Proteas destroy Sri Lanka: Islanders continue abysmal run of form in SA

15 January 2017 - 02:00 By KHANYISO TSHWAKU
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JP Duminy is congratulated by his teammates after he caught batsman Upul Tharanga (not pictured) during the third day of the third test against Sri Lanka at the Wanderers in Johannesburg yesterday.
JP Duminy is congratulated by his teammates after he caught batsman Upul Tharanga (not pictured) during the third day of the third test against Sri Lanka at the Wanderers in Johannesburg yesterday.
Image: AFP

There's men against boys, separating the grain from the chaff and taking the lambs to the slaughter. All three idioms accurately describe the three-day innings evisceration Faf du Plessis's charges handed to the hapless islanders.

It's very easy to read between the lines of yesterday's innings and 118-run hammering but the fine morsels of South Africa's overwhelming series dominance lay in the 206 and 282-run hammerings handed out in Port Elizabeth and Cape Town.

There were sporadic moments of resistance from the hosts at times, especially in the first test, and bowling performances in Cape Town and Johannesburg, but there weren't any of the sustained pressure periods that change the shape of tests. It was one-way traffic.

If there was a modicum of application from Angelo Mathews's side, there could have been a chance of the game going into a fourth day.

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However, application and discipline aren't qualities that are associated with under-the-pump touring teams, especially Sri Lanka with their abysmal record in South Africa.

Not at any point did they look like a team that would remotely challenge South Africa or give the host's potent bowling attack enough time to stretch their legs.

It was also ironic but fitting a touring team coached by Graeme Ford would be ground into the dust at the Bullring.

It was at this ground in 2001 when, as Proteas coach, Ford oversaw South Africa's heaviest home defeat, an innings and 360-run hammering at the hands of the Adam Gilchrist-inspired Australians.

Clearly this is a ground to which he hasn't endeared himself, and one to which he and his side would not want to return in the immediate future.

While there were clear signs of Sri Lanka's capitulation and lack of fight, an indication of the uphill struggle Sri Lanka were about to face was through Vernon Philander's pre-lunch spell to Kusal Mendis.

Having watched Kagiso Rabada getting rid of Kaushal Silva first ball after the diminutive opener failed to get his glove out of the way of a vicious lifter, Mendis had his credentials as a test-class number three thoroughly examined by Philander.

Pitching the ball on a strip of healthy grass on the tufty but firm surface from the Corlett Drive End, Philander jagged the ball into and away from the right-hander like a magician well versed in the art of levitating.

Mendis bumbled around his off stump like a toddler learning how to walk, and, by lunch, his glance up to the skies was one of relief.

An half an hour before the break, Sri Lanka had cascaded from their overnight 80/4 to 131 all out, and they were found wanting in the difficult batting conditions.

The humidity and the heavy cloud cover gave the Bullring the look and feel of Lord's on the first morning of a test match.

With the grass being freshened by heavy overnight rain, Sri Lanka were going to be hard-pressed to double their overnight 80/4, let alone get close to the 227 they needed to make South Africa bat again.

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Their last six wickets tumbled for 51 runs as Philander's relentlessness and Rabada's venom was too much for them to deal with.

In the first two days, seven wickets had fallen in the first sessions, which explained why the hosts had their tails up.

On the second day, they suffered at the hands of Nuwan Pradeep and his newfound mastery of the new ball. Retribution was going to be swift and brutal.

While Rabada and Philander, the series' top wicket-takers, with 19 and 17 sticks respectively dominated the first innings, Wayne Parnell was the beneficiary of their second innings parsimony with career-best figures of 4/51.

With the Sri Lankan batsmen having already mentally checked out of the match, debutant Duanne Olivier also cashed in with 3/38. The ruthless performance captain Faf du Plessis asked for would not have been complete with terrific fielding, with Du Plessis and Quinton de Kock taking superb catches to get rid of Mathews in both innings.

The win though wouldn't have been possible without a sturdy first innings base, with hundreds from JP Duminy and Hashim Amla providing the platform for South Africa's insurmountable 426.

It was a fitting result for the team, especially in light of the game being Amla's 100th test, which he capped by being the eighth batsman to raise a ton in their landmark match.

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