Left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj used mostly as a defensive bowler to tie up one end while the South African pacies ripped batsmen out from the other seized his chance to show the stuff he is made of given the attacking options by producing the third best bowling figures by any bowler against Sri Lanka on the opening day of the second cricket Test played at the SSC grounds yesterday.
Maharaj who came onto bowl as early as the 15th over despite South Africa playing three quick men gave a wonderful performance to end the day with figures of 8 for 116 off 32 overs as Sri Lanka winning the toss finished on 277 for nine wickets. It was also easily his career best improving on the figures of 6 for 40 he took against New Zealand at Wellington last year.
Maharaj could still end up with the best figures by an opposing bowler against Sri Lanka if he captures the last wicket today. Only two bowlers (both fast bowlers) have better figures than him – Imran Khan of Pakistan who took 8 for 58 at Lahore in 1982 and Shannon Gabriel of West Indies who took 8 for 62 at St Lucia’s in 2018.
It was a not a first day total that Sri Lanka would have expected when they took lunch at 93 for no loss. Danushka Gunathilaka and the in-form Dimuth Karunaratne scored fifties apiece as they pieced together the first century opening partnership for Sri Lanka in 21 Tests since 2016.
It was actually Sri Lanka’s top three batters who contributed to the total with Dhananjaya de Silva also joining the openers with a brave innings of 60 off 109 balls (8 fours) overcoming a painful blow on the right shoulder from a Rabada snorter that caught him in two minds when he had scored 47.
As for the rest of the batting they got starts but failed to carry on and make a big score as Maharaj assisted by the pace bowlers kept the Lankan batting on a tight leash not allowing them the liberty to score freely. Kusal Mendis began confidently but once again fell foul to a shot that he would regret when he played a shade too early and popped a simple catch to mid wicket.
Roshen Silva during his 68 minutes at the crease clearly showed his discomfort against genuine pace. He really needs to work on his technique. Lack of feet movement to get to the ball is what’s causing him to swish at balls outside the off stump.
Dickwella plays the way he only knows that is to sweep and attack the bowling. He tried to sweep one too many and ended up top edging a catch to slip. Mathews is badly in need of a big score and one is long overdue from him being the most senior batsman in the team. He scratched around for 10 off 24 balls before edging Maharaj to slip in the first over after tea. But it
was enough to get him across the 5000-run mark in Test cricket making him the ninth Sri Lankan to do so.
The way Maharaj performed would have left a doubt in the mind of South African skipper Faf du Plessis whether it would have been a good idea to have played two spinners. Maharaj was called onto bowl 32 overs in extreme hot and humid energy sapping conditions and he obliged his captain dutifully bowling unchanged throughout the afternoon session capturing 3 for 40 in 15 overs.
To compensate for a second spinner South Africa used part timers Markram and Elgar who between them sent down 10 overs and found appreciable turn. If Maharaj’s exceptional bowling is anything to go by on how the pitch is playing then South Africa are going to have a tough struggle against the Lankan spinners. Herath and Dilruwan Perera ran through their batting at
Galle capturing 15 wickets between them and Sri Lanka have included Akila Dananjaya, an attacking off-spinner with a lot of variations in their line-up for this Test at the expense of Lakshan Sandakan.
The only wicket to fall to the pacies was Roshen Silva’s when he was beaten and bowled by the pace of Rabada. Dale Steyn who opened the bowling was still left striving for that one wicket that would make him his country’s leading wicket-taker in Test cricket. He stands level with another fast bowling great Shaun Pollock on 421 wickets. His 15 overs yielded no wicket for 47 runs.
Sri Lanka leads the two-match series 1-0 having won the first Test at Galle by 258 runs.
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