Cape Town — Senuran Muthusamy is hoping South Africa A can finish off Sri Lanka A’s innings “quickly” before “getting stuck in with the bat”.
Muthusamy was once again the shining light for tourists on the first day of the second “Test” at the P Sara Oval on Monday.
After claiming career-best match figures of 12/175 in the first “Test”, Muthusamy followed it up with a third consecutive five-wicket haul on the opening day. The left-arm spinner claimed 5/101 from 26 overs to help restrict the hosts to 257/7.
“We toiled quite a bit. The pitch was a bit tacky, there was a lot of moisture around this morning,” Muthusamy told Independent Media from Sri Lanka.
“I got a few to spin before lunch, but then after lunch it flattened out and it just started skidding through. There was a lot more turn on offer in Kandy last week, the wicket was a lot drier and it spun from day one, but not much this time.
“There has been a lot of rain around, resulting in a lot more moisture in this pitch than last week’s.”
The fit-again Lutho Sipamla, who returned to the starting XI at the expense of teenager Kwena Maphaka, and fellow seamer Lizaad Willams also picked up a wicket apiece.
“The seamers bowling nicely in patches. Maybe we didn’t bowl like we should’ve at the start, but the comeback spells were really good,” Muthusamy said.
“We had a three-over spell where we picked up three wickets, which allowed us to build a bit of pressure. That helped massively.”
All the Sri Lankan batters, bar captain Kamindu Mendis, got off to decent starts, but they will be perturbed that none of them went on to reach a half-century. Pasindu Sooriyabandara top-scored with 41 before being clean bowled by Sipamla.
Muthusamy’s five wickets were Nishan Madushka (33), Lasith Croospulle (27), Bhanuka Rajapaksa (32), Lahiru Udara (33) and Lakshitha Manasinghe (13).
Ramesh Mendis (38 not out) and Milan Rathnayake (29 not out) are the undefeated batters at the crease and Muthusamy is certainly hoping the tourists can breaktheir unbroken 50-run partnership in the morning before claiming the remaining wickets.
“Yeah, we want to get our innings started. Hopefully, we can then get stuck in with the bat,” he said after the two disappointing totals in the first Test in Kandy last week.
“The conditions are not as dry as it was last week. The pitch should hold a bit better. But we are not taking anything for granted. We have to bat better and hopefully we can put an innings of substance together and take a forward stride in this series.”
The tourists have made five changes to the starting XI that lost the first Test last week in Kandy. Besides Sipamla’s return, wicket-keeper Kyle Verreynne has recovered from illness and replaced Sinethemba Qeshile behind the stumps.
Zubayr Hamza, Beyers Swanepoel and Tshepo Moreki have also been drafted into the line-up at the expense of Jordan Hermann, Dewald Brevis and Gerald Coetzee.
IOL Sport