GQEBERHA: An unbeaten sixth-wicket partnership between skipper Dhananjaya de Silva and Kusal Mendis kept Sri Lanka’s hopes alive on the penultimate day of the second Test against South Africa here at St George's Park on Sunday.
Chasing a mammoth 348-run target, the touring side had slipped to 122/5 as Keshav Maharaj removed both set batters Angelo Mathews (32) and Kamindu Mendis (35) in quick succession, who earlier shared a 73-run partnership for the fourth wicket.
The back-to-back dismissals were followed by a defiant stand between Dhananjaya and Kusal, who pushed their team’s total past the 200-run mark.
Dhananjaya and Kusal, unbeaten on 39 runs each, will resume Sri Lanka’s second innings on the final day from 205/5, needing a further 143 runs.
Earlier at the commencement of the eventful day, the home side resumed their second innings from 191/3 through skipper Temba Bavuma and Tristan Stubbs, with 221 runs lead in their favour.
The pair could add 22 runs to their overnight fourth-wicket partnership as Stubbs got run out just three shy from his second Test half-century.
Bavuma then joined hands with David Bedingham for a crucial 41-run partnership before being cleaned up by Prabath Jayasuriya.
He remained the top-scorer for South Africa with 66 off 116 deliveries with the help of three fours and two sixes.
Bedingham (35) was then involved in a brief 14-run partnership with first innings’ centurion Kyle Verreynne (nine) before both perished in successive overs, bringing the total down to 273/7.
Jayasuriya-led Sri Lankan bowling attack then swept South Africa’s batting tail to book them for 317 in the second innings.
Left-arm spinner Jayasuriya bagged a five-wicket haul in the second innings, while Vishwa Fernando took two wickets. Asitha Fernando and Lahiru Kumara, on the other hand, chipped in with a wicket apiece.
For the unversed, South Africa lead Sri Lanka 1-0 in the two-match Test series, crucial for both sides in the World Test Championship (WTC) final race.
