42 not out in 83 balls: Sri Lanka slump to lowest level in Test history after Marco Jansen’s brilliant show for SA

Sri Lanka slumped to an all-time low in their Test history on the second day of the first series against South Africa at Kingsmead in Durban on Thursday. Marco JansenThe fast pace of play saw Sri Lanka’s in-form batters bite the dust, ensuring that South Africa emerged unscathed. Jansen left Sri Lanka in disarray on his way to achieving his best ever Test innings figures of 7/13. Faced with his incredible pace, Sri Lanka could only last 13.5 overs and posted a meager total of 42. Pathum Nissanka, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Matthews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Prabat JayasuriyaVishwa Fernando and We hate Fernando appeared on his list of victims.

Facing humiliation at the hands of South Africa, Sri Lanka fell to their lowest score in the Test format, improving on their previous low of 71 against Pakistan in 1994. Notably, it was also the lowest score against South Africa in Test cricket, eclipsing the previous total. New Zealand has the lowest with 45 in 2013.

The entire Sri Lankan team was in the dressing room preparing for the second innings after being bowled out for just 83 balls (13.5 overs). This is the second most number of goals by which a team has been eliminated from the game. South Africa still top the rankings after being bowled out for 30 runs in 75 balls (12.3 overs) against England at Edgbaston in 1924.

Jansen found his groove after the recent T20I series against India. Even though the visitors crushed the Proteas with a 3-1 series defeat, Jansen was one of the positives for the hosts.

He looked like a man on a mission, stuck at one end, remained adamant in his approach and left Sri Lanka in disarray. Although Sri Lanka’s batters were enticed into playing false shots, it was a typical display of pace attack with the new ball from South Africa.

With Sri Lanka finishing on 42, South Africa managed to take a healthy lead of 149, strengthening their position on opening night.