Marco Jansen delivered a sensational spell of bowling to decimate Sri Lanka in the Durban Test, recording career-best figures of 7/13. His devastating performance saw Sri Lanka crumble to their lowest-ever Test total of 42, an innings lasting just 13.5 overs. This also marks the lowest score ever recorded by any team against South Africa in Test cricket. The hosts, who were earlier bowled out for 191, took a commanding 149-run lead on Day 2 at Kingsmead.
Jansen, supported ably by Gerald Coetzee and Kagiso Rabada, exploited the seaming conditions brilliantly. Despite predictions of more favourable batting conditions, Sri Lanka’s batting lineup faltered. Jansen’s remarkable feat places him in elite company, as he became only the second bowler in Test history, after Australia’s Hugh Trumble in 1904, to take a seven-wicket haul in under seven overs. The South African pacers needed just 83 deliveries to dismantle Sri Lanka, exposing their lack of application on a challenging pitch.
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The Sri Lankan innings saw five batters – Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Mendis, Prabhath Jayasuriya, Vishwa Fernando, and Asitha Fernando – dismissed for ducks, with Kamindu Mendis top-scoring with a mere 13 runs. Playing a bowler short due to Wiaan Mulder’s fractured finger, South Africa’s remaining attack stepped up decisively to ensure their dominance.
This total of 42 surpasses Sri Lanka’s previous lowest Test score of 71 against Pakistan in Kandy back in 1994. Additionally, the 83 balls faced in their innings mark the second-shortest by any team, after South Africa’s infamous 30 all-out against England in just 75 balls at Edgbaston in 1924.
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Jansen’s figures of 7/13 now rank as the third-best by a South African pacer at home and the finest by any South African fast bowler this century. His brilliance ensured that South Africa gained a significant advantage despite their own batting struggles earlier in the match. As the Test progresses, the Proteas will look to build on this momentum and aim for a commanding victory in Durban.
Here is how the netizens reacted to the record-low score of Sri Lanka:
Sri Lanka got bowled out for 42 in 83 legitimate balls at Durban.
In the entire Test cricket history, only one team has been all-out in fewer balls – South Africa, 75 balls vs England at Birmingham in 1924.#SAvsSL #SAvSL
— Rajneesh Gupta (@rgcricket) November 28, 2024
Sri Lanka sink to a record Test low in South Africa 😳
More details on the record breaking total ⏬https://t.co/dbFtBIufog
— Cricket.com (@weRcricket) November 28, 2024
Sri Lanka’s lowest-ever score in a Test innings 😳
Live: https://t.co/D7R6x3zOax | #SAvSL pic.twitter.com/ziXalAUchx
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) November 28, 2024
In just 13.5 overs, South Africa have bowled Sri Lanka out for 42 🤯
It’s Sri Lanka’s lowest ever score in Test cricket #SAvSL pic.twitter.com/hqwDviWqfF
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) November 28, 2024
‼️ Marco Jansen 7 wickets restricts Sri Lanka for just 42 Runs vs South Africa
Sanath Jayasuriya must be Fuming pic.twitter.com/d0YVw6UEms
— ICT Fan (@Delphy06) November 28, 2024
Sri Lanka all out 42:
– Sri Lanka’s lowest Test total; previously 71 v Pakistan at Kandy in 1994
– Lowest Test total by any team v South Africa; previously 45 by New Zealand at Cape Town in 2013
– Lowest Test total by any team in South Africa since 1899#SAvSL #SAvsSL 🇿🇦🇱🇰
— Fox Sports Lab (@FoxSportsLab) November 28, 2024
