Dhananjaya de Silva and Kusal Mendis kept Sri Lanka’s hopes alive on the fourth day of the second Test against South Africa at St George’s Park on Sunday.
Captain De Silva and Mendis, Sri Lanka’s last recognised batsmen, shared an unbeaten partnership of 83 as Sri Lanka, set 348 to win, reached 205 for five at the close.
South Africa seemed on target for an early win to complete a 2-0 series clean sweep when Sri Lanka slumped to 122 for five, with fast bowler Dane Paterson and left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj taking two wickets each.
But De Silva and Mendis, who both finished on 39 not out, not only blunted the South African bowling attack but kept the score moving at better than four runs an over.
Earlier, left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya took five for 129 – his tenth five-wicket in Tests but his first outside Sri Lanka, as South Africa were bowled out for 317 in their second innings after resuming on 191 for three.
Jayasuriya bowled unchanged through the morning as he took three of the five wickets that fell before lunch, bowling into the rough outside the leg stump of right-handed batsmen.
All three of his wickets on Sunday came from batsmen playing at deliveries that pitched outside leg.
Kagiso Rabada struck early when he trapped Dimuth Karunaratne in the third over of the final innings but South Africa were made to toil for their wickets on a pitch which remained good for batting.
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