Proteas can’t blame Durban for shocking Test loss
South Africa’s recent record at Kingsmead is awful.
The Proteas have won just one of their last nine Test matches in Durban dating back to 2009.
zIn the first Test against Sri Lanka, the hosts finally looked set to put an end to that hoodoo, yet they somehow found a way to lose as Kusal Perera’s ridiculous 153* that included a 78*-run stand for the 10th wicket saw the visitors over the line.
It will go down as one of the greatest Test run chases of all time given the circumstances.
Not only was Perera’s match-winning partnership with Vishwa Fernando the highest-ever 10th wicket partnership in a successful Test run chase, but Sri Lanka were given no realistic chance of upsetting the Proteas when they arrived in the country.
Administrative disarray, player revolt and being at the centre of a match fixing investigation have been some of the major issues plaguing Sri Lankan cricket recently, but on Saturday none of that mattered.
Addressing media after the match, Proteas skipper Faf du Plessis was understandably in a state of shock having just experienced what is most probably the lowest point of his captaincy so far.
The skipper said that it would take a while to understand exactly what more his side could have done to get over the line in the contest, but one thing he did point to was the nature of the Durban wicket.
Never one to make excuses, Du Plessis knows that the Proteas should be good enough to beat Sri Lanka at any of their home Test venues.
But given the spicy nature of the wickets that have been prepared in South Africa over the last 18 months, it was clear that Du Plessis was not overly satisfied with what was dished up in Durban.
“The last conditions you want to play Sri Lanka on would be something like that,” he said after the match.
Read the full story on: News24.