Sipamla and batsmen put South Africa on top on day two

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Sipamla tidied up the Sri Lankan innings as they added 56 to their overnight score before South Africa dominated before tea with Markram and Elgar heping them race to 141 before the former perished for 68.

But the start of the final session proved fruitful for Sri Lanka, who prized the wickets of Rassie van der Dussen, Elgar (95) and Quinton de Kock, to swing the pendulum, as the hosts slipped from 200/1 to 220/4.

However, stalwart Du Plessis (55*) and Temba Bavuma (41*) held the fort to drive the home side to 317/4 at stumps.

Earlier in the day, Sri Lanka were looking to add to their overnight score while Kasun Rajitha and Dasun Shanaka were being put to the test by the pace bowling of Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi, but Shanaka wasn't afraid to free his arms as he blasted two sixes in one Nortje over.

At 387/6, Sri Lanka looked like they might be posting a formidable total but Sipamla struck with his second and third balls of the day. First he found the edge of Rajitha to Elgar at second slip before uprooting Vishwa Fernando's off stump the very next ball. Shanaka continued to impress as he blasted a total of five sixes on his way to an unbeaten 66 from 87 balls, but Sipamla finished the innings off as Van der Dussen juggled the ball before holding onto it at first slip to remove Lahiru Kumara. With Dhananjaya de Silva having retired hurt on day one and being ruled out for two weeks, Sri Lanka were all out for 396.

The tourists were dealt another injury blow in the sixth over of South Africa's innings as Rajitha pulled up with a problem, leaving Shanaka to complete the over. Openers Markram and Elgar did well to take the Proteas to lunch without loss and the scoreboard on 45.

The pair returned for the second session and both continued to dispatch the bad balls as they each passed fifty. Sri Lanka finally got a breakthrough in the 29th over as Markram drove loosely to give a sharp catch to Shanaka at gully off Fernando, but Van der Dussen and Elgar took the home side to a promising 180/1 at tea.

The evening session however saw a fightback by the tourists, as Van der Dussen (15) edged Kumara to Niroshan Dickwella and Elgar perished just four balls later, chipping the ball back to Shanaka, as the home side fell from 200/1 to 200/3. Wanindu Hasaranga then came back into the attack and removed De Kock (18) with his first ball and the tide seemed to be turning.

However, Bavuma and Du Plessis steadied the ship, with the latter reaching his 22nd Test fifty, as the hosts made it to stumps without further damage, setting up a good platform for day three.