Jansen’s 11-Wicket Haul Secures South Africa’s Dominant Win Over Sri Lanka

Marco Jansen delivered a remarkable performance, achieving match figures of 11-86, as South Africa defeated Sri Lanka by 233 runs in the inaugural Test held in Durban. This victory gives South Africa a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. Jansen, a left-arm seamer, has now accumulated 60 wickets at an average of 20.05 across 14 Tests. The final scores were South Africa 191 (Bavuma 70) & 366-5 declared (Stubbs 122, Bavuma 113) against Sri Lanka 42 (Jansen 7-13) & 282 (Chandimal 83, Jansen 4-73). Jansen’s exceptional bowling included claiming 7-13 in Sri Lanka’s first innings, contributing to their dismissal for just 42 runs, which stands as their lowest total in Test cricket. He followed this with figures of 4-73 in the second innings. Sri Lanka, starting day four at 101-5 with an improbable target of 516 runs, were eventually bowled out for 282 at Kingsmead, with more than four sessions remaining in the match. Following his career-best performance, Jansen commented, “I have always dreamed of taking five wickets, but I never thought I would take 10.” He added, “It’s every bowler’s dream and that’s what we work for. It is going to be tough to beat.” His previous best match figures were 7-91. For Sri Lanka, captain Dinesh Chandimal, who was 29 not out overnight, top-scored with 83 runs. Other notable contributions came from Dhananjaya de Silva with 59 and Kusal Mendis with 48. However, the touring side experienced a late collapse, losing their final four wickets for only 11 runs. This win elevates South Africa to second place in the World Test Championship standings. Securing victories in their remaining three Tests would guarantee them a spot in June’s final. The second Test against Sri Lanka is scheduled to commence on 5 December in Gqeberha.