Mulder strikes early as Sri Lanka stumble in morning session

Proteas all-rounder Wiaan Mulder was the star of the first morning of the second Test between South Africa and Sri Lanka as he took three wickets for one run to send the tourists crashing to 84 for five at lunch at the Wanderers on Sunday.

Sri Lanka had won the toss and elected to bat first in initially cloudy and cool conditions, and opener Kusal Perera was the dominant figure as he bashed 60 of the first 71 runs, facing just 67 deliveries and hitting 11 fours. The left-hander was difficult to bowl to because anything pitched up was dispatched through the covers with a flashing blade reminiscent of the great Sanath Jayasuriya.

But that was before Mulder joined the attack in the 19th over. The seamer removed Kusal with his seventh delivery, finding the perfect length to draw the batsman forward, reaching for a drive, as he swung the ball across him and the resulting edge was snaffled by Aiden Markram at third slip.

Four balls later, Mulder dismissed Kusal Mendis for a duck, the left-hander edging a wonderful away-swinger to first slip, and in his next over the 22-year-old seamer removed Lahiru Thirimanne (17), who tried to play another away-swinger too square on the leg side and was also caught in the slips.

Debutant Minod Bhanuka was dismissed with the last ball before lunch for five, edging an ambitious back-foot drive on the up off Anrich Nortje, which was neatly taken above his head by Rassie van der Dussen at first slip.

It completed a dramatic turnaround as the well-set Sri Lankans collapsed from 71 for one to 84 for five.

Earlier, while Kusal had set about the bowling from the outset, fellow opener and captain Dimuth Karunaratne struggled to get going. The left-hander (another one!) needed 24 balls to get off the mark and his struggles ended on two off 32 deliveries when he prodded at a short delivery from Nortje, edging behind to wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock.

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