Twitter Reactions: Sri Lanka keep fighting but South Africa have the edge heading into Day 5

Sri Lanka need another 143 runs with five wickets in hand on Day 5 of the second Test against South Africa in Gqeberha.

View : 38

3 Min Read

South African Team
info
South African Team. (Photo Source: Twitter/X)

Day 4 of the ongoing second Test between South Africa (SA) and Sri Lanka (SL) turned out to be an intriguing affair at St George's Park, in Gqeberha, on Sunday, December 8, as both teams fought hard to wrestle the momentum in their favour.

South Africa started the day from a strong position at 191/3, with Captain Temba Bavuma and Tristan Stubbs at the crease. The latter failed to add anything significant to his overnight score, as he sacrificed himself for his skipper, getting run out two runs short of his half-century. Bavuma, however, went on to register his fourth consecutive 50-plus score in the series. The diminutive batter was eventually dismissed for a well-compiled 66 off 116 balls.

David Bedingham contributed nicely with a 55-ball 35 but Prabath Jayasuriya helped the tourists muster a solid comeback as the left-arm spinner registered his maiden five-wicket haul in an away game. The Proteas had slumped from 254/4 to 290/9 before Dane Paterson and Keshav Maharaj added 27 runs for the last-wicket partnership off just 20 deliveries.

Sri Lanka needed 348 runs to pull off a record-breaking win but they didn't get the start they would have hoped for. Former captain Dimuth Karunaratnre was dismissed by Kagiso Rabada in the third over. Pathum Nissanka and Dinesh Chandimal played with positive intent and added a 37-run partnership. However, the former got out playing a strange shot. Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews and Kamindu Mendis got starts but they couldn't convert them into substantial scores.

Mathews showed a bit of immaturity when he tried to go for a big swipe towards mid-wicket. However, he connected with thin air and became Maharaj's first victim in the second innings. Kamindu also departed for a run-a-ball 35. The onus was on captain Dhananjaya de Silva and Kusal Mendis, who were the last recognised pair for the visitors.

Also Check: Why Proteas women are wearing black jersey in 2nd ODI Match?

They managed to hold the fort and finish with an unbeaten partnership of 83 runs from 117 balls. Both players are batting on 39 and will look to orchestrate a famous win for the South African team on Monday. Meanwhile, Maharaj and Paterson have picked up two wickets each. The Lankan Lions need another 143 runs to level the two-match series. Meanwhile, the Rainbow Nation only need five more wickets to win the series.

Here's how 'X' users reacted to all the action from Day 4:

Get every cricket updates! Follow Us:

googletelegraminstagramwhatsappyoutubethreadstwitter

Download Our App

For a better experience: Download the CricTracker app from the IOS and Google Play Store