Honours even at lunch on Day One of first Proteas, Sri Lanka Test

Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje and Wiaan Mulder each took a wicket as South Africa started poorly and then pulled things back on the opening morning of the first Test against Sri Lanka at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Saturday.

Sri Lanka, who had won the toss and elected to bat, reached 102 for three at lunch with clouds overhead, a muggy atmosphere and a tinge of green to the pitch.

It was the tourists who enjoyed the early dominance as openers Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Perera scored 28 runs at a run-a-ball. South Africa were fielding their most inexperienced pace attack since the Boxing Day Test against Australia way back in 1993 and it showed. Between them, Ngidi, Lutho Sipamla, Nortje and Mulder have just 12 caps.

Debutant Sipamla had a particularly torrid time as his first three overs cost 28 runs, and he then returned for two overs before lunch that cost 10 more runs.

His new-ball partner Ngidi did pose problems to the left-handers, coming around the wicket and tailing the ball back into them, and he gained reward when he cramped Karunaratne (22) with extra bounce while nipping the ball back, Sri Lanka’s captain chopping the ball on to his stumps as he tried to force through the off side off the back foot.

Perera and Kusal Mendis continued the cracking pace as Sri Lanka reached fifty in the ninth over, before Nortje – the decision to not give him the new ball was puzzling – removed Mendis for 12. The batsman played a poor stroke, looping a catch to mid-on as he tried to pull the fast bowler, who certainly had his tail up, from outside off stump.

Mulder, returning to Test cricket for the first time since his debut against Sri Lanka in February 2019, produced a quality spell of six overs for 13 runs, nipping the ball around and removing Kusal Perera for 16 when he edged an extravagant slash to wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock.

Sri Lanka were in danger of getting carried away after all the early gifts from the Proteas as they slipped to 54 for three, but the experienced Dinesh Chandimal looked as if he would sell his wicket dearly as he reached lunch on 13 not out and Dhananjaya de Silva was more entertaining as he stroked his way to 32 not out.

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