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South Africa seal Test series sweep despite Karunaratne ton

JOHANNESBURG: Despite a fighting century from Sri Lankan captain Dimuth Karunaratne, South Africa completed a sweep of their two match series as they strolled to a 10-wicket win on the third day of the second Test at the Wanderers on Tuesday.

South Africa knocked off a target of 67 runs without loss as openers Dean Elgar (31 not out) and Aiden Markram (36 not out) saw them to victory with two and a half days of the contest still remaining.

Success in Johannesburg followed a convincing innings and 45-run triumph in the first Test in Centurion last week and turns around a poor run of Test form over the last year.

Sri Lanka were bowled out for 211 in their second innings, surviving only 95 minutes of Tuesday’s morning session. They resumed their second innings at 150-4 overnight with a tenuous five-run lead but with Karunaratne not out on 91 and hoping to set the home side an imposing target to chase in the fourth innings.

Karunaratne duly reached his 10th Test century off 123 balls as the visitors began in aggressive fashion, but a misjudged pull shot saw the Sri Lanka skipper top edge Anrich Nortje to be caught by Wiaan Mulder in a major blow to their hopes, just 20 minutes into the days play. He was dismissed for 103.

His dismissal started a collapse in which Sri Lanka lost their last six wickets for 35 runs.

Niroshan Dickwella, who scored 36, followed in the next over as Lungi Ngidi (4-44) took another crucial wicket, setting off an end to the resistance among the lower order.

Lutho Sipamla cleaned up the tail with three wickets in 12 balls, including bowling Wanindu Hasaranga for 16, to finish with figures of 3-40. Sri Lanka, who won the toss and elected to bat, scored 157 in their first innings and South Africa replied with 302, with opener Dean Elgar top scoring on 127.

Aiden Markram batted aggressively at the start of the final innings but escaped when he edged a loose drive against Vishwa Fernando with his score on 14 in the last over before lunch. Kusal Mendis dived forward from second slip and appeared to take a good catch but a television review showed he had taken the ball on the bounce.

Markram finished on 36 while Elgar followed up his 127 in the first innings with 31 to end series with 253 runs and was only dismissed twice.

It was South Africa’s first Test series win since they defeated Pakistan 3-0 in South Africa in 2018-19. A surprise 2-0 home defeat against Sri Lanka in the same series started a sequence of three successive series losses.

Scoreboard

SRI LANKA (1st Innings) 157 (M.D.K.H. Perera 60; A. Nortje 6-56, P.W.A. Mulder 3-25).

SOUTH AFRICA (1st Innings) 302 (D. Elgar 127, H.E. van der Dussen 67’ M.V.T. Fernando 5-101).

SRI LANKA (2nd Innings, overnight 150-4):

F.D.M. Karunaratne c Mulder b Nortje 103

M.D.K.J. Perera b Ngidi 1

H.D.R.L. Thirimanne c de Kock b Ngidi 31

B.K.G. Mendis c de Kock b Ngidi 0

M. Bhanuka c Maharaj b Nortje 1

N. Dickwella c Bavuma b Ngidi 36

M.D. Shanaka c Sipamla b Mulder 8

W. Hasaranga b Sipamla 16

P.V.D. Chameera c de Kock b Sipamla 0

M.V.T. Fernando not out 1

A.M. Fernando b Sipamla 0

EXTRAS (B-9, LB-2, W-1, NB-2) 14

TOTAL (all out, 56.5 overs) 211

FALL OF WKTS: 1-1, 2-86, 3-92, 4-109, 5-176, 6-181, 7-190, 8-209, 9-210.

BOWLING: Ngidi 15-5-44-4; Nortje 19-2-64-2 (1w); Mulder 13-3-52-1; Sipamla

9.5-1-40-3 (1nb).

SOUTH AFRICA (2nd Innings):

A.K. Markram not out 36

D. Elgar not out 31

EXTRAS 0

TOTAL (for no wkt, 13.2 overs) 67

BOWLING: M.V.T. Fernando 4-0-23-0; A.M. Fernando 4-1-20-0; Hasaranga 2.2-0-16-0; Shanaka 3-1-8-0.

RESULT: South Africa won by 10 wickets to win two-match series 2-0.

UMPIRES: M. Erasmus (South Africa) and A.T. Holdstock (South Africa).

TV UMPIRE: A. Paleker (South Africa)

MATCH REFEREE: Andy Pycroft (Zimbabwe).

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Dean Elgar.

MAN-OF-THE-SERIES: Dean Elgar.

FIRST TEST: Centurion, South Africa won by an innings and 45 runs.

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