South Africa Fight Back

South Africa clawed back into the Test match in Gqeberha with a productive opening session on the third day, picking five wickets. By lunch, Sri Lanka trailed by 40 runs with only two wickets in hand.

Kamindu Mendis got Sri Lanka going with a boundary, but South Africa managed to keep things tight. Angelo Mathews departed for 44 after a delivery bounced extra and gloved behind. Marco Jansen then struck again, taking the brand new cherry to dismiss Mendis.

Kusal Mendis looked jittery and was handed a reprieve by Aiden Markram in the slip cordon. However, Sri Lanka managed to add a little partnership to edge towards the 300-run mark. Dane Paterson turned the game around with a terrific three-wicket over, including the wickets of Dhananjaya de Silva and Kusal Mendis.

Bagging the wickets of the last two recognized batters, Paterson went one step ahead and picked a third wicket in the over when Lahiru Kumara found Jansen at gully. Prabath Jayasuriya hit back-to-back boundaries as Sri Lanka went past 300, but South Africa would back themselves to fetch a slender first-innings lead.

Brief scores:

• Sri Lanka: 318/8 (Pathum Nissanka 89, Kamindu Mendis 48; Dane Paterson 4/66, Marco Jansen 2/100)
• South Africa: 358