Sri Lanka’s hopes of qualifying for next year’s World Test Championship hang by a thread, and their fate teeters on the edge of a knife. A loss in the Port Elizabeth Test, starting Thursday, would all but snatch control out of their hands. But if they can pull a rabbit out of the hat with a win here and sweep Australia in the two Tests in Galle, they’ll be packing their bags for London and a Lord’s finale in June.
Port Elizabeth has traditionally been a spinner’s paradise, but the Sri Lankans were thrown a curveball when they saw a lush carpet of grass on the pitch during their Wednesday training. This unexpected turn of events brought young Milan Ratnayake into the equation.
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The tourists have named a 12-man squad for the second Test, with Ratnayake joining the fold alongside the team from Durban. If the groundsmen take the mower to the grass as expected, Sri Lanka may well stick with the same playing XI from the first Test.
There was some chatter about whether Oshada Fernando should get the nod for this must-win clash. After all, he was in fine fettle during Sri Lanka ‘A’s unofficial Test series win in South Africa two months ago. More importantly, he played a match-winning hand the last time Sri Lanka triumphed in Port Elizabeth in 2019 in a Test match.
Meanwhile, Angelo Mathews and Dimuth Karunaratne found themselves under the microscope. Mathews, with just one century in nine Tests this year, that too against Afghanistan, has not exactly set the world alight. Karunaratne, too, is yet to raise his bat for a hundred in 2024. However, the selectors have decided to place their bets on these seasoned campaigners, hoping their experience will be the anchor Sri Lanka needs in this do-or-die game.
Historically, Sri Lanka have fretted over their fast-bowling resources in South Africa. Not this time. The pace trio has been firing on all cylinders, delivering a Test series win in Bangladesh and a long-awaited victory in England earlier this year.
Lahiru Kumara, in particular, has been worth his weight in gold. With 25 wickets in six Tests this year, he stands on the brink of history, needing just one more scalp to become only the fifth Sri Lankan seamer to claim 100 Test wickets. The selectors deserve a tip of the hat for managing him wisely. Plagued by recurring hamstring issues, Kumara was limited to Test cricket alone, a move that’s paid rich dividends. He’s been the spearhead in several crucial victories, proving that patience truly is a virtue.
The attitude of the pace attack in Durban also deserves high praise. After the batters folded like a house of cards in just over an hour, the bowlers rolled up their sleeves and got on with the job without a whimper of complaint. Their determination has kept Sri Lanka in the hunt, and they’ll need more of the same in Port Elizabeth.
Grass or no grass, Port Elizabeth has always been a friend to spinners, and this Test is unlikely to break tradition. The key for Sri Lanka, though, lies in the first innings. Time and again, their failure to post a competitive first-innings score has been their Achilles’ heel. That hour of madness in Durban, when the batting crumbled, could prove to be the moment they let the World Test Championship final slip through their fingers.
South Africa has shuffled their deck with some interesting choices. Injuries to Wiaan Mulder and Gerald Coetzee have forced their hand, bringing 35-year-old pacer Dane Paterson and batter Ryan Rickelton into the squad.
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Rickelton’s inclusion tilts the balance toward strengthening their batting, but it comes at the cost of thinning their bowling reserves. If Sri Lanka can weather the storm of the Proteas’ pacers and push them beyond their second spells, the game could swing Sri Lanka’s way.
As the teams gear up for the second Test, the stakes couldn’t be higher. For Sri Lanka, it’s now or never—a chance to keep their World Test Championship dreams alive. Whether they rise to the occasion or buckle under pressure, only time will tell.
