South African pacer Marco Jansen revealed that his teammate Gerald Coetzee asked him the name of the bookie after he took three wickets following no-balls on day two of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Durban. The 24-year-old all-rounder quickly dismissed such suggestions.
Jansen was the standout performer with seven wickets, helping South Africa bowl Sri Lanka out for just 42 runs, their lowest total in Test cricket. Interestingly, his first three wickets came after he bowled no-balls, dismissing Pathum Nissanka, Dinesh Chandimal, and Angelo Mathews.
Speaking to the media after the day’s play, Jansen explained that his inconsistent starting position was the cause of the no-balls. He said, as quoted by Cricbuzz:
“Gerald [Coetzee] actually asked me what’s the bookie’s name. And I said, ‘There’s no chance of that.’ I either ran in too quickly or I didn’t start on my mark consistently. From my third over, I tried to make a conscious effort to be a foot behind my mark. Every time I did that, I was either half-and-half [across the crease] or a bit behind.”
The hosts started the day at 80/4 and managed to reach 191. They extended their 149-run lead to 281 by the end of day two, with seven wickets remaining.
“I thought we were going to be bowled out for around 120 or 130”- Marco Jansen
Jansen mentioned that Temba Bavuma’s gritty 70, which helped South Africa reach 191 in their first innings, felt like a century for the team. He said:
“I thought we were going to get the bowled out for around 120, 130-ish. Temba’s 70 wasn’t a hundred, but its value meant it might as well have been a hundred.”
At the close of day two, Bavuma was on 24, partnered with Tristan Stubbs, and will aim to score big in the second innings. Prabath Jayasuriya claimed two wickets, while Vishwa Fernando took one.
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