PRETORIA – Sri Lanka suffered a blow just as they were taking control of the first day of the opening Test at SuperSport on Saturday when they lost Dhananjaya de Silva to what appeared to be a hip injury.
De Silva was on 79 when he set off for a single at the end of the 45th over, and in the midst of taking what appeared an innocuous run, he hesitated, clutched the left side of his hip before dropping to the ground in obvious agony. Following treatment from Sri Lanka’s physio, he was taken off the fielder on a stretcher and then helped up the long flight of stairs in the main stand, looking increasingly uncomfortable.
It was a decidedly untimely event for the tourists. De Silva and Dinesh Chandimal were giving Sri Lanka control of the first day after a wild opening session in which they lost three wickets.
At tea Sri Lanka were 212/3, with Chandimal on 50 and Niroshan Dickwella on 11, the tourists scoring 110 runs in a session where the South Africans again struggled with their lines and lengths.
Clearly the lunch chat in the Sri Lankan dressing room was not to go chasing the game, like Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis and Dimuth Karunaratne had tried to do in the morning. South Africa’s bowlers were offering plenty of ‘boundary balls’ either providing width or bowling to full which allowed both Sri Lankan batsmen the chance to hit some lovely straight drives.
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De Silva did survive two close shots for lbw, on 46 off Anrich Nortje, which the DRS showed was clipping the leg bail, but with umpire Adrian Holdstock, standing in his first Test, having not raised his finger, his decision stood.
Holdstock didn’t raise his finger either when Keshav Maharaj appealed for lbw, this time De Silva, on 64, had advanced down the track but DRS determined that he was too far away from his stumps, even the graphic showed the ball would have gone on to hit the stumps.
De Silva and Chandimal had added 132 runs for their fourth wicket partnership before misfortune struck the former, who’d notched up a seventh Test half-century. It had been an aggressive innings, that included 11 fours and six and came off only 111 balls.
Chandimal completed the 19th half-century of his career, shortly before the interval, having faced 117 balls and struck five fours.
Andrich Nortje remained the most threatening of the South African bowlers, but spinner Keshav Maharaj aside, the rest have all been able to provide control or consistency, with debutant, Lutho Sipamla, really struggling. His figures at tea read 0/59 off nine overs.
IOL Sport