Sri Lanka vs South Africa, 2nd Test, South Africa tour of Sri Lanka, 2018 - CommentarySL vs RSA, 2nd Test, South Africa tour of Sri Lanka, 2018 - Commentary

Sandeep: Theunis de Bruyn , you beauty! The kind of an innings a decent player from the subcontinent or an absolute overseas genius can play. A deserved 100

Sandun: "I feel SL made a mistake in declaring the 2nd innings without scoring 550+"---- Too early to say that.

Hassan: "I was supporting Sri Lanka but after watching the grit of these two, I have changed my mind." ------- You are surely not a loyal supporter.

Asif: @Abdul Akthar: Very unlikely, but i hope so.

Hari: Good fight back. Sri Lanka would have imagined that they will finish the Test match before the first drinks break. Well, they have almost dragged it to lunch. Over by over, session by session, C'mon Proteas!

Abdul Akthar: "If Bavuma and de Bruyn turn this around, it would be historical, both will remain in cricket history for a long time."

Motish: Great opportunity for this young pair to solidify their position in this batting line-up.

GKM: South Africa's revival and understanding of conditions happened a bit too late, The damage has been already done. India will be really happy with this result though.

Bilal: This pair is batting well and they are showing that if you attack the bowlers you can make runs

Pradeep: Safe to say Lakmal has played this Test purely as a captain.

Thalathalapathy: Strange thing is, Suranga Lakmal hasn't bowled a ball so far in this Test. Sri Lanka could have handed Mathews the captaincy and might well have gone in with an all four-spin attack.

VASUPATTAPU: It's good to see that the batsmen are showing some fight against the spin trio. This will boost their confidence going into the ODIs and if they do what they are doing right now, who knows what will happen next -- An optimistic South African fan.

VASUPATTAPU: It's good to see that the batsmen are showing some fight against the spin trio. This will boost their confidence going into the ODI's and if they do what they are doing right now, who knows what will happen next -- An optimistic South African fan.

Shrey Jain: Can we see the same blockathon from Proteas, that we saw at Ferozshah Kotla, Delhi in December 2015 at the final test match against India. ABD would be missed by South Africa.

Ajay: Now it all comes down to just one innings for SA, no matter what the result is but if they show some fight here, it will certainly boost their confidence.

Lata: The economy of the South African bowlers is actually pretty good. Maharaj especially, he's bowled very well. Can their batters step up this time around?

Jimmy: As an England cricket fan, I am already afraid of their tour to Sri Lanka later this year.

Namish: Declare already. Want to see SA battling it out against the 3 spinners for the last time this Test series. Lets end their misery today itself :)

Sahib: Might as well witness a Mathews' ton today. It's been a while.

Bala Ramana: SL are making the Proteas mentally tired and making them yearn for declaration.

Hemaang: I like this approach from Sri Lanka! They should reach around 650-700 and absolutely thrash SA by more than 500 runs to avenge what happened to them when they toured SA!!

Sachin: Mathews has failed to convert his starts on most occasions in recent times. Good to see him finally raise a fifty. Hope he converts it into a big one.

GKM: Sri Lanka are piling on the misery here on South Africa. Not sure what target they have in mind. They could as well declare the innings soon and finish off the match today.

Hsnamos: My stomach is hurting and I am having a bad headache... but that inside-out loft by Mathews just made me feel so good. Beautiful.

Vaibhav: Had injuries not been a part of his career, Steyn would have shattered all the fast bowling records.... He is still struggling to find his rhythm...

Yagyansh: With Amla losing his touch with age, this team looks totally dependent on du Plessis alone. They will miss AB more than they would have ever imagined especially in subcontinent conditions.

Aayush Goyal: How did South Africa believe they can win a test on a typical turning subcontinental wicket with only one spinner. Maharaj has done well but pressure from the other end is also required.

Unni: How can there be such a grave difference in performance within the team.. one man takes 11 out of the 12 wickets to fall and the others succumb more meekly than a pack of cards.. Is there a "de Villiers' coming out of retirement on the cards...

Dev: Only positive feasible task ahead for RSA is to let Maharaj take the all the 10 wickets in this innings.

Mamun: "I think the pitch is not as bad as South Africa have made it look. Herath and Akila added 75 runs for the 10th wicket on this pitch. SA batsmen have failed terribly to apply themselves."

GKM: "Whatever the pitch may be, whatever the opposition or circumstances, you cannot afford to be bowled out for sub -100 score 3 times in a row."

Vishal: "What is Suranga Lakmal doing in this team? He batted at number 10 and didn't bowl a single over? Sri Lanka can play an extra batsman instead of him and make Herath or Mathews skipper."------ Well, spinners were so good that they did not allow him to bowl.

Ashwin: Love how foreign teams are absolutely clueless in the sub-continent conditions. Asian teams perform much better on green pitches outside.

Breeje: "I don't see any problem with the way this match has gone as cricket is all about application and respecting the conditions on offer. In SL, where home team play 3 spinners, SA just didn't play more than one spinner. Otherwise this match could have been very competitive."

Shashi: @Raj, "It's better to play back to back series home and away comprising of same number of matches."

Raj: "I think the best solution to get a fair outcome in a Test match is to play 2 legs as in Champions League football, where first innings would be played at home and second innings away!" ------- Interesting point but don't think it is feasible.

Raj: SA must be missing ABD so much in this series. I just remember his knock in Delhi: 43 off 297 deliveries!

Umesh: "Faf must be missing his best friend ABD."

Devesh: "If there will be neutral pitch curators then there will be no point of home and away Tests. And according to me the real beauty of Test matches is the challenges teams have to face in away matches."

ullas: "Amidst all these talks about the pitch dominating the quality of a player, du Plessis is playing wonderful shots on the same pitch. It just goes to show that if batsmen are willing to play their shots they can, excellent approach from the South African captain."

Sagar Kamble: "Faf is by far the best SA batsman on this tour. He should bat up the order (at no.3) similar to how Ganguly sent Laxman at number 3 during 2001 Australia tour of India. Just saying."

Shashi: @Mos, "pitches must provide a fair balance between bat and ball. We have seen matches in the sub-continent where batsmen have scored runs on Days 1, 2 & 3 and then spinners have taken control on days 4 & 5. Spinners turning it square right from day 1 is not good for the health of Test cricket".

Venkata Sai: "ODI's and T20's are completely going in batsmen favor. At least in Tests we are seeing the competition between bat and ball. So, whatever the condition of pitch either green top or turner, the idea of neutral curator is not so good as it will allow the batsmen to dance over bowlers head."

Abhijit: "I didn't hear doctoring of pitches when India played South Africa earlier this year where the ball did all kinds of things. Johannesburg Test almost got abandoned. South Africa just lack the technique to play spin. Simple as that."

Sachin Bansal: @ Mos: I don't think there is a debate on why bowlers are taking so many wickets and the batsmen are struggling. The real question is to save the Test cricket from getting extinct. This is only possible if there is a fair contest between the host & the visiting team.

Abhijit: "South Africa are missing ABD big time. He might not be missed in South Africa but here in the sub-continent they must be missing him badly."

Mos: @Shashi, "The debate today is that cricket is way too much in the batsmen favour, in this series we're having a contest between bat and ball, don't complain!"

sanjeev dhingra: "Time has come for ICC to appoint neutral curator as home sides always make pitches which suits them".

Sachin Bansal: @ Mahesh: "I fully agree with your point but do you really think it is in the interest of the game when the hosts take undue advantage by doctoring the pitches?"

Anand: @Shashi, ODI's have been smashed by batsmen, allow bowlers to get something that they deserve in Test matches.

Mahesh: "Often the subcontinent teams are criticized for not playing well in the seaming conditions, but no one bats an eye when teams like SA/AUS perform poorly on a turner. Performing in dusty sub-continent pitches is as important as performing on green pitches and should be given equal importance".

Shashi: "ICC must step in and do something to stop host countries from preparing pitches that only aid their bowlers. Not many sit in the stands to see spinners taking 9-fers. People come to watch batsman score tons too".

Jay Vasudevan: "Need a cracker of an innings from Amla or it is going to be an one sided affair"--- Right time for him to find some form.

Harsh: "South Africa need to realize they cannot win in the subcontinent with three seamers. No matter how good the seamers, these pitches does not suite them and two spinners are a must". ------- Fair point.

Vaibhav: "Maharaj gets a name in the history books. What if he would have got the remaining one too?"---- Then he would have become the third bowler after Jim Laker and Anil Kumble to take 10 wickets in an innings of a Test match.

siddhesh sherkar: "How many players have taken 9 wickets in an innings"? ---- Maharaj becomes the 19th player in Test history to take a 9-wicket-haul or more in an innings.

Abhijit: "336 looks like a 500 on this pitch".

Mayur: Every run now is worth 8-10 runs for the team batting last on this wicket.

Greeshmanth: South Africans are leaking runs here. They could have tried changing Maharaj's end.

Prajwal Krishna Maitin: Herath doesn't deserve to bat at number 11.

Vicky: Already too many runs on the board and again this last wicket pair is hurting SA very badly.

Ganesh Guduru: I'm sure Maharaj combined with Shamsi wouldn't have let the tail-enders to hang around much.

ABD: Keshav Maharaj seems to be the best left-arm orthodox spinner in the world at the moment.

Tommi: "The future of South African Test cricket doesn't look great at the moment. Morkel recently retired, Steyn and Amla are in the twilight of their careers and younger players are not showing great promise". ----- Agree with your point but how can you forget the retirement of ABD.

Nikhil: "These two might just take the game away from SA. I still remember how these two batted out of their skins to make sure that India did not win the match last year."

Mubin Soneji: "The pitch is helping Maharaj. Faf should try a short spell from Elgar. He may provide a wicket or two".---- Faf has listened to your advice.

Devin: "Mathews's poor form continues". --- Not an ideal pitch if you are trying to regain your form.

Lobo: "SA will be seriously missing second spinner taking in account how good Maharaj is bowling right now".

Raghu: "What would be the par first innings score, given the exploits of Lanka's spin trio?" ----- Anything over 275 would be a good first innings score on this pitch.

Jacky Dinani: "Why Imran Tahir doesn't get picked for Tests?" ---- South Africa have tried him, he is too inconsistent for Test cricket.

Devarsh: "Fortune teller: Maharaj to take more than 6 wickets!"

Bala Ramana: "Keshav Maharaj has picked up both wickets thus far. So, it is worth a try to bowl Dean Elgar since he is also a left arm spinner and once picked up a 4-fer against India in 2015".---- Good point.

Sreeshailam G: "How effective could Shamsi have been on this pitch"? --- Pitch is turning sharply and it has some extra bounce too so Shamsi would have definitely enjoyed bowling on it.

abhinav bansal: "Has the ball start reversing?" ---- No, not yet.

GKM: "South Africa are simply waiting for something to happen."

Siddharth: "Is Sri Lanka playing too good or attack of South Africa is ineffective in these conditions?" ---- A bit of both.

Shubham: 21 overs bowled without a single maiden over. The magic of flat pitches.

Dumindu Akalanka: Given that today is Friday (working day), it is rude to judge the attendance to the match. Most of the SL people prefer to watch it on TV today. Can expect decent crowds tomorrow and on Sunday.

PR: @Sreeshailam - SA are trying their conventional method rather than playing 2 spinners which didn't work for them in the last match - where the pacers overshadowed the spinners. Today, they have an extra batsman and if they want, Elgar can bowl some too.

Sreeshailam G: South Africa made a mistake, they shouldn't have gone in with three seamers! Though this pitch will have pace and bounce only on the first two days, but as the game progresses, it will start breaking and offer more turn to the spinners.

Arnav Desai: Strange change from Sri Lanka. Sandakan was quite impressive in the last match and to leave him out here is pretty harsh.

GKM: I think Gunathilaka has been given a role of playing a breezy knock at the top and offset the fast bowlers of South Africa. Karunaratne and others will capitalise on this later on. Well looks like tough road ahead for South Africa.

Gaurav Sharma: Nowadays Tests are becoming more of a one-sided affair with advantage mostly to the home teams. To negate this effect, ICC should try and consider neutral Test venues.

PR: A nice and bold decision by SA to play only one spinner and also replace Philander with Ngidi. If Ngidi can extract some good bounce from the pitch, he can be a lethal option with his pace.

Commentary not available for this match