Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne believes the Port Elizabeth pitch offers the tourists the chance to make history in South Africa this week.

After the sensational one-wicket victory in the first contest in Durban, Sri Lanka could claim their first Test-series win in South Africa if they can avoid defeat at St George's Park.

Kusal Perera rescued the tourists at Kingsmead with an incredible batting performance that saw him score 153 of their 304-run second-innings target.

Karunaratne hopes the rest of his side's batting line-up will be able to assist more in Port Elizabeth, particularly on a pitch that is not as conducive to fast bowling like the ones in previous Tests.

"We had a tough two games in Australia on fast and bouncy wickets," the skipper told reporters.

"We consistently got pitches where bowlers were bowling 150kph. But I told my team-mates that here it's much easier than in Australia.

"You have to get better, from that experience. You have to keep your head clear and play positively. 

"I think we saw that in the last game. This Port Elizabeth pitch is a pretty good wicket compared to the others, like Johannesburg, which is fast and bouncy. We have a good batting wicket here.

"We came here to win matches, I just want to make sure the boys give their maximum each day."