Two decades ago, South Africa team was at the edge of losing their existence in cricket but thanks to Allan Donald, Shaun Pollock, Dale Steyn and the phenomenon called Graeme Smith (the captain who not only rescued his team but turned into the trendsetter that how to made possible which was complete impossible). Sri Lanka in the current situation is in the same state where visitors (South Africa) were at once. Two test matches have ended before it reached the fifth day of the game and I think that sums up the story of the Sri Lanka team and their selectors. Total surrender and a complete club level performance from the visitors (Sri Lanka) without showing any intent to win any of the test matches in the series. It's right Sri Lanka is through the transition period in the current times but even the hosts (South Africa) are not that strong enough like their previous decades teams expect the few players.
But South Africa has taken the full advantage of their home conditions to not defeat Sri Lanka but also proves the authority that it’s not easy to lock horns with them in their own territory. While in the first test match South Africa has defeated them by 45 runs and an innings after Sri Lanka has scored 396 in the first innings. The Visitors were able to cross the first innings total of South Africa 621 runs and lost the game on the day four of the test match. In the second test match once again after winning the toss Sri Lanka had decided to bat first but within the 40 overs they were bundled out at the score 157 runs in the first innings. But thanks to Vishwa Fernando who took five-wickets haul to restrict the South Africa first innings at the score of 302 runs when they were 218/1 at one stage. South Africa frontline bowler Lungi Ngidi take 4 wickets to reduced the visitors (Sri Lanka) at the score of 211 runs in the second Innings to leave the target of 67 runs for South Africa in the second innings which they have easily chase it down with 10 wickets in hands to white wash the Sri Lanka by 2-0. Having said, let us try to recap some of the key points to go through the defeat of Sri Lanka.
NO INTENT FROM THE SRI LANKAN BATSMAN:
5-day test match, there is no shortcut that team is going to win the test matches without scoring runs in red-ball cricket format. Only one century was hit from the Sri-Lanka team and that was from the Dimuth Karunaratne (Captain) in the second Innings of the final test match. Sri Lanka don’t perform as a unit except some individual performances from the players in both the test matches.
The captain's decision to bat first backfired in both the test matches needs some criticism as batting is always tough in the South Africa pitches for the visiting team. The first test match has somehow reached fourth day but the final test match has ended before the end of play of day three. Test cricket is all about performance not about practicing the team's young talents against quality teams. Unfortunate South Africa team don’t have any bowler of calibre like Allan Donald and Dale Steyn otherwise many players of Sri Lanka would have been returned as injured with career-ending injuries.
IN-EXPERIENCE BOWLING LINE-UP OF SRI LANKA:
Someone has to be the torch-bearer for Sri Lanka like it were Allan Donald and Dale Steyn in their respective eras for South Africa. Without the quality bowling it’s next to impossible to believe that the team can test matches. Where in the first test match after scoring 396 runs in the first innings Sri Lanka bowlers were in effective to restrict the hosts before they racked up 621 runs in the first innings and later went onto win the test match by an innings and 45 runs. In the second test match, Vishwa Fernando took five-wickets haul but wasn't able to find any ways to provide any dents to South Africa in the second innings before they white washed them by 2-0 in the series.
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