Sri Lanka aim to ‘keep a positive mindset’ after defeat

Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne said his team would try to stay positive after losing the first Test against South Africa by an innings and 45 runs inside four days at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Tuesday.

Karunaratne bemoaned the injuries that derailed his bowling attack, with fast bowlers Kasun Rajitha and Lahiru Kumara both suffering groin injuries and being unable to bowl again.

“We were in the driving seat after scoring nearly 400 runs,” the skipper said. “We were doing pretty well as a batting unit but we lost a couple of bowlers.”

Sri Lanka started the match well, making 396 after winning the toss, but an injury-depleted bowling attack conceded 621 runs when South Africa batted, with man-of-the-match Faf du Plessis hitting 199.

Sri Lanka were bowled out for 180 in the second innings despite half-centuries from Kusal Perera (64) and debutant Wanindu Hasaranga (59).

Karunaratne said Rajitha and Kumara would not have time to recover before the second and final Test, which starts at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Sunday.

But he expected key bowler Suranga Lakmal to have recovered from the hamstring injury which kept him out of the first Test, while fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera was waiting in the wings.

“We have another game to go and I will try to keep them together. We need to keep a positive mindset. Suranga and Dushmantha can do a good job for us,” he said.

Sri Lanka also lost batsman Dhananjaya de Silva, who was ruled out of the series with a torn thigh muscle after scoring an impressive 79 in the first innings. He did not bat in the second innings.

Karunaratne did not indicate who might replace De Silva at the Wanderers but hinted it could be a “youngster”.

South Africa went into the first Test with an inexperienced pace bowling line-up, with the four seamers only having 12 previous caps and 35 wickets between them.

They are likely to be bolstered for the second Test by the return of Kagiso Rabada, who has played in 43 Tests, but De Kock said new cap Lutho Sipamla and all-rounder Mulder, playing his second Test, had both performed well.

Sipamla overcame a nervous start, in which he conceded 38 runs in his first five overs, to finish with match figures of six for 100, while Mulder provided accuracy and control in taking two wickets in each innings.

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