Temba Bavuma and Tristan Stubbs eased to Test centuries in the first two sessions, making South Africa’s lead gargantuan, before the quicks snapped up five Sri Lanka wickets. Having utterly dominated the match since lunch on day two, South Africa finished the third day only five wickets short of going 1-0 up in a vital World Test Championship series. Sri Lanka are 413 runs adrift, on a surface on which the bounce can no longer be fully trusted.
The late Sri Lanka wickets produced some drama, but it was the 249-run partnership – which equalled a record for the fourth wicket at this ground – that was the centerpiece of Friday’s action. Stubbs and Bavuma had laid the groundwork for their centuries in the morning, negotiating some occasionally testing early overs.
It was clear that by then, however, the Kingsmead pitch had lost much of the nip it had had in the first few sessions of this match. South Africa raised their tempo in the second session, going at 4.81 runs an over in the afternoon.
The Sri Lanka quicks were down on pace on day three, as perhaps could be expected of an attack that was closing in on 150 overs for the match. They did, eventually manage to dismiss Stubbs and Bavuma late in the second session. But by that stage, South Africa’s lead had ballooned to more than 500. When they declared at tea, only five wickets down, they had set Sri Lanka 516 to win. (Cricinfo)
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