Two slices of luck came Lanka's way around this period. In the 22nd over, two deliveries after taking out Sangakkara, Hall brought one back at pace to rap Silva on the pad in front of the stumps. Umpire Darryl Harper ruled for the batsman. In the next over, Jacques Kallis sent one through the corridor; Dilshan fiddled with it and got the faintest of edges through to Boucher, but this time umpire Steve Bucknor turned the concerted appeal down.

The batting side did not capitalize, however; Dilshan's tentativeness at the crease translated into yet another wicket, in the 24th over. Silva pushed Kallis square, and took off. Dilshan initially responded, then reneged, sending Silva back. Herschelle Gibbs, racing in from point, fielded, then did a Jonty Rhodes, sprinting closer to the stumps, then diving forward with ball in hand to break the wicket with the batsman a foot or more short of his ground (9/27; 98/5)

At the halfway mark, Sri Lanka is very much behind the eight ball. South Africa has the clear upper hand, having sliced out five big Lankan wickets for under 100 runs, and cut the platform out from under the batting side. Noticeably, Graeme Smith rotated his bowlers to much better effect than in the game against Australia; and outside of Pollock, the other four bowlers tried thus far have delivered - and the fielding, electric as ever, has tightened the noose further.

Sri Lankan progression: 1-25 overs
5 overs: 26/1 @ 5.2 (Jayawardene 2/6; Jayasuriya 11/11)
10 overs: 45/1 @ 4.50 (Jayasuriya 26/26; Jayawardene 6/21)
15 overs: 65/3 @ 4.33 (Sangakkara 13/18; Silva 0/2)
20 overs: 86/3 @ 4.3 (Sangakkara 28/35; Silva 4/15)
25 overs: 99/5 @ 3.96 (Dilshan 4/12; Arnold 1/3)

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