home team would have been in even deeper trouble.

The Proteas did strike back in the final session, with Dale Steyn having opening batsman Lahiru Thirimanne caught behind for a duck, fencing at a wide one, but the visitors would still have been the happier of the two camps. When bad light stopped play, skipper Dimuth Karunaratne (28) – looking particularly solid – and debutant Oshada Fernando (17) had taken the visitors to 49/1 in reply, a deficit of 186.

"We were a bit unaware of the new guys. I think they caught us off guard," said De Kock

"We had good game plans against (opening bowler) Suranga Lakmal but the two new guys were unseen before. They bowled really well, they didn't miss their lengths often and they made us work hard for what we got."

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Earlier, the Sri Lankans won the toss and put their opponents in to bat, a decision that produced rich rewards in the morning session on a well-grassed pitch when pacemen Suranga Lakmal and Vishwa Fernando shot out the top three South African batsmen for 17 inside the opening eight overs. And when Faf du Plessis was dismissed on the stroke of lunch, the Proteas went uncertainly into the break on 89/4.

Dean Elgar was the first to go in the second over, playing inside a full-length delivery from Fernando and edging a routine catch to wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella. That made South Africa one down without a run on the board and that should have read 0/2 two balls later when Amla was rapped on the pad in front of his stumps.

For some reason umpire Aleem Dar neglected to give him out and then refused to refer Sri Lanka’s request for a review on the dubious grounds that they had taken too long.

IN TWO MINDS

Fortunately for Sri Lanka, any possible resentment didn’t have long to simmer as Amla soon went for three, edging a delivery from Lakmal to Kusal Mendis at first slip after being in two minds as to whether to leave the ball or not.

The left-arm Fernando then curled a ball back through Markram’s defences to knock back his off-stump to leave South Africa reeling on 17/3.

The Sri Lankan bowlers made up for their lack of pace with good discipline, making the most of what the Kingsmead pitch had to offer, and Faf du Plessis and Temba Bavuma initially had to struggle before gradually settling to their work.

The two added 72 for the fourth wicket before Du Plessis (35) was unfortunate to get a thin edge down the leg side off the bowling of Kasun Rajitha. Fortune was also against Bavuma soon afterwards when De Kock drove Fernando firmly back at the bowler. The ball struck Fernando on the shin and deflected onto the stumps with Bavuma’s bat millimetres short of safety. The compact right-hand batsman was looking well set on 47 (68 balls, 7x4s) when he had to go.

MISTIMED PULL

Vernon Philander didn’t last long, lobbing a mistimed pull back to Rajitha to make the total a worrying 131/6, but Keshav Maharaj, making only his second appearance for the Proteas this summer, and De Kock batted brightly to add 47 in 51 balls.

After Maharaj’s dismissal, caught behind for 29, De Kock had some help from Dale Steyn as he took South Africa to their final total. The fluent left-hander, following on from his century in the third test against Pakistan, struck eight fours and a six in his 94-ball innings before he perished in the deep.

Fernando was Pakistan’s most successful bowler, capturing career-best figures of 4/62, while medium-pacer Kasun Rajitha took 3/68. The metronomic Suranga Lakmal was the best bowler, however, taking 1/29 in 14 overs.

Fernando said he enjoyed bowling in South African conditions compared to those in Sri Lanka, where he said fast bowlers tended to struggle on unhelpful pitches.

"The ball was swinging in the morning," he said.

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SOUTH AFRICA: Aiden Markram, Dean Elgar, Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Faf du Plessis (capt), Quinton de Kock (wk), Vernon Philander, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Dale Steyn, Duanne Olivier

SRI LANKA: Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Lahiru Thirimanne, Oshada Fernando, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Suranga Lakmal, Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Lasith Embuldeniya