Kusal Perera and Vishwa Fernando celebrate after winning the match
Facing the likes of Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander, and Kagiso Rabada, he led Sri Lanka to a stunning one wicket win in Durban. With wickets falling at the other end, Perera stayed calm and played a heroic unbeaten knock of 153. His partnership with number eleven Vishwa Fernando was full of fight and belief. This match showed the world what Sri Lanka was capable of, even in the toughest conditions away from home.
The time when South Africa and Sri Lanka clashed at Kingsmead, Durban, from February 13-16, 2019, cricket fans witnessed a Test match for the ages. Sri Lanka, underdog visitors, pulled off a stunning one-wicket victory, chasing 304 runs against a formidable South African bowling attack. The match, part of the 2018/19 Sri Lanka tour of South Africa, was a rollercoaster of emotions, with Kusal Perera’s heroic 153 not out stealing the show.
The match began with Sri Lanka’s captain Dimuth Karunaratne winning the toss and choosing to bowl, hoping to exploit the early bounce and movement at Kingsmead. South Africa’s batting lineup, packed with talent like Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis, started shakily. Vishwa Fernando struck early, removing Dean Elgar for a duck in the second over, caught behind by Niroshan Dickwella. Aiden Markram followed soon after, bowled by Fernando for 11, and Amla fell for 3 to Suranga Lakmal, leaving South Africa reeling at 17/3 after 7.4 overs. The pitch offered enough for the seamers, and Sri Lanka’s bowlers were disciplined. Faf du Plessis and Temba Bavuma tried to steady the ship with a 72-run partnership.
Du Plessis played a captain’s knock of 35 off 54 balls, hitting five fours, while Bavuma’s 47 off 66, with seven boundaries, showed grit. However, both fell in quick succession, du Plessis caught behind off Kasun Rajitha, and Bavuma run out due to a mix-up with Vishwa Fernando’s sharp fielding. At 110/5, South Africa were in trouble. Quinton de Kock, the wicketkeeper-batsman, took charge with a fluent 80 off 94 balls, including eight fours and a six, anchoring the innings. His aggressive strokeplay lifted South Africa past 150.
Vernon Philander (4) and Keshav Maharaj (29) chipped in, but the lower order struggled against Sri Lanka’s varied attack. Dale Steyn’s 15 added some runs, but Lasith Embuldeniya’s spin accounted for him, and de Kock’s departure ended the innings at 235 in 59.4 overs. Vishwa Fernando led the bowling with 4/62, supported by Rajitha’s 3/68 and Lakmal’s 1/29. Sri Lanka’s bowlers had done well to keep South Africa under 250, but the total felt competitive on a lively pitch.
Sri Lanka’s reply started cautiously, with openers Dimuth Karunaratne and Lahiru Thirimanne facing South Africa’s fearsome pace trio of Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander, and Kagiso Rabada. Steyn struck early, dismissing Thirimanne for a duck, caught by de Kock. Oshada Fernando, on debut, scored 19 before falling lbw to Steyn, and Karunaratne’s patient 30 off 59 ended via Philander’s lbw appeal, leaving Sri Lanka at 53/3. Kusal Mendis (12) fell to Philander, and Niroshan Dickwella’s brisk 8 was cut short by Duanne Olivier.
At 90/5, Sri Lanka were wobbling. Kusal Perera, batting at No. 5, played a counter-attacking 51 off 63 balls, with seven fours and a six, offering hope. He shared a 43-run stand with Dhananjaya de Silva, who scored 23. However, Steyn removed Perera, caught by substitute Zubayr Hamza, and de Silva fell to Rabada. The tail couldn’t resist long, with Suranga Lakmal (4) and Lasith Embuldeniya (24) adding some runs.
Kasun Rajitha’s 12 ended in a run-out, and Vishwa Fernando remained not out on 1 as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 191 in 59.2 overs, trailing by 44 runs an Steyn was the star with 4/48, supported by Philander (2/32), Rabada (2/48), and Olivier (1/36). South Africa’s bowlers exploited the conditions well, but Sri Lanka’s lower order showed some fight, keeping the deficit manageable.
South Africa began their second innings with a 44-run lead, aiming to build a daunting target. Dean Elgar and Aiden Markram started positively, but Markram fell for 28 to Kasun Rajitha. Hashim Amla’s 16 and Temba Bavuma’s 3 were dismissed by Vishwa Fernando and Lasith Embuldeniya, respectively, leaving South Africa at 77/3.
Elgar’s 35 ended via Embuldeniya’s caught-and-bowled, but Faf du Plessis played a gritty 90 off 182 balls, anchoring the innings and Quinton de Kock’s 55 off 62, with six fours, added momentum, and their 96-run stand pushed South Africa past 150. However, Embuldeniya’s spin proved decisive, dismissing de Kock, Vernon Philander (18), and Kagiso Rabada (0) in quick succession.
Du Plessis fell lbw to Fernando for 90, and Keshav Maharaj (4) and Dale Steyn (1) followed, leaving Duanne Olivier not out on 2. South Africa were bowled out for 259 in 79.1 overs, setting Sri Lanka a target of 304. Embuldeniya shone with 5/66, while Fernando took 4/71 and Rajitha 1/54. The target was steep, but Sri Lanka’s bowlers had kept it within reach, thanks to Embuldeniya’s debut heroics.
Chasing 304, Sri Lanka’s openers Karunaratne and Thirimanne started steadily, reaching 42 before Rabada dismissed Thirimanne for 21. Karunaratne’s 20 ended via Philander’s lbw, and Kusal Mendis fell for a duck to Olivier, leaving Sri Lanka at 52/3. Oshada Fernando (37) and Kusal Perera steadied the innings with a 58-run stand, but Steyn removed Fernando and Dickwella (0) in quick succession, reducing Sri Lanka to 110/5. Dhananjaya de Silva’s 48 off 79 balls, alongside Perera, added 96 runs, taking Sri Lanka past 200.
However, Keshav Maharaj struck, dismissing de Silva and Lakmal (0) in consecutive balls, and Olivier removed Embuldeniya (4) and Rajitha (1), leaving Sri Lanka at 226/9, needing 78 runs with one wicket left and during the last few overs of the 1st Test match between South Africa and Sri Lanka at Durban on February 16, 2019, Kusal Perera scripted a breathtaking finish, guiding Sri Lanka to a one-wicket victory while chasing 304 and with Sri Lanka at 226/9, needing 78 runs, Perera, unbeaten on 120, and No. 11 Vishwa Fernando defied South Africa’s fearsome attack.
In the 81st over, Kagiso Rabada bowled tightly, but Perera managed a single, leaving Fernando to face Dale Steyn. Fernando, showing remarkable composure for a tailender, survived Steyn’s probing deliveries, including a swinging yorker. The 82nd over saw Perera unleash a stunning six off Steyn over deep square leg, followed by Fernando surviving a scare when an edge fell short of the slips, and a fielding error gifted five runs.
Sri Lanka needed 34 and Rabada’s 83rd over brought another Perera six, a top-edged pull soaring over fine leg, and a tucked two, reducing the target to 20. Perera’s calculated aggression kept the scoreboard moving and Steyn’s 84th over was electric as Perera smashed another six over deep square leg. Then called Fernando for a single, who bravely faced Steyn’s pace and with 12 runs needed, Rabada’s 85th over saw Perera duck a bouncer but steer a short ball for two leg byes, followed by a composed dab to third man and needing four, Perera faced Rabada’s 85.3rd ball, a short-of-length delivery and calmly steered it past wide first slip for a boundary and Perera’s unbeaten 153 off 200 balls, with 12 fours and five sixes, and Fernando’s 6 not out off 27, created a 78-run last-wicket stand that broke records.