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SA vs SL 2nd Test Highlights: Rickelton, Verreynne Tons And Paterson, Maharaj 5-Fers Floor Sri Lanka

South African players celebrating a SL wicket [Source: AP]South African players celebrating a SL wicket [Source: AP]

South African bowlers Keshav Maharaj and Kagiso Rabada skittled out the remaining Sri Lankan batters on Day 5 of the second Test at Gqeberha on December 9. Mopping up the entire Sri Lankan innings, the Proteas won the series-decider to claim the two-match rubber 2-0.

Here’s the timeline of how SA vs SL panned out in Gqeberha:

SA vs SL Highlights: Keshav Maharaj Lands Opening Breakthrough On Decisive Day

Chasing 348, overnight batters Dhananjaya de Silva and Kusal Mendis resumed the decisive Sri Lankan innings on Day 5 at 205-5. Both Dhananjaya and Mendis nearly survived the first seven overs of the day by combating Kagiso Rabada and Keshav Maharaj, until the South African tweaker got rid of the well-set Sri Lankan wicketkeeper at 219-6.

Mendis listed 46 runs off 76 balls with three boundaries and a couple of sixes during his fighting 97-run stand with the skipper before making his way back to the sheds.

SA vs SL Highlights: 50 And Out For Captain Dhananjaya As SL Sink Further

Mere moments after the departure of Kusal Mendis, Sri Lankan captain Dhananjaya de Silva nicked one behind Proteas wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne off Kagiso Rabada. The 33-year-old made 50 runs from 92 balls to top-score for Sri Lanka, thus sparking a remarkable lower-order resistance after his team had crashed to 122-5 in a chase of 348 on Day 4. The innings marked his 19th Test half-century and his eighth fifty-plus score as Sri Lankan captain in the format.

SA vs SL Highlights: Maharaj And Jansen Mop Up Sri Lankan Tail

Keshav Maharaj and lanky paceman Marco Jansen prevented the Sri Lankan tail from flourishing after the early departures of the two overnight batters. Continuing his extensive spell on the fifth morning, Maharaj piled on Sri Lanka’s misery with the key wickets of Sri Lankan tailenders Prabath Jayasuriya and Vishwa Fernando to snag a notable five-wicket haul, his 11th in Test cricket.

The left-armer bowled 25 overs in all, out of Sri Lanka’s 69-over outing with the bat, conceding just 76 runs in the process with three maidens. Marco Jansen, who went wicketless on Day 4, bounced out Sri Lankan number 10 Lahiru Kumara for just a single to shoot out the visitors for 238.

South Africa ended up winning the match by 109 runs to take the two-match Test series by a 2-0 margin. Dane Paterson bagged the ‘Player of the Match’ award for his seven-wicket haul, which included five wickets in the first Sri Lankan innings itself. Winning skipper Temba Bavuma, on the other hand, seized the ‘Player of the Series’ memento for fetching 327 runs from four innings.