South Africa requires five wickets, and Sri Lanka needs 143 runs as the second test heads for a potentially exciting conclusion on Monday, with both sides desperate for victory as they chase a place in the World Test Championship final.
Sri Lanka was 205-5 at stumps on the fourth day on Sunday, chasing a target of 348 to win and square the series, while South Africa will be looking to run through the remaining batters and secure a 2-0 win.
An unbeaten partnership of 83 between captain Dhananajaya de Silva and Kusal Mendes, both 39 not out, offered Sri Lanka hope of victory as they kept up a brisk run rate of over four per over, although they would need to significantly better the most successful run chase at the venue, which was Australia’s 271-8 against South Africa in 1997.
The pair will resume on Monday, with Sri Lanka needing a win to stay in contention for a berth in the WTC decider at Lord’s next June. If South Africa can secure victory, it will go above Australia into top place in the standings.
After dismissing South Africa for 317 soon after lunch, Sri Lanka came out with attacking intent but lost openers Pathum Nissanka and Dimuth Karunaratne before tea.
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Karunaratne was lbw to Kagiso Rabada for a single, while Nissanka hit four boundaries before perishing for 18 as he chased a wide delivery from Dane Paterson, who then had Dinesh Chandimal trapped lbw for 29 at the start of the last session.
Keshav Maharaj’s spin accounted for Angelo Mathews, who was bowled for 32 when he missed a delivery that was tossed up.
The dangerous Kamindu Mendes kept up the attacking intent and scored 35 runs off as many balls but got a bat-pad to a Maharaj delivery with wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne diving forward to take a one-handed catch right under the feet of the batsman.
Earlier, spinner Prabath Jayasuriya took a first five-wicket haul outside Sri Lanka with figures of 5-129, and captain Temba Bavuma top-scored for the host in its second innings.
Bavuma, 34, resumed overnight on 48, completing his 24th test fifty in the first over, and moved on to 66 before being undone by Jayasuriya.
South Africa beat Sri Lanka by 233 runs in Durban to win the first match of the two-test series.