Marco Jansen wreaks havoc with 7 wickets in just 6.5 overs as Sri Lanka bundled for 42; register their lowest Test score
Marco Jansen shone with seven wickets in just 6.5 overs, as Sri Lanka were bowled out for an unprecedented 42 in the first innings of the 1st Test.
In one of the most shocking displays of batting in recent memory, Sri Lanka was bowled out for a record-low 42 in their first innings of the Durban Test against South Africa on Thursday. This total wasn't only Sri Lanka's lowest-ever score in a Test match, but also stands as the lowest total by any team against South Africa.
The visitors, who had been hoping for better batting conditions following a rain-affected Day 1, were left reeling after just 13.5 overs at the crease. The previous lowest score for Sri Lanka in Tests had been 71 against Pakistan in 1994.
Sri Lanka's top-order crumbled under pressure as the South African seamers exploited the testing conditions at Kingsmead. Five Sri Lankan batsmen – Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Mendis, Prabhath Jayasuriya, Vishwa Fernando, and Asitha Fernando – were dismissed for ducks, further adding to their misery.
Kamindu Mendis top-scored with 13 runs. The Lankan batters' inability to cope with the swing and seam movement on offer was evident as they struggled to build any partnerships. With just 83 deliveries consumed in total, Sri Lanka's innings is the second-fastest ever bowled out in Test cricket history, only behind South Africa’s own collapse for 30 runs in 1924.
Take a look at Sri Lanka's lowest scores in Test history:
- 42 vs South Africa, 2024
- 71 vs Pakistan, 1994
- 73 vs Pakistan, 2006
- 81 vs England, 2001
- 82 vs India, 1990
Jansen triggers downfall
The catalyst for Sri Lanka's downfall was South Africa's left-arm seamer Marco Jansen, who produced a career-best performance to dismantle the Lankan batting.
Jansen’s stunning figures of 7/13 not only handed South Africa a commanding 149-run lead, but also etched his name in the history books as just the second bowler, after Australia’s Hugh Trumble in 1904, to take seven wickets in less than seven overs in a Test innings.
Jansen’s scintillating spell was backed by Gerald Coetzee and Kagiso Rabada, with the trio taking just 83 balls to wrap up Sri Lanka’s innings. The performance by Jansen was the third-best by a South African pacer at home and the best by a South African bowler this century.
