South Africa vs Sri Lanka, 1st Test - Live Cricket Score, Commentary

South Africa (leap to second spot on WTC table) doing no harm to their WTC final chances. After a 2-0 series win in Bangladesh, they couldn't have asked for a better start to their Test summer. This is their 4th straight win and 5th overall in the WTC cycle. They will look to strengthen their case further when they meet Sri Lanka at St George's Park in Gqeberha?for the second and final Test?next Thursday. Can the visitors turn things around? We shall see. Lots of cricket happening all around the globe before that. Do remember to check this space for all the latest in cricket. Until next time, cheers and goodbye from Raju Peethala and the tag-team scoring duo of Naveen Raj and Harish V. Enjoy the rest of the weekend folks!!???

Temba Bavuma | Proteas skipper: Very happy. Tough cricket out there. We were in a tough position in the first innings, we knew we always felt that the belief was there. We saw how the pitch was playing and saw that the conditions were favourable to seamers, obviously we didn't expect to get wickets that quickly but we knew the conditions were in favour of the bowlers. The wicket slowed up a little bit, but it didn't happen consistently. We knew it was going to be a toil as Mulder was not available and Gerald not fully fit, but the rest - Rabada and Jansen played their part. The medical staff will do their job and we will assess accordingly (talking about the injury of Gerald Coetzee). That probably is one of our goal as a team (reaching the WTC final), I said to the guys coming into the series that we need to be focussed internally on what we can do let the things outside take care of themselves. Looking forward to it (second Test) and hopefully the weather behaves....

Dhananjaya de Silva | Sri Lankan skipper: We lost the grip when we batted in the first innings. Also with the ball, we bowled well in the first innings, but didn't exert enough pressure in the second half. We could have bowled them out under 150 in the first innings and things could have been different maybe. We didn't have time to breathe, Jansen was brilliant with the ball. We had a bit of plans in the second innings, it worked but it was too late. In the past as well, we have batted well in these conditions and it is only in the first innings we didn't do well. Tried our best, but couldn't deliver.

Marco Jansen | Player of the Match: Always dreamed of five, but never thought I will get 10, but this is what you work for. It hasn't sunk in yet (talking about his first innings performance). In the second innings, we thought the surface was a bit flatter, slow and low but getting 11 wickets is a dream come true. Now the body feels a lot stronger.

Skipper Bavuma, like in the first innings, led the way with a magnificent century and he was ably supported by another centurion in Stubbs who got involved in a record-breaking 249-stand for the fourth wicket. That partnership not only helped the lead swell to 500, but also killed whatever tiny hopes of a comeback for Sri Lanka. After securing a healthy lead in the first innings, Mulder could have easily sat back and taken rest (as he was advised by the medical staff), but the stubborn all-rounder didn't pay heed. He walked out to bat at 3 in the second innings and stuck around for a near 10-over partnership with Markram late on day 2. It is also worth noting that he walked out to bat at number 11 (with an injured finger) after being retired hurt in the first innings. Bravo!

When the going gets tough, the tough gets going: South Africa were asked to bat on a cloudy opening morning. 74/4 at lunch. Lost a vital cog in Mulder due to a finger injury very early on day 2. All-out under 200. The hosts were under immense pressure at the end of the morning session on day 2. With Mulder unavailable to bowl, the pace trio of Rabada-Jansen-Coetzee had to do something spectacular to bring them back into the game, and respond wonderfully they did. Rabada started it off with the wicket of Karunaratne and Jansen followed it up with his best-ever innings figures in Test cricket. The lanky left-armer bowled unchanged from one end and finished with 7/13 in 6.5 overs while Coetzee added two to his tally. With a healthy lead of 149, all South Africa needed to do in the second innings was to bat sensibly and pounce on the under-pressure-and-exhausted bowlers.

Marco-sized collapse: 13.5 overs. 75 minutes of madness on day 2. That is all it took for Sri Lanka to undo the brilliant work done by their bowlers after winning an important toss on a murky morning. One could argue that there was a lot on offer for the pacers with the ball hooping around all corners and leaving the batters clueless, but it certainly wasn't a 42 all-out wicket by any means. Whether it was an intent to be ultra-positive or a tactic to reverse the pressure back on the Proteas with boundaries, Sri Lanka got it all wrong with the bat. Some of their batters chased wide balls while some couldn't resist playing with hard hands, resulting in a massive implosion that left them playing catch-up for the rest of the Test. Exhausted and disappointed, their bowlers took time to find their lengths, but it was never going to be easy with pitch easing out under bright and sunny conditions. Whatever trick they tried post that, be it with the bat or ball, it was always going to be a classic case of chasing their own tail.

Marco Jansen is the first left-arm seamer to take a ten-wicket haul for South Africa since re-admission, Brett Schultz's 9/106 at Colombo SSC in 1993 being the previous best in this period.

Best match figures in Durban
13/173 Clarrie Grimmett vs SA 1936
11/86 Marco Jansen vs SL Durban 2024
11/161 M Muralitharan vs SA 2000
10/153 Venkatesh Prasad vs SA 1996

Best match figures for SA vs SL
12/283 Keshav Maharaj Colombo SSC 2018
11/86 Marco Jansen Durban 2024
10/92 Kagiso Rabada Cape Town 2017
10/102 Vernon Philander Centurion 2011

Biggest wins for SA vs SL in Tests (by runs)
282 runs Cape Town 2017
233 runs Durban 2024 *
206 runs Gqberha 2016
153 runs Galle 2014

13:37 local, 11:37 GMT, 17:07 IST: Marco Jansen leads his team off the field. A roaring applause from the sparse crowd as the big man puts his hand up to acknowledge the support. He now has the second-best bowling figures in Test cricket at Durban. Both teams now involve in a mandatory handshake session. Head coach Sanath Jayasuriya doesn't look too impressed and he very well knows there is plenty of work to be done before the second Test. When South Africa declared at tea yesterday, not many expected Sri Lanka to last 2 sessions, especially after their horrendous first innings collapse. Not two, but the visitors have successfully managed to play out almost three sessions with great belief and tenacity. Skipper Dhananjaya and Chandimal walked out with a positive intent today morning, and made excellent use of the conditions. The fact that the ball got soft also helped their cause as the duo stitched a crucial 95-run stand for the sixth wicket, helping their side inch towards the 200-mark while at it. Post the departure of skipper DDS, Chandimal engineered a 75-run stand with Kusal Mendis and, those two partnerships remain the silverlining for the visitors in an otherwise forgetful Test match. If anything, Chandimal will perhaps feel a bit frustrated on missing out a well-deserved ton. Stick around for the post-match reactions...

Marco Jansen to Asitha Fernando, out Bowled!! Knocks him over. The leg stump has been sent back. 11 in the game for Marco Jansen - his best ever-bowling figures in Test cricket. Asitha made room looking to block it into the off-side, no dice. Past the outside edge and nips enough to smack the top of middle and leg. South Africa win by 233 runs and lead the series 1-0. This is also their first Test win against Sri Lanka in Durban. Asitha Fernando b Marco Jansen 0(8)

Marco Jansen to Asitha Fernando, THATS OUT!! Bowled!!

Marco Jansen to Asitha Fernando, no run, full and well wide of off at 132ks, Asitha swings in hope and gets beaten on the outside edge

Marco Jansen to Asitha Fernando, no run, makes room and taps a 132ks length delivery to backward point

Marco Jansen to Lahiru Kumara, leg byes, 1 run, back of a length on leg stump, Kumara tries to flick and misses. Takes the thigh pad and dribbles away down to short fine leg

Maharaj to Asitha Fernando, no run, full on off, Fernando nudges it near his feet

Maharaj to Asitha Fernando, no run, looks to go hard on the leg-side and gets a thick inside edge to the left of cover

Maharaj to Asitha Fernando, no run, full on off, driven back to the bowler