Dimuth Karunaratne scored a hundred and three half-centuries in four innings.(Source: AP)
Sri Lanka had a perfect Test series at home against South Africa as they registered a clean sweep against the Proteas. The hosts rode on some emphatic batting performances from Dimuth Karunaratne whose tally read 158*, 60, 53 and 85 in the two-match series. Karunaratne’s aggregate of 356 runs in the series has helped him climb to the seventh spot in the latest ICC Test batting rankings with a career-high 754 points. He is followed by Sri Lanka’s regular skipper Dinesh Chandimal who is sitting at No.8. Chandimal missed the Test series against South Africa owing to a suspension over the spirit of cricket breach.
Other gainers in the Sri Lankan camp were Danushka Gunathilaka, up 36 spots to No. 73, and Akila Dananjaya, whose seven wickets vaulted him up 16 places to No.39 among bowlers and up 25 to No.46 among all-rounders.
South Africa, on the other side, had a dismal run in the series and adding to this fast bowler Kagiso Rabada who scalped 8 wickets in the series lost his spot at the helm to England’s James Anderson. Apart from Rabada, Dale Steyn has also slipped to No.24. Openers Dean Elgar and Aiden Markram have slipped to the edge of the top-10, while Hashim Amla is down three places to No.14.
Only two South African players have gained something out of this series. Keshav Maharaj who picked a total of 16 wickets in the series jumped five places into the top-20, settling at No. 18. Theunis de Bruyn who scored a brilliant hundred in the second innings of the second Test went to No.105.