The struggling Sri Lankan touring side suffered another momentous defeat as they lost 16 wickets on day three in the final test crumbling to an innings and 118 run defeat and a 3-0 series whitewash at the hands of South Africa.
The third day summed up the visitors batting in the series as a whole as Sri Lanka lost 16 wickets in a single day to collapse to an enormous defeat at the hand of Faf du Plessis and his South African team.
The Lankan batting lasted just 59.3 overs on day three managing 228 runs as the ferocious South African pace attack delivered a quick mutilation to seal a series win.
The pattern for the day was laid down as early as Dinesh Chandimal edging behind off Vernon Philander in the second over. Once Angelo Mathews was caught brilliantly by de Kock, South Africa sniffed blood and went all out for the kill.
Following the vice captains and captains wickets, the Sri Lankan batting capitulated and managed just 51 runs for the loss of 6 wickets as the first innings came to an end.
Photos: Sri Lanka v South Africa 3rd Test – Day 3
Photos of the Sri Lanka v South Africa 3rd Test – Day 3
Kaushal Silva was the first to be dismissed in the second innings as he failed to deal with an unplayable delivery from Kagiso Rabada.
For nearly an hour either side of lunch, Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis provided Sri Lanka’s best period of resistance. While Karunaratne stuck doggedly to his defensive technique and held the South African seamers off – with a spot of luck as Dean Elgar dropped him in the slips – Mendis showed some long-awaited enterprise. The No. 3 adapted to Philander by coming down the wicket to him, unsettling the seamer’s natural line and length.
Wayne Parnell was the man of the moment as he responded to the captain’s call breaking the partnership as Mendis (24) chopped on.
From then on it was a Parnell-Olivier duet as the two new seamer’s in the South African attack bagged 6 wickets between each other. Rabada bulldozed through the left-handed Karunaratne’s defences with a full delivery, Philander chipped in with Dinesh Chandimal’s wicket as the Lankan vice captain edged to first slip as the end came upon the visitors in quick time.
While Duminy was named the Man of the Match for his 155 on the first day, which came in a 292-run partnership with Hashim Amla, which nearly beat Sri Lanka’s match total on its own.
Rabada and Philander, with 19 and 17 wickets respectively in the series, lay claim to the man of the series award, but ultimately it went to Dean Elgar. The left-hander was the top scorer in a series that encountered consistently challenging surfaces, and his century on the opening day in Cape Town had played a vital role in South Africa wrapping up the series at the first opportunity.
