Durban, a city steeped in cricketing lore, holds a treasure trove of memories for the game’s purists. It was here in 1939 that the legendary timeless Test was played—a match that stretched across 12 days only to end without a result as the English team had a ship to catch home.
As the heartland of KwaZulu-Natal, one of South Africa’s premier cricketing regions, Durban has birthed some of the sport’s brightest stars. The likes of Peter and Graeme Pollock, Mike Procter, and Barry Richards—players whose careers were tragically curtailed by apartheid—hail from this storied city. In more recent times, names like Shaun Pollock, Jonty Rhodes, Lance Klusener, and Hashim Amla have ensured Durban remains a cornerstone of South African cricket.
For Sri Lanka, Durban isn’t just another dot on the cricketing map—it’s a city of triumph and unforgettable moments. The island nation has never tasted defeat here in Test cricket. Most notably, Durban was the site of one of Sri Lanka’s greatest escapes: the dramatic knockout of South Africa in the 2003 Cricket World Cup.
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When South Africa hosted the Rugby World Cup in 1995, their victory united a nation scarred by years of division. Eight years later, hopes were high that cricket would weave a similar story. But as fate would have it, the 2003 Cricket World Cup turned into a nightmare for the Proteas, with Durban at the heart of the drama.
The final group-stage clash between South Africa and Sri Lanka was a make-or-break encounter, with both teams teetering on the brink of elimination. Sri Lanka, powered by a classy hundred from Marvan Atapattu and a vital half-century by Aravinda de Silva, posted a competitive total. Their bowlers kept the pressure on, striking at regular intervals. However, Mark Boucher proved to be the thorn in Sri Lanka’s side, mounting a gritty resistance as rain clouds loomed ominously.
With the heavens threatening to open, the Duckworth-Lewis sheets came into play. Jehan Mubarak carried the critical information for Sri Lanka, while Nicky Boje did the honors for South Africa. Here’s where the plot thickened: Sri Lanka understood the sheet reflected the tie target, not the win target. The Proteas, however, were blissfully unaware.
Boucher, believing South Africa had sealed the deal, defensively blocked the final ball of a rain-curtailed over and began celebrating. Little did he know the game had ended in a tie, sending South Africa crashing out of their own World Cup. The fallout was brutal—Shaun Pollock, one of cricket’s nicest men, lost his captaincy. Curiously, coach Eric Simons survived the debacle, leaving fans and pundits scratching their heads.
Sri Lanka’s love affair with Durban deepened in 2011 during the Boxing Day Test. Having been thoroughly outplayed at Centurion just days earlier, the Sri Lankan camp was under siege. But what unfolded in Durban was nothing short of miraculous—a performance where every cog in the wheel clicked.
Thilan Samaraweera, dropped from the side and hungry to prove his worth, led the charge with a sublime century. Kumar Sangakkara, riding his luck after being dropped before scoring, added another hundred in the second innings. Young Dinesh Chandimal, on debut, chipped in with half-centuries in both innings, showing the mettle of a seasoned campaigner.
While the batsmen set the stage, it was the bowlers who stole the show. Chanaka Welegedara’s fiery five-wicket haul in the first innings broke South Africa’s backbone, while Rangana Herath spun a web in the second, claiming nine wickets in the match. Herath’s heroics earned him the Player of the Match award, as Sri Lanka sealed a stunning come-from-behind victory.
If the 2011 win was special, the 2019 Test at Kingsmead was nothing short of legendary. It’s widely regarded as Sri Lanka’s greatest Test victory, and at the heart of it was a once-in-a-lifetime knock from Kusal Janith Perera. His unbeaten 153 is often hailed as the finest innings ever played by a Sri Lankan. Even Indian great Sunil Gavaskar remarked that had this knock come from an Englishman or an Australian, it would have been immortalized as the greatest of all time.
The odds were stacked against Sri Lanka. Chasing an improbable target, they found themselves nine wickets down, still 78 runs adrift. But KJP had other ideas. With the last man, Vishwa Fernando, for company, he threw caution to the wind. South Africa’s relentless short-pitched barrage played right into Kusal’s hands as he fearlessly launched a counterattack.
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What followed was a heart-stopping, edge-of-the-seat finish as Kusal’s brilliance guided Sri Lanka to a miraculous one-wicket victory. The Proteas were left shell-shocked, while Sri Lanka basked in the glory of one of Test cricket’s most thrilling wins. Riding high on the momentum, they clinched the second Test in Port Elizabeth, becoming the first Asian team to win a Test series in South Africa.
Durban has become a fortress for Sri Lanka, a place where the team has consistently punched above their weight and scripted tales of grit, resilience, and glory. From the heartbreak of the 2003 World Cup to the ecstasy of their Test triumphs, this coastal city has seen Sri Lanka shine in their finest hour. As they return to these hallowed grounds, the memories of past heroics serve as both inspiration and a reminder of cricket’s glorious uncertainties.
