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Young Lankans make history in South Africa
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The jubilant members of the new-look Sri Lankan team posing for a post-match victory picture after they turned the tables on the world's second best test team, South Africa, to seal an epic-making series win. Pic by Sameera Peiris in South Africa
Sri Lanka’s national cricketers conquered a frontier no other Asian team had conquered, when they won a test series in South Africa yesterday.
Only England and Australia have won a series in South Africa; such has been that team’s dominance at home.
The win ranks alongside Sri Lanka’s World Cup victory in 1996, the World T20 win in 2014 and the 3-0 whitewash of Australia in 2016, but those were achieved with more renowned players than the current young team. Three key players made their debut on the tour under the first time captaincy of Dimuth Karunaratne.
The team had arrived in South Africa with little hope, having lost six out of their last seven Test matches and with the regular captain dumped over poor form and missing some of the frontline bowlers due to injury.
South Africa are second in the World cricket rankings.