“`html

DURBAN, South Africa — The first cricket Test at Kingsmead has seen South Africa establish a commanding lead of 281 runs over Sri Lanka by the end of a tumultuous second day, characterized by the remarkable fall of 19 wickets on Thursday.

Sri Lanka initially seemed to have the upper hand at lunchtime after South Africa’s batting lineup collapsed for a modest total of 191. However, within a mere 83 legal deliveries—spanning just 13.5 overs—Sri Lanka fell apart, posting only 42 runs, marking their lowest total in Test cricket history.

The stark contrast of Sri Lanka’s batting shortcomings on what appeared to be a batter-friendly pitch was further highlighted by Marco Jansen’s superb bowling performance, which earned him career-best figures of 7 wickets for just 13 runs. By the close of play, South Africa had reached 132 for 3 in their second innings.

Complicating matters further for South Africa, all-rounder Wiaan Mulder suffered a finger injury while batting in the morning session. Although he retired hurt, he made a brief return to the crease when South Africa was nine down, finishing on 9 not out. Due to the injury, Mulder was unable to bowl or field, which did not appear to affect the team’s performance following the lunch interval. During the second innings, he was promoted up the order from No. 7 to No. 3, managing to contribute 15 runs despite evident discomfort.

Aiden Markram was South Africa’s top scorer in the second innings, contributing 47 runs. Both captain Temba Bavuma and Tristan Stubbs remained not out at 24 and 17 respectively, with three days still remaining in the match. Left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya claimed two of the three wickets that fell, marking the 100th and 101st wickets of his Test career.

Sri Lanka’s batting lineup quickly crumbled upon their turn to bat. Dimuth Karunaratne edged a delivery from Kagiso Rabada to first slip early in the innings, followed by Pathum Nissanka who was dismissed for a similar reason by Jansen. Dinesh Chandimal also fell victim to Jansen, and veteran Angelo Mathews lost his wicket after an ill-timed poke at a delivery outside off-stump.

Kamindu Mendis managed to score the highest for Sri Lanka with just 13 runs before the team found itself in dire straits at 32 for 5 in the 11th over. Sri Lanka’s innings concluded with a total of just 42 runs, with the last five wickets tumbling in a mere span of 15 balls. The final wicket, which was the fifth duck of the innings, came from a caught and bowled by Jansen.

Notably, Sri Lanka’s previous lowest total was 71 runs against Pakistan over two decades ago in Kandy. South Africa’s performance also stands out historically, as they claimed Sri Lanka’s wickets in the fewest deliveries within 100 years; the last time a comparable feat occurred was in 1924 when England dismissed South Africa in 75 balls.

Jansen’s remarkable figures of 7 wickets for 13 runs came in just 6.5 overs, including one maiden over. This feat made him the second bowler in history, after Australia’s Hugh Trumble in 1904, to achieve seven wickets in under seven overs during a Test inning.

Following a rain-affected first day, Thursday’s play began under clear blue skies, providing better batting conditions. South Africa resumed with a score of 80 for 4, but the early wicket of Kyle Verreynne, who did not add to his overnight score of 9, heralded more troubles. Jansen and Gerald Coetzee were both dismissed shortly after as Jayasuriya entered the attack.

A noteworthy cameo from Keshav Maharaj, scoring 24 runs with three boundaries and a six, lent some stability to Bavuma, who had reached his 22nd Test fifty off 93 balls. Bavuma ultimately fell for 70 runs from 117 balls, including nine boundaries, after mis-timing a shot off Asitha Fernando’s bowling.

With South Africa’s innings concluding shortly thereafter, Mulder made a brief return from his injury and finished with 9 not out. In total, Asitha Fernando claimed 3 wickets for 44 runs, while Lahiru Kumara and Vishwa Fernando took 3 for 70 and 2 for 35, respectively, heralding a remarkable day for the South African team.

“`