Lankan spinners strike back, bundle South Africa for 124 in 1st innings

South Africa crumbled to 124 all out on the second and facing a whitewash in the two-match series

Sri Lanka's Akila Dananjaya took five wickets as South Africa crumbled to 124 all out on the second day of the second Test today and facing a whitewash in the two-match series. Herath and Dilruwan Perera took the remaining five South African wickets between them, with captain Suranga Lakmal not required to deliver a single ball in the innings.

Sri Lankan spinners ran riot on the dry pitch in Colombo after the home side made 338 with Dananjaya starring in a last-wicket stand with Rangana Herath.

Already a game down after poor batting in the first Test, only South Africa captain Faf du Plessis and wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock showed resistance, making 48 off 51 balls and 32 off 31 respectively. The proteas lasted only 34.5 overs after Sri Lanka had batted for 104.1 overs in their first innings.

Lankan attack pic.twitter.com/Dl3vOQsY26

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Dananjaya, left out for the first Test at Galle, struck with his second ball of the match, having Dean Elgar caught at gully with a turning off-break. He got Theunis de Bruyn edging behind in the next over, and Perera picked up the South Africa middle order to finish on four for 40.

The only batsman to put any pressure on Sri Lanka was du Plessis, who attacked the spinners after lunch, sweeping with abandon as he struck eight fours and a six. He and Hashim Amla put on the best partnership of 55, but Perera dismissed them both within four overs of each other. Despite de Kock's aggressive innings, the remainder of South Africa's batting fell away quickly.

Dananjaya came back to clean up the tail, completing the second five-wicket haul in his three-Test career. Herath and Dananjaya hit out with the bat in the morning, as Sri Lanka's final pair put on 74 to haul the hosts to 338.

South Africa's left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj eventually dismissed Herath to end the innings, and complete a haul of nine for 129 - the second-best for a South Africa bowler ever, and the best since the country returned to Test cricket in 1991.