Sri Lanka, led by Dhananjaya de Silva, is expected to bounce back to level the series after poor batting performances in the Durban first Test when they meet South Africa in the second Test today at St. George’s Park in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), commencing at 1 pm (Sri Lanka time).
Sri Lanka entered the Durban first Test in third position in the World Test Championship (WTC) standings, with the home side in fifth. However, that was before South Africa dismissed the Lankans for 42, their lowest-ever total, in 13.5 overs in the first innings, with Marco Jansen taking 7 for 13, the best figures by a fast bowler in Durban. The result catapulted South Africa into second spot, while Sri Lanka slipped to fourth.
After losing the first Test, the Sri Lanka team worked hard during training sessions, focusing particularly on their batting on seam and bouncy tracks in South Africa. In fact, without a warm-up game and playing directly in the first Test was a big challenge, and the final result was that South Africa took a 1-0 lead in this two-match series. But that is not an excuse for the Sri Lanka team; they have to adjust well to play the game.
Sri Lanka batting coach Thilina Kandamby feels there are enough players in the group who have experienced comeback success. “We have a very experienced unit, and they have been in situations like this before,” said Kandamby, who is working hard with the Sri Lanka batters. “Actually, we have made comebacks before as well. I don’t think the players are mentally down. We give them a lot of confidence. We started off in a similar fashion in the last England series. We came from behind to win a game at the last Test at The Oval. We have identified that, and we need to be at our best from day one.”
“We didn’t assess the conditions well at the first Test in Durban,” said Thilina Kandamby. “The options that we took were wrong. On the first two days, the pitch was challenging due to overcast conditions and wind. But we could have shown more patience. The more time you spend in the middle, the easier it gets,” said Kandamby.
Sri Lanka openers Dimuth Karunaratne and Pathum Nissanka couldn’t make a good start in both innings, while number three batter Dinesh Chandimal made a fighting knock of 82 in the second innings. The Sri Lanka top order has to perform well to build up good innings. Chandimal also pointed out the importance of the first innings total, which is always more than 300 runs, and this is the challenge faced by Sri Lanka batsmen in this crucial second Test.
Coetzee and Mulder out due to injuries
Meanwhile, Gerald Coetzee, the South Africa pacer, has been ruled out of the second Test against Sri Lanka due to a groin injury sustained in the first Test. The 24-year-old felt discomfort while bowling on the fourth day of the first Test against Sri Lanka. He underwent scans, and the report revealed a right groin muscle strain, stated a Cricket South Africa (CSA) media release. Meanwhile, South Africa has added pacer Kwena Maphaka to the squad for the second Test against Sri Lanka in Gqeberha. South African paceman Wiaan Mulder is also ruled out due to a finger injury, while Dane Paterson, Kwena Maphaka, and spin all-rounder Senuran Muthusamy are fighting for a place to strengthen South Africa’s attack.
Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen, the first match heroes, are once again expected to challenge Sri Lanka’s batsmen with their seam bowling. However, traditionally at St George’s Park, spinners do come into play. It can even happen in the first innings, depending on the moisture and the pitch, and if you factor in the wind, spin comes more into play. So the option of a second spinner is definitely there to be discussed by both sides in this second Test. However, both sides have not yet finalised their teams. Sri Lanka’s three seamers, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, and Lahiru Kumara, did a decent job in the first Test, and what is more important is that the batters have to perform well to give confidence to the bowlers.
Dhammika Ratnaweera