Ken Borland

A top-class unbeaten century by Jacques Kallis put South Africa in a commanding position after the first day of the third and decisive test against Sri Lanka at Newlands on Tuesday.

    Kallis had compiled a majestic 159 not out as South Africa racked up 347 for three by stumps, having been sent in to bat by Sri Lanka captain Tillakaratne Dilshan.

    It turned out to be a disastrous decision for Sri Lanka as Kallis and fellow centurion Alviro Petersen made merry against a wayward attack. The pair added 205 in 212 minutes for the third wicket, South Africa’s biggest stand against Sri Lanka for any wicket.

    On a ground where he now averages 78.19, Kallis hammered 21 fours and a six in his 41st century in his 150th test, driving the ball with immense authority.

    Petersen, playing his first test since January last year, gazed with admiration from the other end at Kallis’s imperious innings, but he notched a brilliant century of his own, his second, making 109 off 188 balls, with 13 fours and a six.

    He used his feet beautifully and drove with sweet timing, scoring heavily on the leg-side. But Petersen eventually fell in the ninth over after tea when he was caught by a diving Dilshan at short-cover after driving loosely at a slower ball from left-arm seamer Chanaka Welegedara.

    AB de Villiers then came in and played some handsome strokes against a toothless attack as he breezed to 45 not out by the close.

    Kallis now stands in second place on the list of leading run-scorers at one venue, having notched 2033 at Newlands in 20 tests on his home ground. Only Mahela Jayawardene, with 2697 runs in 24 tests at Colombo’s Sinhalese Sports Club, has scored more at a single venue.

South Africa’s leading run-scorer also completed a full set of centuries against every other test-playing nation, the second South African after current coach Gary Kirsten and 11th batsman overall to do so.

    South Africa, trying to win a series at home for the first time in three years, had slipped to 56 for two after being sent in to bat as seamer Dhammika Prasad struck twice in the first hour, keeping to a tight line and removing both Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla for 16, before Sri Lanka’s bowling effort descended into near-chaos.

Prasad, brought into the Sri Lanka side for the first time in the series to replace the injured Dilhara Fernando, got a wicket with his first ball as the left-handed Smith chopped a delivery that was angling across him back into his stumps.

Smith had looked in very good form, hitting three fours off Welegedara in the previous over from the Wynberg End.

Amla then played across a straight delivery from Prasad to be trapped lbw.

South Africa decided to recall Petersen in a shuffling of their batting line-up, with Rudolph moving down to number six and Ashwell Prince being dropped. Pace bowler Vernon Philander also returned after injury, replacing Marchant de Lange.

Sri Lanka also brought in opening batsman Lahiru Thirimanne in place of Tharanga Paranavitana.

Sri Lanka won last week’s second test in Durban by 208 runs to level the series at 1-1.