SL vs SA 2018: I want to Occupy Number 3 Spot - Theunis de Bruyn

In the recently concluded two-match Test series, South Africa was humbled 2-0 by hosts Sri Lanka. Apart from Theunis de Bruyn, who scored hundred in the fourth innings of the Colombo Test, no other visiting player could tackle the spin trio of Sri Lanka.

In the series, most of the time the South African batsmen perished before facing a hundred-ball tally, let alone thinking of scoring a century.

However, de Bruyn faced 232 balls in the inning, the most extended inning of the series regarding balls by a South African.

In the second inning of the South African batting, two new faces saved them from facing a flustering defeat.

In the last day of the second Test match, Theunis de Bruyn and Temba Bavuma put on 123 together – South Africa’s best partnership of the series by a distance.

Maiden ton from Theunis de Bruyn

Theunis de Bruyn did not stop here. He went on to score his maiden ton, and it is also the only ton which came from South Africa in the series.

After having some modest scores in first five innings, he slammed a ton in the sixth inning. He is probably the only batsman which forced Sri Lankan captain, Suranga Lakmal to make some changes.

“It’s been quite a journey – it’s been tough. My international career didn’t start the way I wanted it to,” he said.

“For me, it was important to get the fielders out on the boundary, early on – especially with the new ball. If you’re just defending, it can be difficult.

So if you put the bowlers slightly under pressure, you can get the fielders out. I didn’t know it was going to take that long to get a hundred.

They just don’t let you go. They keep on bowling very accurately. It’s Test cricket. It’s not easy.”