GQEBERHA, South Africa — In the thrilling fourth day of the second Test at St George’s Park on Sunday, South Africa positioned themselves favorably against Sri Lanka, who found themselves at 205-5 in pursuit of a challenging target of 348 runs.

Medium-pacer Dane Paterson and spinner Keshav Maharaj both impressed with two wickets each to their names, bolstered by fast bowler Kagiso Rabada, who struck early by dismissing opener Dimuth Karunaratne with a precise delivery in the third over that caught the batsman while he was in a defensive stance.

In a commendable effort to counter South Africa’s dominance, captain Dhananjaya de Silva and Kusal Mendis joined forces to forge an unbeaten partnership of 83 runs, moving the score from 122-5 to 205-5 and securing a crucial fifth day of play. Both players remained at the crease with scores of 39 not out, providing hope for their team, although the challenges ahead remained significant.

Historically, the highest successful run chase at this venue was accomplished by Australia, which set the benchmark at 271 runs nearly three decades ago, making it a daunting task for Sri Lanka moving forward.