DURBAN – Kusal Perera took Sri Lanka to a sensational one-wicket win on the fourth day of the first Test against South Africa at Kingsmead on Saturday.
Perera hit a career-best 153 not out as he and Vishwa Fernando put on an unbeaten 78 in a last-wicket partnership that enabled Sri Lanka to secure only their second win in 14 Test matches in South Africa.
Kusal Perera scored a 200-ball 153 as 🇱🇰 sealed a one-wicket win in Durban. #KJP #SensationalKJP #SAvSL
SA 235 & 259 ( Lasith Embuldeniya 5/66, Vishwa Fernando 4/71) vs SL 191 & 304/9 (85.3 Ovs, KJP 153*, Dhananjaya de Silva 48, Oshada Fernando 37) pic.twitter.com/AaGLmh1OaS
— Sri Lanka Cricket (@OfficialSLC) February 16, 2019
Victory seemed unlikely when the ninth wicket fell with the total on 226, with the tourists chasing a target of 304.
But the left-handed Perera successfully farmed the strike, with South African captain Faf du Plessis persisting with defensive fields for the in-form batsman, while Fernando only had to face 27 balls during a 96-ball partnership.
South Africa took the second new ball with the total on 263 but still kept most of their fielders on the boundary for Perera, who hit sixes off both Dale Steyn and Kagiso Rabada before slashing Rabada to third man for the winning boundary.