Du Plessis seeks Sri Lankan 'breaking point'

South African captain Faf du Plessis will be seeking to find Sri Lanka's "breaking point" as early as possible when the first of two Tests starts at Kingsmead on Wednesday.

With Sri Lankan coach Chandika Hathurusingha admitting that recent upheavals in Sri Lankan cricket had affected the players, Du Plessis vowed to apply pressure on the tourists.

"They have had a tough time in Australia and there have been a lot of things happening away from their team," Du Plessis said on Tuesday.

"It's not ideal for them but I will always respect the opposition we play against. Our preparation doesn't change."
"It's important for us to keep them under pressure to make sure they don't start the series well. If we can do that, possibly their breaking point will be a little bit sooner than it would (normally) be because of all the stuff that's happening away from the game."
"Everything happened in public. There's enough pressure on the players in the middle for them to concentrate on. Suddenly the players have nowhere to turn. They don't know whom to trust or whose instructions to take."
"They are trying. But in any high-performance environment, successful teams have direction, strong leadership and continuity."
Dimuth Karunaratne, named as stand-in captain for the tour, acknowledged: "It's not easy when you play cricket and there is other stuff coming from the outside. The changes and everything are up to the selectors. As a team we are trying to focus on the game."
Karunaratne said he would concentrate on trying to produce good performances in his role as an opening batsman. Several of his players had experience of South African conditions and his message to the team was: "We must try and compete in every session."