Former captain Faf du Plessis leadss batting assault against Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka lost two early second innings wickets after taking a pounding from South Africa’s batsmen on the third day of the first Test at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Monday — but batting coach Grant Flower said they were effectively five or six wickets down, AFP reported.

Former captain Faf du Plessis led the batting assault, hitting 199 as South Africa took a commanding 225-run first innings lead.

Then fast bowler Lungi Ngidi struck twice at the start of Sri Lanka’s second innings to leave the tourists on 65 for two, still 160 runs behind, on a pitch of increasingly unpredictable bounce. AFP reported.

Flower said batsman Dhananjaya de Silva was out of the series after suffering a torn thigh muscle on the first day, while fast bowlers Kasun Rajitha and Lahiru Kumara were unlikely to bat after suffering groin injuries while bowling.

First innings top scorer Dinesh Chandimal saw out the day in partnership with Kusal Perera but lay down near the boundary as he left the field and had to be driven to the dressing room on a motorized stretcher rather than climb the steep steps to the dressing room.

Head coach Mickey Arthur said he would use his position on the International Cricket Council’s cricket committee to discuss the possibility of injury substitutes, with injuries being more likely because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to AFP, he blamed the spate of injuries on conditioning, with players having had to train in their homes during lockdown in Colombo, then playing in the Lanka Premier League for a month until shortly before departure for South Africa.