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HomeCricketSri Lanka v South Africa 1st Test Player Ratings: NICE GUY FAF

Sri Lanka v South Africa 1st Test Player Ratings: NICE GUY FAF

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Last Updated on 7 years by Charbel Coorey

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BREAKING NEWS: Faf Du Plessis was pictured on the phone, reportedly begging AB de Villiers to come back.

Because, how good is life without him?

So good that one player (Dimuth Karunaratne) scored more runs on his own (218) than the entire South Africa team across two innings (199). Kim Kardashian’s first marriage seemed to last longer than South Africa’s batting.

Sure, conditions in the subcontinent are the complete opposite to home, with the humidity and pitch conditions a real challenge. Credit to Sri Lanka, though, as they were able to force no challenge from the Proteas, who need to pull their socks up if they dream of becoming the world’s number one Test team. On this evidence, they have a way to go.

In Galle, nice guy Faf Du Plessis felt sorry for Bangladesh, so it was only fair the Bangladeshis aren’t the only team crumbling with the bat! He also gifted Sri Lanka some first innings runs. Touching stuff.

Lovely words by Faf

Also, before I do a little more grilling, I know I will have to do pretty well to even get close to this guy:

Here, I will go through the player ratings for each player, and as always, I will try get a laugh or two!

Sri Lanka

Dimuth Karunaratne: One man outscores the entire opposition across two innings. Deserves man of the match on his magnificent first innings 158*. Fantastic effort. 10

Danushka Gunathilaka: Compared to the South Africans, Danushka was like Bradman. Only one instance of a South African going past his first innings 26. Involved in two good opening stands. 6.5

Dhananjaya de Silva: Two dismissals he’ll be a little disappointed with. Talented player, will bounce back. 3

Kusal Mendis: 24 runs for the Test but still averaged more that South Africa (12 v 9.95). What a time to be alive. 3

Angelo Mathews: Good second innings effort with wickets falling around him. Still not close to his best, but baby steps for Angelo. 5

Roshen Silva: Looking as confident as my father trying to use a smartphone. Translated: not very. Out of form. Does he play the next Test? 2

Niroshan Dickwella: Two stumpings for Dickwella. More runs from him will be handy for Sri Lanka down the order. 4

Dilruwan Perera: Spun a web so big on the South Africans that it won’t only be England having nightmares about spinners. Namely Kuldeep. 10/78 for the match, his best ever figures. 9.5

Suranga Lakmal: Played as a specialist number nine batsman for a while. But, what a cracker of a ball to get Faf Du Plessis in the first innings, to go with a 48 run stand with Karunaratne in the first innings and 33 not out in the second. 7.5

Rangana Herath: Went past Shaun Pollock and Dale Steyn in the wicket-taking charts. An absolute legend. 8.5

Lakshan Sandakan: Excellent first innings runs to help Sri Lanka to get to 287. Took two wickets in just eight overs in the Test. Did well when he had the chance. 7.5

South Africa:


Aiden Markram: Welcome to life away from South Africa, Mr. Markram. I really rate him though, and he’ll need to back himself to bounce back.2

Dean Elgar: Made as much an impact as a leaf in a cyclone. Has a lot of fight in him and will bounce back. 2
Hashim Amla: So much respect for the Hash, but I get the feeling the end is near. I hope I’m wrong. Made a double figure score in the first innings! 2

Temba Bavuma: One of South Africa’s top performing batsmen, as he made a double digit score…. 2

Faf Du Plessis: Batted well in the first innings, but Faf is a really nice man. Gifted Sri Lanka plenty of runs towards the end of their first innings, and now won’t let Bangladesh be the only embarrassed low scorers. 6

Quinton de Kock: Needs to show the same fight against spin that he showed against David Warner earlier this year. Six dismissals is a silver lining, though. 4

Vernon Philander: 40 runs for the Test, with just one dismissal. Showed his teammates how to bat. Bowled OK with limited chances. Not sure if he will play the next Test as South Africa may look to beg AB de Villiers to come back bring another specialist batsman in. 5

Kagiso Rabada: I’d rather walk through a garden of thorns than face this guy. Fastest ever to 150 wickets. A future great. 8

Dale Steyn: Steady without being spectacular. Equalled Shaun Pollock’s all-time record of 421 wickets. An all-time great, and will be better for the run. 5

Keshav Maharaj: Inconsistent first innings, better second. Will only get better. 6.5

Tabraiz Shamsi: Good effort from him throughout the Test. I was impressed. 7

—-

So, South Africa went from winning by 492 runs in their last Test to losing by 278 here. And guess what, 278 was AB de Villiers highest Test score.
The hurt is real.
Nonetheless, credit to Sri Lanka, who are just one Test away from a great series win vs. one of the top sides. I’m interested to see how the next Test pans out.
Thanks for reading!

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Charbel Coorey
Charbel Cooreyhttps://cricblog.net
Charbel is the owner & founder of cricblog.net, based in Sydney, Australia. He started the website to fulfill his love for the game of cricket. Charbel has been featured on other publications including OP India, Times of India, and The Roar, among others. He is also a keen fantasy sports player. Charbel has also had the privilege of interviewing cricketers on the CricBlog TV YouTube channel, including James Neesham, Rassie van der Dussen, Andrew Tye, Shreyas Gopal, Jaydev Unadkat and Saurabh Netravalkar: https://www.youtube.com/@cricblogtv For any story tips or questions, you can contact Charbel at charbelcoorey@cricblog.net.

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