Seamer Dane Paterson has taken a career-best 5-71 and Temba Bavuma was unbeaten on 48 as South Africa closed the third day of the second Test against Sri Lanka at 3-191 in their second innings for a lead of 221 at St George’s Park.
Paterson helped bowl Sri Lanka out for 328 in their first innings as they lost seven wickets for 67 against the South African new-ball attack led superbly by 35-year-old Paterson on Saturday.
Captain Bavuma, who already has two half-centuries and a ton in three innings in the series, will resume on the fourth day with Tristan Stubbs (36no).
The pair have put on a patient 82 for the fourth wicket to steadily build the home side’s lead.
It is a must-win game for both sides in their bid to reach next year’s World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord’s.
Tony de Zorzi was the first wicket to fall in South Africa’s second innings when he was bowled between bat and pad by Sri Lanka’s left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya for 19.
First-innings centurion Ryan Rickelton (24) was then trapped lbw by Jayasuriya, while Aiden Markram looked in good touch for his 55 before he was brilliantly caught by wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis off the bowling of Vishwa Fernando.
Scoring was slow through the three sessions on Saturday on a wicket where the new ball has been crucial.
Sri Lanka started on 3-242 in their first innings and made South Africa toil for 10 overs before the home side removed Angelo Mathews for 44 just before the new ball was available.
Mathews was caught by wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne off the bowling of Marco Jansen (2-100), before the lanky seamer had Kamindu Mendis (48) snaffled at second slip by Aiden Markram.
Paterson was brought into the attack and raced through the Sri Lankan lower middle order, removing captain Dhananjaya de Silva (14), Kusal Mendis (16) and Lahiru Kumara (0) in the space of five deliveries.
Kumara was out to a sensational catch diving to his left at gully by Jansen, while Paterson completed his maiden test five-for with the wicket of Vishwa Fernando (2), caught by Verreynne in a superb display of swing bowling.
South Africa beat Sri Lanka by 233 runs in Durban last week to win the first of the two-match series.
If South Africa win the second Test and beat Pakistan in a two-match home series starting later this month, they will be guaranteed a place in the WTC final.
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