In one of the most stunning run chases you will ever see, Sri Lanka have beaten the Proteas by one wicket in the first Test at Kingsmead.
A remarkable 78-run 10th-wicket stand between Kusal Perera (153* off 200) and No 11 Vishwa Fernando (5*) got the visitors over the line as the Proteas fell to pieces on day four.
Perera had earlier put on 96 for the sixth-wicket with Dhananjaya de Silva (48) that was equally important.
Perera was nothing short of brilliant in one of the greatest knocks this country has ever seen in Test cricket.
When he went to just his second Test century off 146 balls having batted for 252 minutes, Sri Lanka seemed out of the game at 240/9.
Given no chance of a win at the start of the day, the largely inexperienced and unsettled Sri Lankans punched above their weight and were right in the thick of things throughout right up until they got the 304 runs needed to complete what will go down as one of Sri Lanka’s finest days.
It didn’t help the Proteas that Vernon Philander was unable to take to the field on day four due to a hamstring strain, but this will still go down as the lowest point of Faf du Plessis’s Test captaincy so far.
