Proteas close in on victory in first Test against Sri Lanka after twin centuries

Stubbs top-scored with 122, his second Test hundred, while Bavuma accumulated 113, his third career ton, as the Proteas declared on 366-5 at the tea interval to set Sri Lanka a mammoth target of 516.

The tourists were struggling on 103-5 at the close of play and the home side will be confident of wrapping up the remaining five wickets on Saturday to go 1-0 in the two-match series.

Bavuma and Stubbs resumed on the third morning with the Proteas on 132-3 and extended their fourth-wicket partnership as the duo went to individual half-centuries as the hosts went to lunch on 233-3.

Stubbs was the first to bring up his hundred after the interval, off 183 balls, while captain Bavuma went to his milestone off 202 deliveries.

The duo put on 249 for fourth wicket and Sri Lanka eventually broke the stand when Stubbs was bowled by left-arm seamer Vishwa Fernando going for a big shot with the lead already beyond the 450 mark.

David Bedingham came in and slammed an unbeaten 21 from just 11 balls as the Proteas upped the tempo and the declaration came on the stroke of tea when Bavuma was dismissed by paceman Asitha Fernando.

The visitors' first innings only lasted 13.5 overs in the first innings when hey were bowled out for 42 on Thursday and they were again pegged back early as Kagiso Rabada and Gerald Coetzee dismissed openers Dimuth Karunaratne (4) and Pathum Nissanka (23).

Marco Jansen followed up his career-best seven wickets in the first innings with another two scalps as the left-arm paceman got rid of Angelo Mathews (25) and Kamindu Mendis (10).

Rabada then came back into the attack just before the close and had Prabath Jayasuriya caught by a brilliant Tony de Zorzi catch at short-leg to cap off a brilliant day for the Proteas.

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