DURBAN, South Africa (AP) — South Africa was five Sri Lanka wickets away from victory in the first cricket test after centuries by Tristan Stubbs and captain Temba Bavuma at Kingsmead on Friday.
Set a massive target of 516 runs to win, Sri Lanka was a dismal 103-5 and running out of recognised batters in the fading light at stumps on day three.
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Sri Lanka's Dinesh Chandimal ducks under the ball during the third day of the first Test cricket match between South Africa and Sri Lanka, at Kingsmead stadium in Durban, South Africa, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
South Africa's Marco Jansen, right, celebrates with captain Temba Bavuma, after dismissing Sri Lanka's Angelo Mathews for 25 runs during the third day of the first Test cricket match between South Africa and Sri Lanka, at Kingsmead stadium in Durban, South Africa, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
South Africa's Gerald Coetzee celebrates after successfully appealing for LBW against Sri Lanka's Pathum Nissanka for 29 runs during the third day of the first Test cricket match between South Africa and Sri Lanka, at Kingsmead stadium in Durban, South Africa, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
South Africa's captain Temba Bavuma raises his bat after reaching his century during the third day of the first Test cricket match between South Africa and Sri Lanka, at Kingsmead stadium in Durban, South Africa, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
South Africa's captain Temba Bavuma raises his bat after reaching his century during the third day of the first Test cricket match between South Africa and Sri Lanka, at Kingsmead stadium in Durban, South Africa, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
South Africa's Tristan Stubbs raises his bat after reaching his century during the third day of the first Test cricket match between South Africa and Sri Lanka, at Kingsmead stadium in Durban, South Africa, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
South Africa's Tristan Stubbs raises his bat after reaching his century during the third day of the first Test cricket match between South Africa and Sri Lanka, at Kingsmead stadium in Durban, South Africa, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
South Africa pressed home its advantage after starting the day with a 281-run lead.
Fourth-wicket partners Stubbs and Bavuma almost went run for run, reaching their fifties within two overs of each other, and their centuries within four.
They were out within four overs, too. Stubbs went first, for 122, followed by Bavuma for 113 on the stroke of tea, at which point the Proteas declared their second innings at 366-5.
Pace bowlers Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen then took two wickets each from the top order, leaving Sri Lanka virtually doomed to defeat sometime on Saturday, and the end of its unusual unbeaten run in Durban.
Stubbs began the day on 17, and Bavuma on 24. There was enough movement and bounce to worry them but they were in no hurry.
Stubbs was dropped on 33 by Angelo Mathews at first slip and bowler Vishwa Fernando was distraught. The batter was dropped again on 55 by Kusal Mendis behind the stumps, but that was a half-chance. That was all both batters conceded to Sri Lanka as they ground down the bowlers.
They scored a sedate 101 runs in an extended session to lunch, then picked up the pace afterwards, even after the new ball was taken.
Stubbs, with two runs into square leg, reached his second test century in his sixth test off 183 balls. He leaped and pumped his fist.
Bavuma followed with his third test century, off 202 balls, and a wave of his bat.
His precious 70 easily led the Proteas in the first innings, and he's the first South Africa captain to score at least 70 in both innings of a home test since 1939, by Alan Melville against England on the same field.
Their 249-run stand in 72 overs ended when Stubbs moved to the left but missed Vishwa Fernando's delivery and lost his leg stump. Stubbs hit nine boundaries and two sixes over long-on and long-off among the 221 balls he faced.
Bavuma was lbw to an Asitha Fernando nip-backer after 228 balls, also including nine boundaries.
South Africa started a bowler short without allrounder Wiaan Mulder, who broke his finger on Thursday and will miss the rest of the two-test series.
But he wasn't missed again as Rabada and Jansen worked over the Sri Lankans.
Dimuth Karunaratne tried to drive Rabada but edged to the slips in the fifth over.
Fellow opener Pathum Nissanka had luck — he was dropped on 4 and given a no-ball reprieve — but Gerald Coetzee trapped him on the front pad on 23.
Spinner Keshav Maharaj was introduced to slow down Dinesh Chandimal and Mathews, and Mathews fell lbw after Jansen went around the wicket.
Kamindu Mendis unnecessarily poked at Jansen and edged behind on 10, and failed to score a fifty for the first time in his nine tests.
Prabath Jayasuriya was sent in as the nightwatchman but he fell to a stunning, two-handed catch by Tony de Zorzi.
That forced captain Dhananjaya de Silva to come out for the last seven balls of the day. Chandimal was 29 not out.
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
Sri Lanka's Dinesh Chandimal ducks under the ball during the third day of the first Test cricket match between South Africa and Sri Lanka, at Kingsmead stadium in Durban, South Africa, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
South Africa's Marco Jansen, right, celebrates with captain Temba Bavuma, after dismissing Sri Lanka's Angelo Mathews for 25 runs during the third day of the first Test cricket match between South Africa and Sri Lanka, at Kingsmead stadium in Durban, South Africa, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
South Africa's Gerald Coetzee celebrates after successfully appealing for LBW against Sri Lanka's Pathum Nissanka for 29 runs during the third day of the first Test cricket match between South Africa and Sri Lanka, at Kingsmead stadium in Durban, South Africa, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
South Africa's captain Temba Bavuma raises his bat after reaching his century during the third day of the first Test cricket match between South Africa and Sri Lanka, at Kingsmead stadium in Durban, South Africa, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
South Africa's captain Temba Bavuma raises his bat after reaching his century during the third day of the first Test cricket match between South Africa and Sri Lanka, at Kingsmead stadium in Durban, South Africa, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
South Africa's Tristan Stubbs raises his bat after reaching his century during the third day of the first Test cricket match between South Africa and Sri Lanka, at Kingsmead stadium in Durban, South Africa, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
South Africa's Tristan Stubbs raises his bat after reaching his century during the third day of the first Test cricket match between South Africa and Sri Lanka, at Kingsmead stadium in Durban, South Africa, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
NEW YORK (AP) — After weeks of pushing early deals, retailers in the United States and some other countries tried to seduce customers with promises of bigger discounts on Black Friday, the sales event that still reigns as the unofficial kickoff of the holiday shopping season even if it's lost some luster.
Department stores, shopping malls and merchants — big and small — see the day after Thanksgiving as a way to energize shoppers and to get them into physical stores at a time when many do the bulk of their browsing and buying online.
Enough consumers enjoy holiday shopping in person that Black Friday remains the biggest day of the year for retail foot traffic in the U.S., according to retail technology company Sensormatic Solutions.
“Black Friday is still an incredibly important day for retailers,” Grant Gustafson, head of retail consulting and analytics at Sensormatic, said. “It’s important for them to be able to get shoppers into their store to show them that experience of what it’s like to browse and touch and feel items.”
At Macy’s Herald Square in Manhattan, a steady stream of shoppers early Friday found some shoes and handbags priced half-off, special occasion dresses marked down by 30%, and 60% off the store's luxury bedding brand.
Keressa Clark, 50, and her daughter Morghan, 27, who were visiting New York from Wilmington, North Carolina, arrived at 6:15 a.m. at the store that served as the setting for the 1947 Christmas movie “Miracle on 34th Street.”
“We don’t have a Macy’s where we are from. I am actually shocked to see so many Black Friday deals because so many things are online,” Morghan Clark said.
Clark, who works as a nurse practitioner, said she was feeling better about the economy because of President-elect Donald Trump’s pending return to the White House and plans to spend $2,000 this holiday season, about $500 more than a year ago.
She said she would not mind if prices are higher next year as a result of the tariffs on foreign-made goods Trump has pledged to implement. “Anything that can encourage production in the U.S. I am all for it, “ Clark said.
In the U.S., analysts envision a solid holiday shopping season, though perhaps not as robust as last year’s, with many shoppers cautious with their discretionary spending despite the easing of inflation.
At many stores, the frenzied crowds of Black Fridays past never returned after the coronavirus pandemic. Early Friday morning, a Walmart in Germantown, Maryland, had only half of the parking spots filled. Some shoppers were returning items or doing their routine grocery shopping.
Bharatharaj Moruejsan, a 35-year-old software engineer, said he typically doesn't shop on Black Friday but decided to check out the deals at Walmart because he was jet-lagged after returning from a month-long family vacation to India. He scored an iPad for his 1-year-old daughter for $250 compared to the original $370 price tag.
“That’s a good deal,” Moruejsan said.
Retailers are even more under the gun to get shoppers in to buy early and in bulk since there are five fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year.
Target had an exclusive book devoted to Taylor Swift's Eras Tour and a bonus edition of her “The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology” album that it said would only be available in stores on Black Friday. Customers can buy them online starting Saturday.
Best Buy has introduced an extended-release version of the doorbuster, the limited-time daily discounts that for years were the rage and sometimes sparked brawls. The nation’s largest consumer electronics chain has released doorbuster deals every Friday since Nov. 8 and planned to continue the weekly promotion through Dec. 20.
Impulse purchases and self-gifting were potential areas for big sales growth, said Marshal Cohen, chief retail advisor at market research firm Circana. Shoppers are three times more likely to buy on impulse at a physical store than online, according to Circana research.
Tara Rutherford, 53, headed straight to Macy's Herald Square to shop for herself after finishing her overnight nursing shift at a Manhattan hospital. A newlywed, Rutherford said she rarely shops on Black Friday because of her work schedule but was “feeling festive.”
“This is all about me," she said, eyeing boots that carried a 40% discount.
Black Friday no longer is an American-only holiday event. Retailers in Australia, Canada, France, Germany and the U.K. also appealed to holiday shoppers looking to save money.
In India, about 200 Amazon warehouse workers and delivery drivers, rallied Friday in New Delhi, some wearing masks of Amazon chief Jeff Bezos, to demand better wages and working conditions. Similar protests were planned in other countries.
Camilla Bjorkqvist, 48, and her friend Tessa Goosens, 48, were visiting New York from the Netherlands to spend the Thanksgiving weekend with friends and to shop at Macy’s. Even though Black Friday has become a commercial event in The Netherlands, the women said it's not the same.
“Macy’s is special. It’s iconic,“ said Goosens, who bought a Samsonite suitcase and a suit for work on sale.
The National Retail Federation predicted that shoppers would increase their spending in November and December by between 2.5% and 3.5% over the same period a year ago.
Vivek Pandya, the lead analyst at Adobe Digital Insights, said more shopper interest in bargain-hunting this year would drive what sells and when.
For example, Thanksgiving Day is the best time to shop online to get the deepest discount on sporting goods, toys, furniture and appliances, according to Adobe's analysis. But Black Friday is the best time to buy TVs online. People shopping for televisions earlier in the season found discounts that averaged 10.8%, while waiting until this Friday is expected to yield 24% discounts, Adobe Digital Insights said.
Cyber Monday, however, is expected to be the best time to buy clothing and gadgets like phones and computers online.
Across the board, Black Friday weekend discounts should peak at 30% on Cyber Monday and then go down to around 15%, according to Adobe’s research.
Hadero reported from Germantown, Maryland.
Shoppers walk along Fifth Avenue, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
Shoppers walk along Fifth Avenue, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
People carry shopping bags as they walk along Fifth Avenue, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
A participant wears a paper mask in the likeness of Amazon's Jeff Bezos as warehouse workers and delivery drivers stage a protest against the Seattle-based company demanding higher wages and better working conditions, in New Delhi, India, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Early Black Friday shoppers line up outside stores at Citadel Outlets in Commerce, Calif., Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
To mark the Black Friday discount day, around 400 to 500 Amazon employees from Germany joined colleagues from the USA, Sweden, the UK and Italy at the international protest center in Bad Hersfeld,Germany, and took part in the central strike meeting in the Schilde Hall, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (Christian Lademann/dpa via AP)
An early Black Friday shopper uses a smartphone flashlight to locate a store at Citadel Outlets in Commerce, Calif., Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Early Black Friday shoppers are silhouetted as they wait in line to enter a store at Citadel Outlets in Commerce, Calif., Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Early Black Friday shoppers line up outside stores at Citadel Outlets in Commerce, Calif., Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
An aerial view shows a packed parking lot at Citadel Outlets in Commerce, Calif., Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, as early Black Friday shoppers arrive at the mall. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A woman walks a dog in a street of Mayfair at sunrise, in London, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
People walk by sale signs on the shopping street in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024.(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
A shopper passes a store advertising a Black Friday Sale on Regent Street in London, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
People window shop in Bryant Park's Winter Village, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
A shopper looks at handbags at Macy's department store on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Anne D'Innocenzio)
FILE - Shoppers and others walk down a crowded sidewalk on Black Friday in the Soho neighborhood of New York, Nov. 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Peter K. Afriyie, File)
Items on sale for $5 are displayed at a Five Below store on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Anne D'Innocenzio)
Items on sale for Black Friday are displayed at Macy's department store on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Anne D'Innocenzio)
Shoppers pass a Christmas tree at the Bergdorf Goodman store on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Anne D'Innocenzio)
A sign promoting Black Friday deals sits on table with a display of mirrorless cameras in a Best Buy store Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in south Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
