Marco Jansen's devastating performance leads to Sri Lanka's lowest Test score of 42 as he claims 7 wickets in just 6.5 overs

The Sri Lankan cricket team suffered a humiliating defeat in the Durban Test against South Africa as they were bowled out for a shockingly low total of 42 in their first innings. This not only marked Sri Lanka's lowest-ever score in a Test match but also set a new record as the lowest total by any team against South Africa.

The visitors, who had been hoping for better batting conditions following a rain-affected Day 1, were left reeling after just 13.5 overs at the crease. The previous lowest score for Sri Lanka in Tests had been 71 against Pakistan in 1994.

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transform: rotate(32deg); animation: shinerMooving 3s infinite; z-index: 1; filter: blur(1px); } @keyframes shinerMooving { 0% { left: -40px; } 100% { left: 150%; } } Top 15 buys at IPL 2025 Auction Rishabh Pant ₹ 27 Cr DC LSG Total Match 111 Total Runs 3284 Highest Score 128 runs Shreyas Iyer ₹ 26.75 Cr KKR PBKS Total Match 115 Total Runs 3127 Highest Score 96 runs Venkatesh Iyer ₹ 23.75 Cr KKR KKR Total Match 50 Total Runs 1326 Highest Score 104 runs Wickets 3 Best Bowling 2/29 Arshdeep Singh ₹ 18 Cr PBKS PBKS Total Match 65 Total Runs 29 Highest Score 10 runs Wickets 76 Best Bowling 5/32 Yuzvendra Chahal ₹ 18 Cr RR PBKS Total Match 260 Total Runs 37 Highest Score 8 runs Wickets 205 Best Bowling 5/40 Jos Buttler ₹ 15.75 Cr RR GT Total Match 107 Total Runs 3582 Highest Score 124 runs KL Rahul ₹ 14 Cr LSG DC Total Match 132 Total Runs 4683 Highest Score 132 runs Trent Boult ₹ 12.50 Cr RR MI Total Match 104 Total Runs 83 Highest Score 17 runs Wickets 121 Best Bowling 4/18 Jofra Archer ₹ 12.50 Cr MI RR Total Match 35 Total Runs 195 Highest Score 27 runs Wickets 46 Best Bowling 3/15 Josh Hazlewood ₹ 12.50 Cr RCB RCB Total Match 12 Total Runs - Highest Score - Wickets 12 Best Bowling 3/24 Mohammed Siraj ₹ 12.25 Cr RCB GT Total Match 93 Total Runs 109 Highest Score 14 runs Wickets 93 Best Bowling 4/21 Mitchell Starc ₹ 11.75 Cr KKR DC Total Match 41 Total Runs 105 Highest Score 29 runs Wickets 51 Best Bowling 4/15 Phil Salt ₹ 11.50 Cr DC RCB Total Match 21 Total Runs 653 Highest Score 89 runs Ishan Kishan ₹ 11.25 Cr MI SRH Total Match 105 Total Runs 2644 Highest Score 99 runs Wickets - Best Bowling - Jitesh Sharma ₹ 11 Cr PBKS RCB Total Match 40 Total Runs 730 Highest Score 49 runs Check Full Coverage

Sri Lanka's top-order crumbled under pressure as the South African seamers exploited the testing conditions at Kingsmead. Five Sri Lankan batsmen – Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Mendis, Prabhath Jayasuriya, Vishwa Fernando, and Asitha Fernando – were dismissed for ducks, further adding to their misery.

Kamindu Mendis top-scored with 13 runs. The Lankan batters' inability to cope with the swing and seam movement on offer was evident as they struggled to build any partnerships. With just 83 deliveries consumed in total, Sri Lanka's innings is the second-fastest ever bowled out in Test cricket history, only behind South Africa’s own collapse for 30 runs in 1924.

Take a look at Sri Lanka's lowest scores in Test history:

42 vs South Africa, 202471 vs Pakistan, 199473 vs Pakistan, 200681 vs England, 200182 vs India, 1990Jansen triggers downfall

The catalyst for Sri Lanka's downfall was South Africa's left-arm seamer Marco Jansen, who produced a career-best performance to dismantle the Lankan batting.

Jansen’s stunning figures of 7/13 not only handed South Africa a commanding 149-run lead, but also etched his name in the history books as just the second bowler, after Australia’s Hugh Trumble in 1904, to take seven wickets in less than seven overs in a Test innings.

Jansen’s scintillating spell was backed by Gerald Coetzee and Kagiso Rabada, with the trio taking just 83 balls to wrap up Sri Lanka’s innings. The performance by Jansen was the third-best by a South African pacer at home and the best by a South African bowler this century.

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