Proteas batter Verreynne says morning session is key as they look to wrestle momentum from Sri Lanka

Wicketkeeper batter Kyle Verreynne believes the first hour of day three will be vital for the Proteas if they are to wrestle momentum back in their favour in the second Test against Sri Lanka on Saturday. 

The visitors ended day two in a strong position on 242/3 and will no doubt be looking to wipe out the remaining 116-run deficit as quickly as possible. 

And with Angelo Mathews and Kamindu Mendis still unbeaten on 40 and 30 respectively, they are in the driving seat at the moment. 

However, Verreynne said they would not relent on putting the Lankan batters under pressure as the Proteas went in search of wickets. 

Speaking about what they would need to do to be successful on the third morning, Verreynne said they will need to be disciplined with the ball and in the field. 

“The game is definitely in the balance at the moment and I think we are at a point where both teams feel the game is quite even at the moment.

“The morning session is going to be really important. If we can get a few breakthroughs first up, it sort of puts us back in front, but similarly if they get a partnership or two, it may put us on the back foot. 

“So I do think that the first half-hour to an hour will be important in terms of setting up the rest of the Test,” he told the media after the day's play at St George's Park. 

Despite the difficulty in taking regular wickets, Verreynne still felt the bowlers were executing their skills at a very high intensity and could not fault them for the lack of wickets being taken. 

“I think they have been on it the whole game, the ball got a bit softer and it is a good wicket to bat on. 

“If you look at the speeds, Plank [Marco Jansen] was bowling close to 140 in his last few overs, Pato [Dane Paterson] bowled an eight over spell and then followed it up with another seven over spell. 

“So from behind the stumps, it felt as if we were in the game all the time, I know we never got the wickets or the breakthrough we needed, but from the back it certainly looked as if they were charging in and never really tailed off at all,” he said. 

The ginger-haired middle order batter was a menace with the bat, following up on Ryan Rickelton s maiden ton, Verreynne smashed an unbeaten 105 off 133 balls in an innings that included 12 fours and three sixes, helping his side to 358 all out in their first innings. 

He started the day on 48 and batting with the tail, Verreynne said the foremost thought on his mind was not the century, but rather ensuring that he guided his partners while they accumulate as many runs as they could. 

“The conversations between myself and KG, Pato and Kesh were about trying to get through the first half-hour and get a few more runs. I never expected to be close to getting a hundred today [Friday]. 

“I felt if I could get about 70 and those guys could contribute about 30, it would be a really good morning, so it was quite pleasing to get there and getting my first Test hundred on home soil was pretty special,” he said.