The few fans who turned up at Durban this morning were greeted with rain clouds and breeze that permitted just 20.4 overs with South Africa, put in to bat on 80 for the loss of 4 wickets..
However, play got underway on schedule at 1 pm IST.
Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to bowl first with a combination of 3 seamers and a specialist spinning option with 7 top order batters.
Aiden Markram fell victim to a 4th stump good length delivery bowled by Fernando caught by Mathews at first slip with the South Africans on 14 runs. Markram was out for 9, followed by his fellow opener Tony Smith playing tentatively when Kamindu Mendis took a brilliant catch off Vishwa Fernando at second slip with both openers back in the pavilion for 14.
Sri Lankan seamers, the two Fernando’ s and Lahiru Kumara bowled excellent line and length of perfect seam bowling.
Triston Stubbs, batting at number 3, cartered Lahiru Kumara for three boundaries in his first over, but the speed merchant had the last laugh when Stubbs hung his bat at a short length delivery from Lahiru Kumara to be caught by Dimuth Karunaratne in the slip cordon becoming Lahiru Kumara’s first victim for 16 runs , with the Proteas on 46.
David Bedingham saw his off stump cartwheel off a Lahiru Kumara fast delivery, guilty of not getting his bat down on time with South Africa struggling on 54 for the loss of 4 wickets.
Temba Bavuma, the South African skipper was lucky to survive a life when he edged a Lahiru Kumara outswinger as Karunaratne dropped him in the slip cordon.
When lunch was taken, South Africa was 80 runs for 4 wickets with Bavuma batting on 28 and Kyla Varrenine on 9.
The lunch break brought down showers of blessings from a South African perspective with 80 runs for 4 wickets a difficult first session against quality seam.
Day one ended with Asitha Fernando scalping one wicket for 22 runs in 8 overs, Vishwa Fernando 1 for 17 in 7 overs whilst Lahiru Kumara 2 scalps for 35 runs in his 6 over spell.
Play gets underway at 1 pm tomorrow, Sri Lanka time will the Proteas turn things around?