GQEBERHA, South Africa — On the second day of the second Test at St George’s Park, Pathum Nissanka took the lead for Sri Lanka, helping his team reach 242-3 in response to South Africa’s first innings total of 358.
Nissanka made an impressive contribution, scoring 89 runs, marking his seventh half-century and adding to his two centuries in Test cricket. His performance was vital in narrowing the gap to 116 runs by the day’s end.
Joining him at the crease were Angelo Mathews, who managed to score 40 runs after achieving the milestone of becoming the third Sri Lankan to surpass 8,000 Test runs, and Kamindu Mendis, who contributed a steady 30 not out.
Earlier in the day, South Africa commenced play at 269-7 with Kyle Verreynne on 48 runs. However, reaching a total of 300 appeared to be a daunting task with the batting order diminished, especially with Sri Lanka having the second new ball at their disposal.
Verreynne, however, received exceptional assistance from fast bowlers Kagiso Rabada and Dane Paterson, enabling the South African team to secure a total of 358 runs, where Verreynne was unbeaten on a solid 105.