The Proteas picked up just a solitary wicket in the first session as Sri Lanka took their lead to 451 at lunch on day three of the second Test in Colombo.
Having ended day two on 151-3 with a 365-run lead, Sri Lanka continued to push on towards a 500-run lead as the torture continued for the Proteas.
Dimuth Karunaratne played with freedom in building a solid partnership with Angelo Mathews as they piled the runs on to their side’s already hefty lead.
The Proteas struggled to find an early breakthrough and had no choice but to persist with their fast bowlers, despite the pitch offering them nothing, as South Africa were starting to bear the brunt of having only selected one spinner.
Nonetheless, Lungi Ngidi’s persistence helped him find a way to get the first wicket of the session. The young paceman strangled Karunaratne down the leg-side, as the batsman flicked a simple catch through to Quinton de Kock. This saw De Kock become the fastest wicketkeeper to 150 Test wickets, one match ahead of second-placed Adam Gilchrist, with the Aussie having reached the milestone in 36 Tests.
Mathews went on to score his 29th Test half-century as Sri Lanka continued to bury the Proteas under a mountain of runs.
Sri Lanka (second innings) 237-4 – Dimuth Karunaratne 85, Danushka Gunathilaka 61, Angelo Mathews 53*, Keshav Maharaj 2-134, Lungi Ngidi 1-7
Sri Lanka lead by 451 runs.
Photo: CSA/Twitter
