Captain Temba Bavuma was the only batsman to provide some sort of resistance against a disciplined Sri Lankan attack as the Proteas batting woes continued on the second day of the first Test against Sri Lanka.
Bavuma went to his 22nd half-century before losing his wicket shortly before lunch at Kingsmead in Durban on Thursday morning. He made a fighting 70 off 119 balls, which included nine fours and one six to get the Proteas to decent score of 191 all out.
Bavuma started the day on 28 not out, with South Africa resuming on 80/4 after the last two sessions of day one were washed out on Wednesday.
The Proteas would have hoped to make use of the bright sunshine to get their innings back on track after Sri Lanka had used the heavy overhead conditions on day one to wipe out the home team’s top-order.
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Solid outing from the captain so far 💪
📺 Stream #SAvSL on DStv: https://t.co/rM90YyQxaw pic.twitter.com/TQEqjugqfr
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) November 28, 2024
But the Proteas lost wicket-keeper batsman Kyle Verreynne early on day two with just three runs added to the overnight score. The Western Province batter was trapped lbw by Lahiru Kumara (3/70). after his feet, head and bat were not in sync to counter a ball seaming in.
The Proteas then lost Wiaan Mulder (13 not out) to injury after he was struck on the glove by a rising Kumara delivery. Mulder came back to bat after the Proteas lost Bavuma, but looked in some pain when striking the ball.
The home team will be hoping their premier all-rounder will be able to contribute with the ball on a pitch that still offered a lot of seam movement.
Keshav Maharaj (24) and Kagiso Rabada (15) contributed a few runs to get the Proteas close to that 200-run mark, but Bavuma was by far the mainstay of the innings.
The key to his knock was playing the ball late and right under his eyes, while he dispatched of the bad ball when the bowlers strayed in their line and length. What made the knock even more remarkable was that he hasn’t played any cricket in the middle since October following a elbow injury.
His fellow top-order batters can really take a few lessons about how he went about his business on a track that is likely to get flatter as the sun and the wind start to take effect.
The Proteas will have to come out firing after lunch to try and drag their team back in the game. They will be encouraged by the movement on offer, but need to strike quickly, as batting generally does get easier as the day progresses in Durban.
@JohnGoliath82
