Wiaan Mulder bowled with excellent consistency to pick up three key wickets towards the end of the first session, as Sri Lanka went into lunch on 84-5 in the second Test at the Wanderers, writes Khalid Mohidin.
The Proteas opted for an unchanged line-up, while Sri Lanka was forced to make a number of changes due to injury. Asitha Fernando and Minod Bhanuka were the debutants, while Dushmantha Chameera and Lahiru Thirimanne was given a chance after not featuring in the first Test at Centurion.
The Sri Lankan openers looked like they had their gameplan nailed on, they were patient, were not tempted too much by the Proteas openers and looked quite comfortable. But on the last ball of the 10th over, Sri Lanka skipper Dimuth Karunaratne played at a short delivery he should have left, and edged Nortje to the keeper for 2.
Interesting side fact – Kusal Perera used to bat right-handed as a kid and only changed to left-handed because of one of his heroes Sanath Jayasuriya. A fitting piece of information as he brought up his 6th half-century while taking Sri Lanka to 61-1.
The Wanderers is looking a lot more like a batting wicket, meaning that the Proteas bowlers needed to work hard stop Sri Lanka from posting a big score.
The game-changer was Wiaan Mulder. He hovered consistently on a good length – around 6 metres from the stumps – with around 75% of his deliveries hitting that length, allowing the ball to angle away from both the right-handers and the left-handers.
Mulder, who saw Thirimanne dropped by Elgar in the slips, got a second chance for a wicket, a bigger one, finding the edge of Perera who pushed at wider delivery only to find Aiden Markram at Gully.
Mulder, expectedly, bowled well at his home ground, finding a great rhythm, bowling an excellent line and length. He took a second wicket in his second over of the day, removing danger-man Kusal Mendis, this time finding the right-handers edge to Rassie van der Dussen at first slip.
Mulder’s consistency was highlighted when he took his third, finding Thirimanne’s edge again, this time Faf du Plessis taking the catch at 2nd slip.
Bhanuka loosely played at a Nortje delivery that went across him but edged it to Van Der Dussen. Sri Lanka were reduced to 84-5 at lunch on Day 1.
Photo: Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix
Check out our review of Day 1:
