Sri Lanka
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Sri Lanka defy the odds in Test series against South Africa

Mustafa Ismail·
Test
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After their victories over India and Pakistan, the series against Sri Lanka was supposed to be a cakewalk for South Africa…

If you’d asked any cricket expert before the series, they’d have claimed South Africa were going to win the series comfortably. Sri Lanka had been thrashed in Australia and New Zealand, and were coming into the series with injuries to key players. However, the team showed a lot of heart throughout the encounters. After pulling off a miracle in the first Test, they proved it was no fluke. They came back again from a tricky situation, beating South Africa convincingly in the second match.

South Africa won the toss again in the second Test and elected to bat first, hoping to exploit the conditions. They managed to score 222 as De Kock led the way with a fluent 86 and gave South Africa something to bowl at. Much like the first game, South Africa pegged Sri Lanka back and restored a 68-run lead. With the first Test fresh in their memories, the South African batsmen were determined to post a huge score to defend in the fourth innings.

However, the plan backfired as the Sri Lankan bowlers, led by Suranga Lakmal, ripped into the South African batting order and managed to bundle them out for 128. This left Sri Lanka to chase 197 in the fourth innings and despite the low scores, it wasn’t the worst batting track. If anything, both teams had put in sub-par batting performances up until then – and Sri Lanka proved this during their chase. After the loss of two early wickets, Dilhara Fernando and Ajantha Mendis put up a series-winning partnership.

Both batsmen batted with the utmost maturity and never looked uncomfortable at the crease. South Africa have defended similar targets recently, but the Sri Lankan batsmen played flawlessly and were determined to reach the target. In the end, the fourth-wicket partnership was unbeaten with Mendis scoring 84 and finding support in an inexperienced Fernando, who notched a fabulous 75 not-out. An 8-wicket win meant that Sri Lanka became the first-ever team from the subcontinent to win a series in South Africa.

An unseasoned captain; an unknown bowling attack; and an unproven batting order in foreign conditions – claiming Sri Lanka were up against it would be an understatement. The fact that they managed to pull off this historic series win reflects the character and tenacity of their players. Their remarkable victory will be remembered down the years, by the entire cricketing fraternity, as one of the biggest upsets in modern-day Test cricket. Sri Lanka will be hoping to mark this success as a turning point for their cricketing future and produce consistently dominant performances.

South Africa, on the other hand, will be extremely disappointed with the defeat on home soil. All the hard work they’ve put in for the past year or so was tarnished by the upset. One could’ve justified the first Test as a freak result, but then to lose convincingly in the next match went on to prove that Sri Lanka were the better team. In both games, the South African batsmen underperformed and wasted the opportunities they had to bat Sri Lanka out of the game.

The hosts still managed to put in decent bowling performances – but were unable to finish the job in either Test. South Africa will have to go back to the drawing board and ensure that they correct the glaring mistakes made during the series. They’ve been playing some quality cricket in recent times – and will need to focus on putting this setback behind them to prepare for the upcoming World Cup.

Overall, this series was another great advertisement for Test cricket. The first match left us on a cliffhanger and the second Test was also tightly contested until Sri Lanka imposed themselves in the latter stages. Cricket fans have plenty to look forward to in the months to come – and hopefully, this will prove to be a taste of what both teams have to offer.