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Sri Lanka made progress, but South Africa still carries the whip at lunch on the second day of Test 2 at the Wanderers on Monday.
The hosts had reached 256/5 in their first innings and lead by 99 thanks in large part to the exploits of Dean Elgar (127) and Rassie van der Dussen (67), who seemed poised for even more substantial scores before they were sent to pack.
Elgar, who recorded his 13th century on the test, continued his good form on the series, but would have been disappointed not to have made more profit.
Still, he continues to build on his reputation as a fearsome test opener.
Getting a pair in the test debut against Australia in 2012 ‚Elgar didn’t exactly take test cricket like a duck overboard.
A similar fate befell Graham Gooch in 1975, but the former England captain rose from the ashes and will remember that as couples grow over time, reputations are forged.
Since then, the intrepid South African starter has set out to forge a testing career built on great determination.
Efficient rather than elegant, Elgar has become the mainstay at the top of the South African order and again proved himself to be the glue as South Africa assumed a position of strength.
They did undo some of their good work though, as Sri Lanka took some hard knocks after the morning drinking break – bagging four windows in the hour before lunch.
South Africa had reached the mini interval without a problem, but two balls after the restart, Elgar made a regulation catch on the first slip.
Elgar topped the 4,000 test run mark earlier in this inning and on the stumps on the first day he was approaching his 13th test tonne.
He didn’t have to wait long to get the brand out.
A man who normally goes about his business with a leisurely strike rate of 46 at this level had scored a 76.7 when he drew his ton.
Sri Lanka’s advance was timely, as the signals had started to look ominous and Van der Dussen also began timing the ball with greater confidence. Elgar and Van der Dussen are now in possession of the second record partnership in this field, surpassing the mark set by Andrew Strauss and Robert Key.
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