SA vs SL Live Updates 1st Test: Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva won the toss and opted to bowl against South Africa in the 1st in Durban. With the stakes high in the World Test Championship standings, this match is significant for both teams. Sri Lanka are slightly ahead in the WTC race and know that a series win can increase their chances for the WTC Final while South Africa will also keep their slim hopes alive. The visitors came into the series with confidence from an ODI series victory against New Zealand while South Africa is in doubts after their T20I series loss to India on home soil. (Live Scorecard)
SA vs SL 1st Test Live Scorecard
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UPDATE - 12.30 pm GMT - There is only a chance of 20 more overs to happen in the time left for the day and it's still raining heavily at Kingsmead. Puddles have formed at various positions in the outfield. The waiting game it on and the chances of the game to start today are getting slimmer by the passing minute. Let's see what happens.
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UPDATE - 11.59 am GMT - It's getting close to Tea now, but the rain is relentless in Durban. There is some thunder and lightning as well which are not good signs at all. We are surely not getting any action in the second session, and the chances of getting any more play also look pretty bleak here.
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UPDATE - 11.29 am GMT - Still no positive news from the middle! It is still raining in Durban and we have lost more than 1.5 hours with the conditions still looking pretty gloomy. The forecast for the rest of the days is decent, but both teams will need to fight it hard to force a result because a draw won't help either. Stay tuned for more updates.
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UPDATE - 10.52 am GMT - The rain is playing hide and seek with us! It did go away for some time, giving us a glimmer of hope, but it has come back on again with more intensity. The waiting game continues...
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UPDATE - 10.25 am GMT - Well, there is nothing new to update about, but the rain has steadied down a bit in Durban. However, looking at the skies, the signs are not looking very positive here. All we can do is hope.
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UPDATE - 10.07 am GMT - Uh..oh! The second session should have been underway by now, but the rain has gotten heavier during the break. All the covers are firmly on and we are in for a longer break than we expected. Stick with us for more news.
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As play resumes after the rain-interrupted session, the hosts will look to Bavuma and Kyle Verreynne to rebuild. For now, it's Sri Lanka who head into Lunch brimming with confidence after a stellar start. If there is no more rain during the break and the outfield is ready, the second session will begin around 10.06 am GMT. However, with all the rain forecasted throughout the day, it could be a stop-start kind of day. So, just keep an eye here as we will be providing regular updates.
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The day began with high drama as South Africa lost both openers within the first three overs courtesy of the two Fernandos, leaving them reeling early on. The pair of Tristan Stubbs and captain Temba Bavuma then took on the responsibility of steadying the ship. Bavuma, benefiting from two lives, displayed resilience and remains unbeaten on 28 at the break. Stubbs appeared to have found his rhythm but was undone by a sharp delivery from Lahiru Kumara, who claimed him just as he seemed set. Kumara struck again shortly after, sending David Bedingham back to the pavilion and leaving South Africa in deeper trouble.
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LUNCH! SESSION SUMMARY - 20.4 overs, 4 wickets and 80 runs. The opening session of this Test match at Kingsmead, Durban, has firmly belonged to Sri Lanka. Under overcast skies, their seam bowlers took full advantage of the conditions, delivering a masterclass in Test match bowling. At the Lunch break, South Africa finds themselves struggling at 80/4, a testament to Sri Lanka's relentless attack.
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The rain gods have finally shown their presence and the players and the umpires walk off the field right at the brink of LUNCH! In fact, the umpires have taken Lunch a couple of minutes ahead of the scheduled time which seems to be the sensible move here.