Sri Lanka has endured a torrid day in the first Test against South Africa, collapsing to the worst score in its Test history.

After only 20.4 overs were bowled on day one in Durban, Sri Lanka cleaned up the Proteas for a serviceable 191 at midday on day two.

Two hours later, South Africa openers Aiden Markram and Tony de Zorzi were strapping their pads back on for the second innings after Marco Jansen and co shredded Sri Lanka for just 42 runs in 13.5 overs.

South Africa ended the day 3-132, leading by 281 runs, with Sri Lanka facing an uphill battle to get back into the game after an historic capitulation that smashed the nation's previous worst effort — all out for 71 against Pakistan in 1994.

Five Sri Lankan batters recorded ducks, while Kamindu Mendis top-scored with 13.

He shared the biggest partnership of the innings — 16 alongside Dhananjaya de Silva — but Mendis's dismissal sparked a collapse of four wickets for no runs in 10 balls as the team went from 4-32 to 8-32.

It is tied for the ninth-lowest team score ever in a completed Test innings.

At 83 legal deliveries, it is the second-shortest Test innings of all time by balls bowled, beaten only by South Africa's 75 balls faced in 1924 against England. That tied the Proteas' lowest-ever score of 30.

Jansen finished with 7-13 from 6.5 overs (41 deliveries), making him the first player since Australian spinner Hugh Trumble in 1904 to take seven wickets in under seven overs.

Coincidentally, South Africa's first innings of 191 ended after 49.4 overs, which is the exact same length as India's 150 from the first innings of the Perth Test against Australia, after which Australia was bowled out for a paltry 104 and went on to lose the opening game by 295 runs.