SA Emerging beat Sri Lanka Emerging by 121 runs on the final day of the first four-day match.
The bowlers were key in their victory, bundling out Sri Lanka for 224 in their second innings to seal a significant victory.
Bjorn Fortuin was the star once again taking 5-98, picking up a total of 12 wickets over the two innings. His man-of-the-match performance helped maintain the pressure helping them solidify their victory.
‘Credit has to go out to the whole bowling unit, the conditions were not easy, but our seamers stuck to it and that made it easy for our spinners to bowl as well.
‘We knew that we had to come out guns blazing today and I think we did really well to pull it back to a win, it was a really awesome effort by the boys.’
Despite a dominant display by the SA bowlers, Rumesh Buddika impressed with the bat scoring 50 not out and Amila Aponso joining him on 44 runs off just 30 balls.
Special mention should go out to Aponso who took a total of 13 wickets and scoring 68 runs over the two innings proving that he is a player to watch for the future.
SA all-rounder, Jason Smith, set the tone in the first innings, scoring a century which gave SA the platform for victory. The 21-year-old proved once again how dominant he can be scoring a whopping 211 runs and taking one wicket for his team.
The dominance showed by Smith and Fortuin bodes well for the future of South African cricket, as the SA Emerging side look to continue their good form in the final match to wrap up the series.
SA Emerging Coach, Shukri Conrad, was satisfied with the progress of the team, and feels ready for the last match.
‘I think we were in strong positions on days one, two and possibly three,’ he said. ‘Sri Lanka fought back constantly and I always thought that they would be better in the four-day format. The conditions here were a great test for our boys, hopefully they keep learning because that’s what this is all about.
‘It was a great result, after our loss in the final of the one-dayers, we needed to show we are a quality side with some really quality players.’
The final match starts on Sunday, 21 August at Tuks Oval.
Photo: Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix
