South Africa A slumped to an innings and 50-run defeat to Sussex on Friday.
The visitors began the day on 151-6, 307 runs behind Sussex’s first innings total. Rudi Second (31) was the first casualty of the day when Danny Briggs dismissed him lbw. Dane Paterson followed just two overs later without a change in the score. The SA A batting collapse was complete when Junior Dala became Will Beer’s sixth victim as he finished with figures of 6-29 in 17.1 overs, SA A all out for 185.
The hosts enforced the follow-on with SA A trailing by a mammoth 273 runs. Temba Bavuma could not repeat his first innings heroics as he fell for a first-ball duck. Jason Smith’s stay at the crease was also brief, after Abidine Sakande claimed his second scalp.
Markram and one-day captain Khaya Zondo stood tall in the face of some fantastic bowling by Sussex to lead their side past the 50-mark. Sakande returned, however, to bowl Markram for a 43-ball 33.
Zondo continued to resist the Sussex onslaught by keeping the scoreboard ticking in the company of Second. Second’s promising innings came to an end when Beer made him his seventh victim of the innings.
This brought Mulder to the crease. He provided Zondo with much-needed support, the pair seeing SA A past both the 100 and 150-run mark. Just three runs short of the 200-mark, Sekande accounted for Mulder’s wicket, out for a well-played 42, which included five boundaries.
Zondo fell five runs short of what would have been a fantastic century. This spelt the beginning of the end for SA A. The lower order failed to offer up much resistance, with the last four wickets falling for the addition of 23 runs.
SA A will be looking to regroup in time for their one-off Unofficial Test against the England Lions, beginning on Wednesday.
