Cape Town: South Africa closed in on a long-awaited first home series win since 2008 as it reduced Sri Lanka to 138-4 in its second innings in the decisive third Test at Newlands on Thursday, still more than 200 behind.
Returning from injury, seamer Vernon Philander took four wickets on day three as South Africa rolled Sri Lanka out for 239 in its first innings and then made telling inroads in the second after forcing the tourists to follow on.
With two days to play, Sri Lanka still needed 203 just to make South Africa bat again after the Proteas' daunting first innings total of 580-4 declared. Its best batsmen — Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene — had all been dismissed twice.
Philander had 3-46 and 1-24 but South Africa's bowlers all contributed to their 12 wickets in the day to leave Sri Lanka with little hope of saving the Test and the series, which is level at 1-1.
Fast bowler Dale Steyn returned 3-56 in the first innings and began South Africa's productive day with a wicket in the first over.
Morne Morkel and legspinner Imran Tahir had three wickets each and Jacques Kallis broke a 67-run partnership between Sangakkara and Lahiru Thirimanne early in Sri Lanka's second innings to keep South Africa on top in a Test the home team has dominated from the start.
Sri Lanka looked almost certain to slide away to a fourth series defeat in four tours to the country — despite a historic win in Durban in the second Test — while South Africa neared a first series success at home since beating Bangladesh over three years ago in sight.
With Sri Lanka solid overnight on 149-2 in its first innings, Sangakkara flashed a wide Steyn delivery straight to point off the third ball of the third day to begin a surprising slump where the tourists lost 8-90 in 34.5 overs on a pitch that was still expected to favor batsmen. Sri Lanka surrendered a first-innings deficit of 341.
Philander continued South Africa's momentum with the early wicket of captain Dilshan for 5 in the second innings and, despite the stubborn stand between Sangakkara and Thirimanne, South Africa also managed to dismiss leading batsmen Sangakkara (35 and 34) and Jayawardene (30 and 12) twice in the day.
Angelo Mathews was 28 not out with three fours and Thilan Samaraweera unbeaten on 19 at stumps in an unbroken 40 run partnership that appeared to only delay South Africa's march to victory.
Dilshan made 78 in Sri Lanka's first effort in the only half-century so far by a visiting batsman in the match, but he was already out late on Wednesday when Steyn and Philander ran through the tourists on day three.
Bustling right-arm fast bowler Philander continued his impressive start to Test cricket — after missing the defeat in Durban with a left knee injury — by taking his tally to 28 wickets halfway through his fourth Test.
Top-ranked Test bowler Steyn removed top-ranked batsman Sangakkara as well as Jayawardene and Mathews in the first innings as South Africa's attack put to bed thoughts that a flat Newlands pitch might see them struggle to take 20 wickets to win the Test.
Legspinner Tahir also capitalized on turn and unpredictable bounce to bowl Thisara Perera with a big-turning legspinner in his 2-54 in the first innings.
He worked out Sangakkara in the second with a googly that took the edge of the left-hander's bat and fell to Kallis at slip.
In between, home favorite Kallis — whose career-best 224 dominated South Africa's first innings score — produced enough bounce off the pitch to have Thirimanne out to a bat-pad catch by Hashim Amla that ended solid resistance from the left-handed opener and broke Sri Lanka's only meaningful partnership of the day.
