South Africa A on Friday took control of the second Castle four-day match against Sri Lanka A at De Beers Diamond Oval in Kimberley.
When the stumps were drawn on the first day, the South Africans were 187/1, with Andrew Puttick finishing the day unbeaten on 93 and Alviro Petersen on 53.
Heino Kuhn’s was the only wicket to fall, trapped in front of the stumps by Sajeewa de Silvea for 35.
Earlier in the day, the Sri Lankans were sent in to bat and the home team’s decision was justified when they bowled them for 180 all out.
Sri Lanka A lost the early wicket of Tharanga Paranavitana with no run on the board, falling victim to left-arm seamer Lonwabo Tsotsobe for a duck.
Upul Tharanga (32) and Gihan Rupasinghe (36) rebuilt the innings with a 64-run partnership for the second wicket. However, they could not sustain the momentum as De Villiers ripped the heart out of their batting order with accurate bowling to complete the day with 5/36 in eight overs.
He was supported by the consistent bowling of Tsotsobe (3/54) and fellow seamer Johann Louw (2/42). Yusuf Abdullah, who was on the expensive side, completed his bowling with the figures of 0/44 in six overs.
Tail-ender Ishara Udana hit a cheeky 33 from 21 balls that included seven boundaries, but his wicket was eventually accounted for by Louw.
South Africa A will resume the second day with nine wickets still intact and try to consolidate their lead of seven runs. — Sapa