By Nick Said

PRETORIA (Reuters) -Faf du Plessis made a career-best 199 as South Africa prospered in the first test against injury-hit Sri Lanka with a massive first-innings score of 621 and a lead of 160 on day three on Monday.
Sri Lanka closed on 65 for two in their second innings with Kusal Mendis (33 not out) and Dinesh Chandimal (21 not out) at the crease, but are effectively five wickets down with team officials revealing that injured Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara and and Dhananjaya de Silva will not bat.

There is also concern for Chandimal, who needed treatment on his thigh and looked in some discomfort.
Home seamer Lungi Ngidi (2-28) picked up both wickets to fall, bowling captain Dimuth Karunaratne (6) with a delivery that kept low, before Kusal Mendis (0) edged to slip.

Du Plessis fell short of a major milestone with a poor selection of shot as he attempted to lift leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga (4-171) over mid-on, but instead offered a simple catch to Karunaratne.

He faced 276 balls and hit 24 fours, a masterful display of batting on a wicket that was not easy for batsmen with pace and variable bounce.

Sri Lanka had toiled in the field as injuries severely hampered their bowling attack, with seamer Rajitha managing only 2.1 overs, fellow quick Kumara forced off early and Hasaranga limping along after a sliding save on the boundary.

They had started the innings without spinner De Silva, who suffered a thigh injury while batting and has been ruled out for two weeks.

South Africa had resumed on 317 for four, with Du Plessis and Temba Bavuma (71) sharing a record fifth-wicket stand for the team against Sri Lanka of 179.

It was broken in bizarre circumstances when Bavuma walked from the field following an appeal for caught behind. He was not given out by the umpire, and replays suggested he had missed the ball by a good inch.

Du Plessis also put on a record seventh wicket stand against Sri Lanka of 133 with Keshav Maharaj (73), who went to his highest Test score before he was the last batsman out.

South Africa have added fit-again fast bowler Kagiso Rabada to their squad for the second and final Test starting in Johannesburg on Jan. 3.

SRI LANKA 1st innings
Dimuth Karunaratne b Lungi Ngidi 22
Kusal Perera c Quinton de Kock b Wiaan Mulder 16
Kusal Mendis c Lungi Ngidi b Anrich Nortje 12
Dinesh Chandimal c Faf du Plessis b Wiaan Mulder 85
Dhananjaya de Silva Retired Hurt 79
Niroshan Dickwella lbw Wiaan Mulder 49
Dasun Shanaka Not Out 66
Wanindu Hasaranga b Lutho Sipamla 18
Kasun Rajitha c Dean Elgar b Lutho Sipamla 12
Vishwa Fernando b Lutho Sipamla 0
Lahiru Kumara c Rassie van der Dussen b Lutho Sipamla 0
Extras 16b 9lb 6nb 0pen 6w 37
Total (96.0 overs) 396 all out
Fall of Wickets : 1-28 Karunaratne, 2-54 Mendis, 3-54 Perera, 4-284 Chandimal, 5-296 Dickwella, 6-320 De Silva, 7-387 Rajitha, 8-387 Fernando, 9-396 Kumara

Bowling: Lungi Ngidi 19 – 3 – 64 – 1, Lutho Sipamla 16- 1- 76- 4 (3nb),
Anrich Nortje 22 – 3 – 88 – 1 (2w), Wiaan Mulder 20- 4 – 69 – 3 (3nb), Keshav Maharaj 19 – 3 – 74 – 0.

South Africa 1st innings
Dean Elgar c&b Dasun Shanaka 95
Aiden Markram c Dasun Shanaka b Vishwa Fernando 68
Rassie van der Dussen c Niroshan Dickwella b Lahiru Kumara 15
Faf du Plessis c Dimuth Karunaratne b Wanindu Hasaranga 199
Quinton de Kock c (Sub) b Wanindu Hasaranga 18
Temba Bavuma c Niroshan Dickwella b Dasun Shanaka 71
Wiaan Mulder c Niroshan Dickwella b Wanindu Hasaranga 36
Keshav Maharaj c Wanindu Hasaranga b Vishwa Fernando 73
Anrich Nortje c Niroshan Dickwella b Vishwa Fernando 0
Lutho Sipamla lbw Wanindu Hasaranga 0
Lungi Ngidi Not Out 2
Extras 9b 18lb 7nb 0pen 10w 44
Total (142.1 overs) 621 all out
Fall of Wickets : 1-141 Markram, 2-200 van der Dussen, 3-200 Elgar, 4-220 de Kock, 5-399 Bavuma, 6-476 Mulder, 7-609 du Plessis, 8-610 Nortje, 9-611 Sipamla, 10-621 Maharaj

Bowling Ov Md Rn Wk Econ Ex
Vishwa Fernando 31.1 3 129 3 4.14 3w
Kasun Rajitha 2.1 0 16 0 7.38 1nb
Dasun Shanaka 28.5 2 98 2 3.40 3nb
Wanindu Hasaranga 45 5 171 4 3.80 1nb
Lahiru Kumara 21.1 0 103 1 4.87 2w
Dimuth Karunaratne 6.5 0 36 0 5.27
Kusal Mendis 7 0 41 0 5.86 2nb

SRI LANKA 2nd innings
Dimuth Karunaratne b Lungi Ngidi 6
Kusal Perera Not Out 33
Kusal Mendis c Rassie van der Dussen b Lungi Ngidi 0
Dinesh Chandimal Not Out 21
Extras 4b 0lb 1nb 0pen 0w 5
Total (12.0 overs) 65-2
Fall of Wickets : 1-10 Karunaratne, 2-22 Mendis
To Bat : de Silva, Dickwella, Shanaka, De Silva, Fernando, Rajitha, Kumara

Bowling: Lungi Ngidi 6 – 0 – 28 – 2, Anrich Nortje 3 -0 – 23 – 0,
Wiaan Mulder 3 – 0 – 10 – 0 (1nb).