GQEBERHA, South Africa (Reuters) -South Africa removed Sri Lanka’s openers after setting them a target of 348 to win the second test, leaving the visitors 60-2 at tea on the fourth day at St George’s Park on Sunday.
Sri Lanka, having bowled the home team out for 317 after lunch, still need 288 runs to win the test and square the series.
The target would be a record chase for Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth) but despite having time on their side, Sri Lanka came out with attacking intent and both Pathum Nissanka and Dimuth Karunaratne returned to the pavilion as they paid price for going after the bowling.
Nissanka was adjudged lbw to Marco Jansen in the second over but made a successful review which found the delivery had pitched outside leg.
Karunaratne was not as fortunate, however, when he reviewed another lbw decision, this time off Kagiso Rabada, and was out in the third over for one.
Nissanka hit four boundaries before perishing for 18 as he chased a delivery outside off from Dane Paterson, who had taken a test career best 5-71 in the first innings.
Dinesh Chandimal (29) and Angelo Mathews (6) were not out at the interval.
South Africa added 35 runs after lunch before being dismissed for a 347-run lead.
Spinner Prabath Jayasuriya took a first five-wicket haul outside Sri Lanka with figures of 5-129 off 34 overs while captain Temba Bavuma top-scored for the hosts.
Bavuma, 34, has scored a century and three fifties in his four innings in the two-test series, to lead from the front, although he continued his long-standing inability to convert fifties into test hundreds.
He resumed overnight on 48, completing his 24th test fifty in the first over, and moved on to 66 before being undone by Jayasuriya.
Confusion between Bavuma and Tristan Stubbs had handed Sri Lanka the first wicket of the morning. Stubbs was caught short of his crease and departed for 47 after hesitation from both runners in a comical mix-up.
David Bedingham was the third victim of the session as Jayasuriya induced a healthy edge with a ball that shot out of the rough.
Bedingham was out for 35, caught at slip by Dhananjaya da Silva and Jansen was caught on the boundary to give Jayasuriya his fifth wicket.
South Africa beat Sri Lanka by 233 runs in Durban last week to win the first of the two-test series.
(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Ed Osmond)
