Paterson's hat-trick of wickets disrupts Sri Lanka's momentum

Lunch on day 3 in Sri Lanka, the team scored 318 runs for the loss of 8 wickets. Nissanka was the top scorer with 89 runs, followed by Kamindu with 48, Mathews and Chandimal both scoring 44 runs. South African bowlers Paterson took 4 wickets while Jansen took 2. Sri Lanka is currently trailing South Africa by 40 runs in the first innings.

Dane Paterson took three wickets in an over and Marco Jansen pocketed one apiece with the old and the new ball as South Africa took five wickets for 37 runs on the third morning at St George's Park. Sri Lanka are 40 runs behind at lunch with no recognised batters left but have made good gains with 76 runs in the session.

After 88 overs of mostly hard grind - and with three dropped catches in the morning - matters hit fast-forward in Paterson's second over, when he had Dhananjaya de Silva caught behind off his first ball, bowled Kusal Mendis, who left a delivery that nipped back in, off the third ball, and then had Lahiru Kumara stunningly caught by Jansen's outstretched left-hand at gully off the fifth.

Related

Nissanka 2.0 - quiet, disciplined, and just a little greedy

Verreynne explodes before SA turn on the slow burn

Sri Lanka went from a reasonably comfortable 297 for 5 to 298 for 8, and South Africa were 60 runs ahead at that stage. Sri Lanka have since eaten into that but on a surface that should deteriorate on the fourth and fifth days, South Africa will know that any advantage could prove crucial.

Play resumed with South Africa 13 overs away from the second new ball and they looked like they wanted to get to it quickly. They bowled those overs in 45 minutes and had some success. With six overs to go before the change of balls, Jansen was brought on from the end that has had less bounce and bowled an absolute snorter to Angelo Mathews. The ball kicked off the surface and Mathews' could not keep his hands down as he edged to Kyle Verreynne, who took the catch in front of his face.

South Africa took the second new ball as soon as it became available and it brought immediate reward. Kamindu Mendis, who had earlier been put down by Tony de Zorzi at short leg the ball after he creamed Keshav Maharaj through the covers for four, nicked off third ball.

Angelo Mathews was not happy falling six short of a fifty

•

Associated Press

Jansen continued to cause problems when he rapped Kusal Mendis on the glove first up and could have had him out twice in the space of four overs but Kusal survived. He offered his first chance off the third ball he faced, when he was unsure about leaving a ball down leg and got bat on it. Verreynne dived full stretch to his left but could only get his glovetips on it. The next opportunity was much more straightforward. Kusal got a thick outside edge to first slip but Aiden Markam, at second, dived across David Bedingham and dropped it.

Kusal's dalliance with the edge continued when he sent a healthy one to the right of Tristan Stubbs at gully off Paterson, who had taken over from Jansen. But his luck ran out after that when he left Paterson's best delivery, which nipped back sharply and took off the bails. That was in the middle of the over that turned the morning South Africa's way.

Not entirely, though.

Sri Lanka ate into the South Africa's total with some glorious shots, including three well placed fours from Prabath Jayasuriya. He drove Paterson through the covers and steered him past gully for successive fours and then cut Jansen through point to take Sri Lanka to lunch.