Sri Lanka fight back to trail SA by 116 runs

Opener Pathum Nissanka led Sri Lanka’s fight back against hosts South Africa on Friday as they closed the second day of the second Test on 242/3, trailing by 116 runs.

Nissanka was dropped when he was on 22 and went on to punish the South African bowlers, helping to blunt a hostile seam attack at St George’s Park in reply to the home side’s 358 all out.

But he was out 11 runs short of a century after dancing down the wicket to spinner Keshav Maharaj and was bowled as he missed with a wild swipe. Nissanka had featured in a 41-run opening partnership with Dimuth Karunaratne, who scored 20 before being undone by a rising delivery from Kagiso Rabada that forced an edge behind to Kyle Verreynne. The 26-year-old Nissanka was dropped in the slips by David Bedingham after another unplayable delivery from Rabada took a healthy edge and used the opportunity to put on 109 runs for the second wicket with Dinesh Chandimal.