Sri Lanka have battled to 102-3 at lunch on day one of the first Test against the Proteas at SuperSport Park in Centurion.
The visitors opted to bat first after captain Dimuth Karunaratne won the toss at the start of play where fast bowler Lutho Sipamla was handed his Test debut for the Proteas as Glenton Stuurman missed out on selection due to injury.
READ: Sipamla debuts for Proteas
The 22-year-old Sipamla opened the bowling with the new ball alongside Lungi Ngidi but struggled to get his line and length right against the left-handed pair of Karunaratne and Perera, who made a quick start with the bat.
Ngidi made the important breakthrough when Karunaratne chopped one on to his own stumps for 22 before Anrich Nortje and Wiaan Mulder, who is also back in the team, got in on the act with the wickets of Kusal Mendis (12) and Perera (16) as the Sri Lankans slumped to 54-3.
Dinesh Chandimal (13*) and Dhananjaya de Silva (32*) consolidated somewhat in the middle with a couple of decent strokes and safely guided Sri Lanka to lunch with an unbeaten 48-run partnership for the fifth wicket.
Squads:
Proteas: Aiden Markram, Dean Elgar, Rassie van der Dussen, Faf du Plessis, Quinton de Kock (c) (wk), Temba Bavuma, Wiaan Mulder, Keshav Maharaj, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, Lutho Sipamla.
Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne (C) KJ Perera, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de silva, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara.
