OWN CORRESPONDENT, Pietermaritzburg | Friday 8.25pm.
SRI Lanka A were looking steady on the second day of their match against South Africa A in Pietermaritzburg on Friday.
The locals took their first innings total from its overnight 192 for five to 296, and the Sri Lankans replied with 64/2 at stumps.
Play started late because of wet outfield following overnight rain, and ended 10 overs early due to bad light.
SA A skipper Dale Benkenstein and Justin Kemp were in fine form, and took their fifth-wicket partnership to 76 before both fell playing attacking strokes.
Kemp (39) hit two fours and two sixes before holing out to spinner Niroshan Bandarathilaka.
Benkenstein fell to an attempted pull off opening bowler Prabath Nissanka with his score on 84.
After the dismissal of their skipper and Kemp, Wendell Bossenger and Shafiek Abrahams (18) played a fine innings of 28, before Mornantau Hayward plundered 26 runs off 21 balls.
Nissanka eventually bowled Hayward to pick up a well-deserved five-wicket haul.
The South Africans were dismissed just before 4pm, and Sri Lanka were left with only 26 overs of batting time.
Kumar Sannggakkara (11) started the innings well, cracking Hayward for two fours in his second over, but Hayward laughed last and trapped him leg-before on the last ball of the over.
Lankan skipper Naweed Nawaz (5) also fell leg-before to Hayward.