Sri Lanka tour of South Africa 2020-21 News

The South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced stringent lockdown measures to curtail the fast rate of spread of the covid-19 in the country. However, it wouldn’t affect the ongoing Test series between South Africa and Sri Lanka as sports have been exempted from the closure list. A govt order read that "Sport, arts and culture activities, including both professional and non-professional matches, by recognized sporting bodies are allowed." However, there is a precondition to it that "only journalists, radio, television crew, security personnel, emergency medical services, and the necessary employees employed by the owners of the venue ... are allowed at the venue of the ... match", and that "only the required number of players, match officials, support staff and medical crew required for the sports match, are allowed at the venue". Reacting to the new lockdown measures which see the ban of public gathering in hotspot areas, the interim board of Cricket South Africa assured, "the new restrictions will not impact the ... match currently underway at ... Centurion". The second Test at Wanderers on January 3, would go ahead as planned as well. It has been a very dangerous wave of covid-19 that is going on in South Africa. The country had recorded 14,796 cases of Covid-19 on Christmas Day alone. In total, the one million cases mark has been breached by the nation as well.

Just after the sheer happiness of the South African and Faf du Plessis fans when he crossed 150 for the first time in his international career, his dismissal caught them unaware, shocking and saddening them to the core as the South African got out on 199, just one short of what could have been his first double hundred in international cricket. Twitter reacted to this dismissal of his in a sad way as nobody expected du Plessis who had been on the crease for more than 270 balls to get out in such a fashion. The delivery that got his wicket was not at all deserving of a wicket and it was rather the lack of concentration, or just that one lapse in it, once in a day that caused the 34-year-old his wicket. The man from Pretoria lofted a straight one from Wanindu Hasaranga, the bat twisted in his hands and a leading-edge was gulped easily by the opposition captain Dimuth Karunaratne at mid-on. This was the 10th Test century for Faf in his 66th Test for the Proteas. With the help of this marathon knock, the South African posted a mammoth 621 in the first innings, that too while scoring at a healthy run rate of 4.37 Trailing by 225 runs, Sri Lanka started their second innings on a poor note, losing captain Karunaratne at the score of 10. At the time of writing this news, Kusal Mendis had also lost his wicket and Kusal Perera and Dinesh Chadimal were braving a fiery spell from Lungi Ngidi. The islanders were trailing by 191 runs.

Sri Lanka's hopes of dominating the first Test against South Africa were severely dented by a strong reply from the home side. The resistance was led by their dogged opener Dean Elgar who just missed out on another Test hundred. Still, the Proteas ended day 2 on 317/4, trailing Sri Lanka by 79 runs. Earlier in the day, Sri Lanka mangaed to take their score to 396 after starting at 340/6. The seventh-wicket partnership between Dasun Shanaka and Kasun Rajitha added a valuable 67 runs to the team's score. Shanaka managed to reach his fifty and remained unbeaten at the end of the innings on the personal score of 66. After the fall of the seventh wicket, of Kasun Rajitha, who scored 12, South Africa ended the lower order's resistance quickly. Debutant Lutho Sipamla, who struggled early on during the first day but managed to look more effective with the second new ball, picked up the last three wickets and ended with figures of 4/76. Wiaan Mulder also had good figures - 3/69. South Africa started on a very strong note. Despite the pitch offering some assistance to the seamers, openers Elgar and Aiden Markram put up a partnership of 141. Markram was out on 68 to Vishwa Fernando. Rassie van der Dussen, occupying the pivotal no. 3 position, which had been made his own by Hashim Amla, managed only 15 before a beautiful delivery by Lahiru Kumara moved just a little to take the edge of his bat, and the catch was taken by the wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella. At this stage, Sri Lankan seamers started to get the ball to move around and presented challenges to the batsmen. Elgar, nearing his hundred, fell prey to a delivery that swung back in from Shanaka and the left-hander's strong bottom hand made the ball travel back towards the bowler, aerially, to be taken gleefully by him. Elgar scored 95. Quinton de Kock came out at no. 5 and straightaway got into his strokeplaying mode. Unfortunately for him, debutant Wanindu Hasaranga got a delivery to go on with the angle, instead of turning like a regular leg-break, into the batsman. The ball took the edge of de Kock's closed-face bat and carried to slip. At 220/4, with the conditions still offering assistance to the seamers, South African team would have been a bit worried. However, du Plessis and Bavuma took charge and negotiated the bowling without creating any chances. Sri Lankan pacers were not able to bowl consistent lines and lengths to trouble the batsmen while Hasaranga's success didn't lead to more spin-related troubles for the batting pair. By the time the end of the day came around, Faf had managed to reach an important half-century in his career. Bavuma also moved on to 41. The partnership is worth 97 runs and looking ominous for the Lankans. The visiting teams bowlers just didn't create enough opportunities. They were also hamstrung with an injury to Kasun Rajitha which forced him to leave the field after bowling just 2.1 overs. The match has proceded in an unexpected way. Despite the pitch having sufficient bounce and movement, neither team has been able to do justice to them. The match has, hence, turned into one with high scores in first innings.

Senior Pro Dinesh Chandimal took upon the resp[onsibility to build the innings as Sri Lanka managed to finish strongly on the first day of the First Test at the Supersport Park, Centurion against the hosts South Africa. The Lankan Tigers courtesy fifties from 31-year-old Chandimal and 29-year-old Dhananjaya de Silva reached 340-6 at the Stumps with all-rounder Dasun Shanka on 25 not out, supported ably by paceman Kasun Rajitha who was not out on 7, having faced 27 balls and the partnership between the two a total of 20 runs. The early breakthroughs Sri Lanka skipper Dimuth Karunaratne won the toss and decided to bat first on a lively Centurion first day track. The Islanders tried countering the pace of Lungi Ngidi and Anrich Nortje through aggressive shots, but one shot too many led to the fall of the top three wickets in the form of Karunaratne, Kusla Parerea, and Kusal Medis on the score of 54 in only 11 overs. While Nortje got the better of Mendis, Karunaratne chopped on a rising Ngidi delivery. Wiaan Mulder who made a comeback into the South African side for the first time after playing his first test against Sri Lanka in 2019, took out Parera for 16. Chandimal-de Silva counterattack After the early breakthroughs, the pair of Chandimal and de Silva took it upon themselves to pull the team out of the miserable situation. The pair played some exquisite drives and while de Silva went on the aggressive, Chandimal mixed caution with delightful strokeplay to reach his 19th Test fifty. The Colombo born de Silva was fluently moving towards what would have been his seventh Test hundred before an untoward injury forced him to retire hurt on 79. Chandimal then put on a 99 run stand with wicket-keeper batsman Niroshan Dickwella before getting an unplayable delivery from Mulder which rose up from the good length to take the fine edge of his gloves and right into the hands of Faf du Plessis at first slip. He made 85. The tail wags in style If the Proteas would have thought that the fall of Chandimal’s wicket would open the floodgates and tail would be crumbled upon, they were in for a surprise as after Chandimal’s dismissal at the score of 284, the Lankan tail has wagged and quite nicely at that, having added 55 runs so far with four wickets remaining. Mulder remained the bright light for de Kock’s team. He picked up there out of the total six wickets to fall on the day. Along with him, Nortje too has been impressive while Lutho Simapla really needs to put in the hard yards tomorrow morning to add to the lone wicket he has had so far in the game.

Last time Sri Lanka toured South Africa, the world witnessed one of the most unexpected outcomes from a Test series. First, Kusal Perera played an all-time classic innings to achieve a most unexpected victory for his team in the first Test and then, a clinical performance in the second gave the Lankans their first-ever Test series win in South Africa. Now, as the Sri Lankans return, the Proteas are still trying to recover from the devastation caused to them in the year 2019 and, in the first half of 2020 also. Following the upset loss to Lanka at home, the South Africans performed poorly in the World Cup, got whitewashed in India and were thoroughly beaten at home by England. South Africa are in desperate need of a good win to get themselves back on track. Sri Lanka are a good team to start this attempt as resurrection. But the Proteas would know better than anybody not to take the islanders lightly. This will also be the first series for Quinton de Kock as Test captain. He is up against a team that, in the last few years, has never looked like a dangerous side. But somehow, the Sri Lankans were able to turn the tables in the last series. Before that two-match contest in South Africa, the Lankans had hosted South Africa and had pulverised them on spin-friendly pitches. So, South Africa would be looking for revenge and finally, putting an end to the winning streak that Sri Lanka have against them. Let's look at the five biggest factors on which the outcome of the series would hinge. South Africa's Batting When the Proteas lost at home against Sri Lanka, the biggest culprit was their very poor batting. Against a very ordinary looking bowling attack, the home side failed to put up big scores. The batting woes continued for them in the tour of India and also the series at home against England. So, the South African batting would again be in focus. For becoming a top side again, they would have to raise their performances with the bat. Quinton de Kock has been the most consistent performer for his team. But he hasn't got much support from others. du Plessis hasn't done well for an extended period of time in this format. Dean Elgar has played good innnings but has been inconsistent. Only Rassie van der Dussen has shown himself to be up to the challenge in the last couple of years. Against Sri Lanka, South Africa's hunt for batting strength will continue. Whether they find the answers or not may decide the fate of the series. Struggles Against Spin When South Africa were the no. 1 Test team in the world, they had Jacques Kallis, Hashim Amla, and AB de Villiers in their batting line-up. These three were exceptionally good players of spin bowling also, apart from their other great traits. Now, with all three of them gone, the ability to play spin has become an even bigger weakness for the Proteas side. In 2018, they were dismantled by the Sri Lankan spinners on turning pitches, which the Proteas camp felt were unfair. However, this criticism seeemd meaningless when in 2019, they lost to the same team at home, and again conceded a fair amount of wickets to spinners. Against India, they again looked inept when playing the turning ball and allowed even Dom Bess and Joe Root to pick up wickets in South African conditions earlier this year. While Sri Lanka don't have any world-beating spinnners at the moment, there are big question marks against Proteas batsmen's skills playing tweakers. Whether they get over their weakness or not will also be an important factor in this series. Will Embuldeniya Shine Again? Sri Lanka have a very weak bowling attack, at least on paper. But in their last few series, it's been Lasith Embuldeniya who has been making an impact. He has been a regular wicket-taker. Now, Sri Lanka have been seeking a successor to Rangana Herath since his retirement. Will Embuldeniya be the one? Others such as Dilruwan Perera haven't risen to the occassion. If Embuldeniya is to be a long-term prospect for Sri Lanka, he has to show his mettle again. This series will give us a good idea of his abilities. Pressure on Ngidi South Africa are going into this series without their leading paceman Kagiso Rabada. This means it would be Lungi Ngidi who would be the leader of the attack. He made his debut in January 2018. This would be a big Test for the pacer. He has been impressive in his career but can he shoulder the responsibility of leading the bowling charge for his team? That's a big question that would form a sub-plot of this series. Faf on Trial Faf du Plessis is the most high-profile batsman in the South African team. However, his form has diminished in recent times. He has quit captaincy and even took a break in international cricket. He is now back in the team but if he has another bad series, the former captain may consider quitting Test cricket altogether. His friend and former teammate AB de Villiers quit international cricket all of a sudden and has decided to ply his trade in T20 leagues. If he doesn't succeed again, du Plessis may follow the same route.

In the ongoing saga of South African cricket team's struggles with COVID-19 infections, the latest episode involves Beuran Hendricks and Keegan Petersen being withdrawn from the Proteas squad for the Test series against Sri Lanka as the two men failed to enter the bio-bubble created for the players ahead of the first match. The squad, which initially consisted of 19 players has now been reduced to 17. The remaining players have gone through three stages of testing and have all been found negative for the dreaded infection. This means the bio-bubble is secure. To keep it that way, no further additions will be made to the group. This exclusion is a big blow for Hendricks. A talented left-arm seamer who has been on the fringes of the national side for years, he finally made his Test debut during the last home season for his team, against England a Johannesburg, and managed to grab a five-for in the second innings. With Kagiso Rabada missing in action due to an injury, his place in the team was almost certain. Having squandered this opportunity, he now will yield his place to someone among a list of new names - Lutho Sipamla, Glenton Stuurman, or Migael Pretorius. This would be a big blow for him. Petersen would be even more dejected by his failure to get into the bubble in time. South Africa have a vacancy in their middle order and he could have easily filled it. He too would make way for a new name, if South Africa go for a seven-men batting line-up. Otherwise, with Quinton de Kock batting at no. 6, the Proteas may be happy to play with a five-man bowling attack. The first Test of the two-match series begins on Boxing Day at Centurion. The secon Test would be played at Johannesburg, begining on January 3. Cricket South Africa have already suffered due to lax COVID protocols. The tour of England to South Africa had to be cut-short and the ODI series fully postponed due to players in the home team testing positive. The administrators wouldn't like any further cancellations this season.