Ken Borland

Sri Lanka captain Tillakaratne Dilshan said on Wednesday that he is confident his board will honour their obligations in terms of paying the players before the first test against South Africa begins on December 15 in Centurion.

Sri Lanka’s players have not been paid their salaries since the World Cup ended in April, but sports minister Mahindanda Altuthgamage promised on Tuesday that they would be paid 65% of their outstanding monies “within three days” and the rest by January.

Dilshan told reporters in Benoni on Wednesday that he trusted Altuthgamage’s word.

“I think they will try and sort it out within the next week. That’s the news I’ve got from the cricket board. They are going to sort out all the payments.

“Yes, payment is important, but we have come here to play cricket, we just try to play good cricket and finish this tour. That’s the main target for the team, we are not worried about the payments.

“We have had discussions, myself and the cricket association, the last few weeks and they promised they will sort it out next week. They are definitely going to sort it out before the first test. That’s what I heard from the cricket board. As a captain, I have to focus on cricket and not worry about the payments,” Dilshan said.

The Sri Lanka captain thanked his South African counterpart, Graeme Smith, and vice-captain AB de Villiers for their aid after issuing a statement that called on Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) to settle the outstanding amounts owed to the players.

“I have to give thanks at this moment to AB and Graeme Smith. Both players giving a statement – it might be a little bit of help for us. I want to thank the South African players,” Dilshan said.

Sri Lanka are chasing their first series win in South Africa, having lost here in 1997/98, 2000/01 and 2002/03, and Dilshan said it was crucial they adapted to the conditions as quickly as possible.

“We have to get used to the conditions as soon as possible. We haven’t played a test match here for a while, but we have played one-day series on-and-off in South Africa. Mahela Jayawardena and Kumar Sangakkara have played a lot of cricket in South Africa and if we can get ready for these conditions, I can say it will be a good series,” the opening batsman said.

Dilshan was appointed as Sri Lanka’s captain after the World Cup, since when they have lost test series to England, Australia and Pakistan, and the 35-year-old admitted that the team still relied heavily on his two predecessors, Sangakkara and Jayawardena.

“They are experienced guys. We have Mahela close to 10,000 runs, Kumar 9,000 runs. Those are the experienced guys in the camp and two of the most experienced guys in world cricket. We can bat around them.

“Sanga, Mahela and myself really like a bouncy track and we can use that experience here,” Dilshan said.

Sri Lanka’s batting has failed to take command in recent tests and Dilshan said his batsmen could not afford another inconsistent series.

“We know the last few series our batting didn’t click. That’s the main goal for us, to see that our batting unit can put some runs on the board,” he said.

Half of the Sri Lankan group are new to international cricket in South Africa and Dilshan said they would feel the pressure.

“We are carrying a few young players. It’s not easy coming to South Africa, especially as they have been playing good cricket. We can’t do any mistakes here, they are a good team.”

Sri Lanka are in Benoni for the only warm-up match of the tour, against an SA Invitation XI starting on Friday.

“We have to adjust as soon as possible to these conditions and if we can use this three-day game properly, it will obviously be helpful before the test match,” Dilshan said.

The Centurion test is the first of three tests in the series, the others being played in Durban from December 26 and in Cape Town from January 3.

Lee Westwood’s road to victory was not entirely smooth, but the defending champion was still a far more convincing winner of the Nedbank Golf Challenge on Sunday than the margin of two shots suggested.

Westwood went into the final round with a seven-shot lead after his extraordinary course-record 62 on Saturday and did enough on the front nine to deter his would-be challengers. In fact, the Englishman was in such control he could afford to bogey the 17th and 18th holes and not be concerned.

“I tried to break it up into fairways and greens and I was two-under after the front nine. Graeme McDowell got within four of me and Robert Karlsson made a few putts coming in, but I played conservatively.

“Sometimes I aimed 25/30 feet wide of the flags and I wasn’t concerned about the odd bogey because I felt the course was playing quite tough,” Westwood said after his one-over-par 73.

The likes of McDowell, Jason Dufner and Karlsson criscrossed Westwood’s peripheral vision at times, but none of them could produce the inspired round needed to haul in the world number three.

McDowell double-bogeyed 15 and bogeyed 16 to shoot a 70 and slip back into a tie for third on 11-under with Dufner.

The American had picked up four shots on the first five holes of the back nine to move to within four shots of Westwood, but he was in the rough off the 15th tee and then in serious trouble down the bank right of the green. He left with a double-bogey and his challenge ended as he faded to a 69.

Karlsson, who teed off with Westwood in the final two-ball, made a stuttering start with a bogey on the first hole. Although he birdied the second, fourth and fifth holes, he bogeyed the eighth and birdied the ninth. So the lanky Swede still trailed the Westwood juggernaut by seven strokes at the turn and he just could not pick up any momentum, also playing the back nine in two-under to finish alone in second place on 13-under.

Riding the wave of his 62 in the third round, Westwood was seldom in any serious trouble and, in fact, had several birdie putts shave the hole, especially on the front nine. Although it was not quite a surge to victory, it was impressive enough.

The Sun City marketers can use the same posters for next year’s tournament as Westwood became just the sixth golfer to defend his title at the Gary Player Country Club after Seve Ballesteros (1984), David Frost (1990), Nick Price (1998), Ernie Els (2000) and Jim Furyk (2006).

The Age of Westwood may have begun at Sun City.

Much like Els dominated around the turn of the century, Price in the 1990s and Frost before that, the 38-year-old looks in a different class around this course, the benefits of his brilliance off the tees being so clear.

Could he become the first golfer to win a hat-trick of titles?

“Obviously I’m coming back next year then,” Westwood said when the potential landmark was pointed out to him.

“It’s a great tournament to win, you only have to look at the names on the trophy and on the walk to the ninth green to know that. It’s a place I’ve always played well at, it sets up like a major championship course.”

Westwood looked like a major champion this weekend, particularly in the third round.

Defending champion Lee Westwood held off the rest of the field to win the Sun City Challenge by two strokes at the Gary Player Country Club on Sunday.

Westwood began the final day with a seven-shot lead after the course-record 62 he fired in the third round, but the Briton did not have the same sharpness to his game on Sunday. The rest of the field could not capitalise, however, with second-placed Robert Karlsson’s 68 being the best score of the fourth round, and Westwood could afford to bogey the last two holes for a win that was more convincing then the scoreline suggests.

Westwood’s final-round 73 saw him finish on 15-under-par 273 for the tournament, earning the world number three the winner’s cheque of $1.25 million in the 12-man invitational event.

The Englishman went through the front nine in two-under-par with birdies at the par-four sixth and par-five ninth holes, Westwood reaching the turn with a five-stroke lead.

He told a news conference afterwards that the old maxim of hitting fairways and greens had been his focus. “I tried to break it up into fairways and greens and I was two-under after the front nine. Graeme McDowell got within four of me and Robert Karlsson made a few putts coming in, but I played conservatively.

“Sometimes I aimed 25/30 feet wide of the flags and I wasn’t concerned about the odd bogey because I felt the course was playing quite tough,” Westwood said after his round. McDowell went to four-under-par for his round with a birdie at the par-five 10th, but his hopes took a dive with a double-bogey at the par-four 15th when his approach to the green went way down a bank. His first chip only went halfway back up the bank and his second chip was flying over the green when it hit the flag and rebounded 25 feet from the hole. Karlsson’s 68 was a steady round, but he struggled to develop the momentum necessary to challenge Westwood, while American Jason Dufner shot a 69 and was just four shots behind the leader when he reached the 15th tee. But he paid the price for putting his drive in the thick African bush, his second shot catching a flyer and finishing well right of the green, leading to a double-bogey.

Dufner finished with a 69 to claim third place on 11-under alongside McDowell.

South Korea’s Kyung-Tae Kim shot his fourth successive 70 to complete an impressive first visit to South Africa in fifth place on eight-under-par. South Africa’s Charl Schwartzel finished sixth on six-under.

Westwood is the sixth golfer to defend his title at Sun City, following in the footsteps of Seve Ballesteros (1984), David Frost (1990), Nick Price (1998), Ernie Els (2000) and Jim Furyk (2006).

The 38-year-old admitted he felt more comfortable at the Gary Player Country Club than on most courses.

“It’s a place I’ve always played well and it’s a great tournament to win – you’ve only got to look at the names on the trophy and on the walk to the ninth green to see that.

“It’s set up like a major championship course, you have to be real accurate off the tee and, if your distance-control is good, you can set up lots of birdies,” Westwood said.

No one has won three Sun City Challenge titles in a row, and Westwood said “obviously I’m coming back then next year” when told about the potential landmark.

The former world number one now goes on to the Dubai World Championship where he has finished first and third in the last two years. “There’s nothing like winning to give you confidence and I’d like to keep that momentum going. I’ve played well on that course too,” Westwood warned.