Batters Pathum Nissanka and Dinesh Chandimal led the Sri Lankan fightback to finish with 242/3 on day two of the second Test against South Africa in Gqeberha on Friday afternoon.
The duo shared 109 runs from 172 balls to help their side make a considerable dent in South Africa’s 358-run first innings total.
When stumps were drawn, the visitors had Angelo Mathews (40) and Kamindu Mendis (30) unbeaten in the middle and trailing by 116 runs with seven wickets still in hand.
Earlier, a sensational 105 runs from 133 balls by Kyle Verreynne, coming off the back of 101 from Ryan Rickelton on day one, helped the Proteas to 358 all out in their first innings.
Verreynne dominated the Sri Lankan bowlers to bring up his third Test century in 132 balls, hitting 12 boundaries and three sixes as he remained not out.
Sri Lanka weathered a 21-minute barrage of Proteas’ fast bowling, but defended well to head to lunch on 19 without loss, and openers Dimuth Karunaratne (5) and Pathum Nissanka (2) were unbeaten in the middle.
Returning from the break at St George’s Park, Karunaratne and Nissanka went toe to toe with the South African bowlers.
Karunaratne was the first Sri Lankan wicket to tumble when Kagiso Rabada found the edge as Kyle Verreynne completed the catch behind the stumps.
The pair of Nissanka and Chandimal took 73 deliveries to bring up their half-century partnership as Nissanka dispatched Marco Jansen to the boundary to reach the milestone and take Sri Lanka into the nineties.
Dropped by David Bedingham in the slips while on 22, Nissanka made his way into the 40s shortly before the interval, taking the team total to 103/1 at tea, before returning to breach the 50-run mark shortly after the break.
Chandimal was the second wicket to fall in the Sri Lankan innings, with the score on 150, when Dane Paterson had him caught behind by Verreynne to end their 109-run partnership, having scored 44 off 97 balls including five fours.
Mathews and Nissanka took their side to 199, sharing 49 runs for the third wicket when the latter was bowled by Paterson for a gutsy 89 from 157 balls, including 11 fours and a six.
As they breached the 200-run mark, still 159 behind, Matthews and Mendis put up a solid defensive display while still managing to rotate the strike and see out the day.
Starting the day on 269 runs and seven wickets down after a maiden Ryan Rickelton century and then later the loss of Marco Jansen on the final ball of day one play.
Rabada partnered with Verreynne as he went past the 50-run mark, sharing a valuable 56 runs for the ninth wicket, taking South Africa past 300 before the latter was castled by Asitha Fernando for a 23.
The ginger-haired gloveman scored quickly, needing just 57 deliveries to get the second half of his milestone after using 95 balls to score the first 50 runs.
Lahiru Kumara returned figures of 4/79 in his 17.4 overs, while Asitha and Vishwa Fernando recorded 3/102 and 2/65 respectively.
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