SA vs SL 2024/25, SA vs SL 2nd Test Match Report, December 05 – 09, 2024

Tea South Africa 179 for 4 (Rickelton 72*, Kumara 2-38, Asitha 2-47) vs Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s three-seam, two-spin attack, who would have bowled first anyway if given the choice, tried to make something happen throughout the session with a variety of lengths. Asitha’s short ball barrage on Bavuma eventually got him the breakthrough but they were unable to replicate their success of the morning when they had South Africa 44 for 3.

Just as Sri Lanka may have seen an opportunity to bulldoze through, Bavuma had other ideas. He started like a batter who backed himself when he flicked Prabath Jayasuriya behind square to bring up South Africa’s fifty and finished the morning session by hitting Jayasuriya over mid-wicket and out of the ground.

South Africa got into gear immediately after lunch and took 10 runs off the second over of the second session from Asitha. Bavuma was particularly assertive on the drive and in the area through point, where he hit the single that brought up his half-century. It came off 57 balls, his second fastest in Tests after the 52-ball fifty in the innings where he scored his maiden hundred. Rickelton was more cautious and took 122 balls to reach fifty and never got ahead of himself. While Bavuma started to experiment with more inventive strokes, Rickelton bided his time and would resume post tea, without his captain. Bavuma’s innings ended with a perfect wagon wheel, with 39 runs scored either side of the wicket.