South African pacer Marco Jansen destroyed the Sri Lankan batting lineup by picking up a total of 11 wickets in Durban which massively helped his side in cruising to 233-run victory. This incredible performance includes a 7-wicket haul in the first innings which helped the Proteas bowl out the opposition for just 42 runs.
The Sri Lankan team wasn’t able to chase down 515 runs in the fourth innings which helped the Proteas to take a 1-0 lead in the 2-match series. Jansen was named as the Player of the Match for his spectacular bowling performance and he also joined legendary Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan in an elite list.
Jansen became the bowler to achieve the second-best figures in Durban and the fourth bowler to take 10 or more wickets at the ground. He joined the likes of Australia’s Clarence Grimmett, Muralitharan and India’s Venkatesh Prasad. Grimmett holds the record of the best figures in Durban and took 13 wickets by giving away 173 runs in 1936.
He also became the first-ever left-handed bowler from South Africa to take a 10-wicket-haul in a Test match. Jansen’s sensational bowling display is one of the main reasons why the Proteas won the match so comfortably. The win was quite important as it saw them reach the second position on the World Test Championship (WTC) points table.
