22.2 there's timber dust on the pitch! Vernon has snaked one past Tharanga Paranavitana's defences and made a mess of the stumps. Good length ball, bustling in from over the stumps towards off stumps, it then hits the seam and straightens. As is his wont, TP isn't entirely forward as he defends, and there's enough of a gap between bat and pads for the ball to shape through. Off and middle are bent in opposite directions. A real gem that, from Vernon. 66/3

4.4 what an unremarkable shot from Dilshan. He's gifted SA his wicket. Short of a length delivery from Steyn, lands on off stump and seams away. Dilshan attempts the good old Twenty20 across the line hoick. This isn't an IPL pitch, though, and the ball bounces enough to miss the middle of the bat by a mile and take a top-edge high up on the bat. The bat turned in his hands and he spooned it straight up and it settles in Vernon's hands at midwicket. 11/1

5.1 Sanga's turn now. Horror start for Sri Lanka. Vernon did this a lot against Australia, getting the ball to rear up from a length, without seeming to put much effort into it. Did that hit one of those verdant patches? Sanga was committed to playing at it, and once it got big on him he was in big trouble. The outside edge lobs easily into second slip's hands. 12/2

29.4 gone. That's a huge wicket. Poor stroke from Jayawardene. He probably didn't need to play, certainly not so close after the resumption. Going to back-foot drive a back-of-a-length ball he nicks it to Smith who takes a solid catch 91/4

42.3 huge caught behind appeal turned down and referred. Vernon looks mighty confident, he was making the T symbol even before his follow through was done. Back of a length delivery seams away and zips past the tentative defensive prod. No edge to be seen on the normal replay. Here comes HotSpot. And there's a white smidgen of something as the ball passes by. That's as wispy as a feather can get! One point to technology. Thilan's gone. He was trying hard to cover the line and the ball did just enough to touch the edge on its way to Bouch, as Thilan got squared up. 156/5

46.5 Vernon Philander takes five wickets every time he bowls! Three five-fors in three Tests! What a strange dismissal, though. Mathews knew he was running out of partners, and tried to make something happen by charging out of the crease. But Philo kept it short and on off stump, Mathews ended up in no position to drive and ended up steering it straight into the slips. 175/8

42.4 another appeal for a catch behind. This time down the leg side. Another review! This was always slipping down the leg, Kaushal lunged well forward without getting the front foot out. He was playing miles in front of his body, and kept chasing it as it went down, looking for a fine glance. Wow, there's an even fainter white nebular appearance on the glove as the ball passes. You almost have to squint to notice it. After multiple replays, the 3rd upire over-rules it, and Rod Tucker has to change his decision again! A first-baller for Kaushal Silva. 156/6

43.1 it's all happening! Another referral, this time from Sri Lanka. Googlie tossed up on off and turning across the left hander. Thisara tries to cover the line, but the ball kisses the outer edge and goes straight to Boucher, who can't pouch. It goes off his thigh, and is flying away past slip, when Jacques Kallis' left hand appears out of nowhere and plucks it. Not sure what that referral was all about. SL have lost three wickets in five balls after a really good stand. 157/7

47.3 Steyn sends the off stump on a roller-coaster ride. Chanaka stays on leg stump line, the feet are just incidental to his batting, and looks to heave in hope. Length ball from Steyn, angles in, lands on middle and off and straightens past the shot to smash the stump out of its groove. I think it is still cart-wheeling. 180/9

47.4 those stumps must be sore now! They are lasered out of their groove once again, and you can almost hear them sighing, "Oh no, not again". Similar ball to the previous one, only faster - 147 kph, lands on a length and straightens like a missile guided at off stump would. Fernando is not in line and swishes the bat in hope. The ball misses and scuds out off stump. SL lose 7 for 104 in the session. 180/10

49.1 Rudolph is on his way now, and Sri Lanka continue to impress. Thisara has got the ball to dart this way and that quite prodigiously, and unlike Chanaka, he is doing it at decent pace too. Rudolph was sucked into nicking it as he lunged forward without moving the feet, and ended up guiding it to Paranavitana, who held it low at first slip. All over. That will help Thisara's average no end. 136/4

32.5 Superbly bowled! Smith is gone. The previous ball did the trick. Dilhara smartly pitches this one up at good pace. Smith's mind was clearly still on the brute that he got last up. He didn't get forward and was a sitting duck as he stayed back in the crease. The ball landed on middle and leg and straightened down the line. Heading for the middle of middle. Smith wisely doesn't waste a review. 88/1

35.2 needless mix-up and Steyn's gone. Back of a length and uncomfortably on the pads, and he nudges it to the leg side. The ball heads straight to Herath trotting in. Steyn takes a couple of steps out, looks at Rudolph and then runs a couple more steps. Herath does well to pick up and hurl down the stumps before Steyn can get back in. I daresay, Kallis, AB or Amla wouldn't have believed there was a single in it. 90/2

45.6 that's the end of Amla. Good take from Angelo at third slip. Thisara hits a lovely length, tempts Amla to drive with the illusion of a driving length, but that was at least a yard shorter than ideal for that shot. Amla threw his arms through the line, but got a thick edge that was travelling to the right of Angelo who tumbled and pouched with both hands. 125/3

60.6 pouched by third slip and Kallis goes. Big wicket. The change of ends works for Welegedara. A previous ball drifted in to Kallis but this slides across him, he's once again driving and gets a big outside edge. Sharp, low catch to the fielder's left. 173/5

97.2 disaster for de Villiers. He's cut a ball to point. Didn't get on top of a wide delivery and a very sharp catch taken 303/7

89.6 reward for a good over from Mathews. Probed away and now Prince has nicked one and a good catch from Silva diving away low to his left. Enticed the batsman to play once more and Prince was caught on the crease and it was a good edge. 270/6

121.6 and that's the end. Boucher is gone, nicking to Silva, who holds on to a fine catch. Doesn't make up for the ones he clanged last evening, though. The manner of dismissal will worry SL no end - it was one of those balls that jumped up extra from short of a length. Boucher was shaping for the cut, but the ball got big on him and kissed the outside edge to fly to the right of Silva. He dived to the right to grab it. 411/10

106.6 Sri Lanka are holding their catches at long last. Dilshan slides one across Vernon, who pushes forward inside the line and gets a thick edge that flies into Mahela's lap at first slip. 344/8

108.4 Samaraweera takes a stunner at gully! Reminiscent of Collingwood snaffling Matty Hayden. It was short of a length and wide enough for the cut, and Morne looked to go up and over gully. He got decent leverage on that, but Samaraweera thought otherwise. He leaped high with the right arm jutting out like a periscope and plucked it mid-air. Hall-of-fame stuff. 350/9

4.6 ah, well. Parna is not so full of life now. On your way, young man. The SAf seamers aren't taking too long to work these batsmen over. Parna has been beaten several times outside off by the seamers, and it was eventually a question of Steyn doing lesser with the ball in order to convert the misses into edges. He did that on this occasion, getting just enough seam away from the straight. Parna meekly opened the face and guided it to Bouch. 11/2

3.5 did that carry? Yes, Dilshan is gone. It was coming. Vernon's got the ball to buzz this way and that with each of his 12 balls, this one seemed to angle in and then straightened just enough to catch the edge as Dilshan defended from the crease. The edge looped through and was dying on Boucher, who gets the gloves under it in time. Dilly seemed to expect it to come in sharply like one of the previous balls, but this did much lesser than he thought. In fact, it did very little and he was playing down the wrong line. 11/1

7.1 this could end very very soon. Double failure for Sangakkara. Again done in by subtle seam work. Vernon pitches this up on off stump, not devilishly quick, no unusual bounce or anything of the sort. Just a sweet bit of away nip from the seam. Sanga gets the front foot out and looks to drive, the ball deviates away and takes a thin edge to Bouch. Three in three for him. Vernon takes just four balls or so to work over the world's No. 1 rated batsman. Speaks volumes of his skills. 19/3

14.6 Sri Lanka won't even get the one shred of solace - Mahela's 10,000th run - from this Test. So it goes. Was he thinking of the milestone? Mahela had some wretched luck there. Short ball outside off from Kallis, Mahela rides it really well and drops it at his feet. The ball then spins sharply after landing on the crease and runs down the track, even as Mahela takes off for the single. Kallis charged down after it, picked up cleanly and threw down the stumps at the other end, with Mahela less than a yard away from his 10,000th run. Mahela kept looking behind as he ran that one - I am going on record saying that the subcontinent's obsession for landmarks seems to have cost Mahela his wicket. 37/4

22.3 and another. Aha! Morne dear boy, well done lad. Identical dismissal to Mathews, little bit of wobbleage as Dominic Cork would call it and a little nick to Boucher's right once more. 70/6

21.5 much better. Super bowling, length on off stump, the batsman has to play, a little deflection to Boucher's right and he bags another one. 66/5

36.4 I think Tahir just won the Nobel Prize, the Oscar, and a big lottery. At least the celebration says so as he charges around, yelling with his arms aloft and his head banging. Lovely ball, mind you. Holds the length back and turns it past the face of Silva's bat as he looks to cover the spin off the front foot. The ball licks the edge and pops into slip's hand. 133/8

31.2 start the Gautrain. Thisara has been gunned out by Steyn. Poor shot in the circumstances. Back of a length, angled across at pace and it bounces extra. Thisara has a flat-footed carve at it and gets a thick edge that hurtles at first slip's chest. Easy does it. 104/7

39.1 Vernon has five again. Boucher has eight catches in the match, six of them in this innings, and Vernon has ten for the game, and it is all over before tea on day three. Are we even halfway into the Test match? Just about. Typical Vernon ball, nipped away off the seam, Herath looked to play it to the off side, but the ball did enough to sniff at the edge and carry through to Bouch. The nick was quite faint, even Bouch didn't see it. Only Vernon appealed, Umpire Davies doesn't say anything, but Herath walks. Everyone else follows. 150/10

37.6 Vernon has four, can he get 10 for the game? Chanaka tries to put a satellite in orbit, backing away and slashing with gusto. Despite his best efforts, it drops back down towards the planet and lands in Vernon's hands. It was one of those steeplers that hung in the air for so long that practically any of the 11 fielders could have taken it. But Vernon called. 145/9