Lunch South Africa 5 for 0 (Elgar 3*, Markram 2*) & 126 need another 347 runs to beat Sri Lanka 190 (Karunaratne 60, Maharaj 4-58, Rabada 3-44) & 287
South Africa’s attack staged an impressive comeback on the third morning in Galle to nip out Sri Lanka’s last six wickets for 73 runs but their first-innings deficit has given them a tough task in the final innings. Sri Lanka pushed their lead to 351, asking South Africa to score the highest total of the match and complete the joint third-highest successful chase on the island against an attack the visitors are clearly uncomfortable against.
Still, South Africa will take confidence from the way their bowlers ran through Sri Lanka, and especially with Keshav Maharaj’s performance. After going wicketless in the first innings, Maharaj took 4 for 58 in the second innings to underline his position as the first-choice spinner in the XI.
Dale Steyn equalled Shaun Pollock’s record as South Africa’s leading Test wicket-taker, with 421 scalps to his name, but he will have to wait until next week to overtake Pollock. Steyn took the last wicket, of Lakshan Sandakan, who poked at a short ball to give Temba Bavuma a simple catch at point. Perhaps more crucially for Steyn, it was the first time since August 2016 that he got through a full Test without any fitness concerns. He delivered 24.4 overs in total, conceded 89 runs and took two wickets.
Sri Lanka lost their first wicket of the day in the fourth over of the morning, in unfortunate fashion, when Roshen Silva was run-out at the non-striker’s end off a deflection from Kagiso Rabada in his follow-through. But the real trouble came when Rabada took two wickets in the 45th over. He went around the wicket to Niroshan Dickwella, and got a fullish delivery to straighten on the batsman, who played away from his body and edged to Quinton de Kock. Two balls later, Rabada struck Dilruwan Perera on the pad, with one that came in sharply from outside off, to claim his 150th Test wicket in his 31st Test match. He is not the fastest to the landmark – Sydney Barnes did it in 24 matches – but Rabada is in the top dozen.
At 134 for 7, Sri Lanka’s hopes of stretching their lead well over 300 rested on Angelo Mathews, who settled in well and struck one glorious six off Maharaj but then tried the slog sweep against the left-arm spinner and missed, to be bowled for 35.
Tabraiz Shamsi thought he had Lakmal lbw in the 53rd over but Rod Tucker disagreed, and so did ball-tracking. The review showed the delivery, which pitched on off stump and hit Suranga Lakmal in front of middle, would have bounced over the stumps. Shamsi did not have to wait too long for a wicket. Herath was given out lbw two balls later, when he missed a sweep.
Unlike in the first innings, when Sri Lanka’s last two pairs put on 111 runs, this time their tail did not wag as vigorously. Lakmal and Sandakan put on 27 for the 10th wicket, the third-highest partnership of the innings, before Steyn ended the innings.