Ken Borland

The flashing blade of captain Tillakaratne Dilshan gave Sri Lanka a promising start to their innings after the batting heroics of Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers had put South Africa in firm control of the third test at Newlands on Wednesday.

    Sri Lanka ended the second day on 149 for two – a deficit of 431 runs – after Dilshan scored a quickfire 78 to launch the innings.

    South Africa are still obvious favourites to win the final test and the series, however, after Kallis scored a career-best double century and De Villiers an unbeaten 160 as the hosts accumulated 580 for four declared.

    Sri Lanka’s two leading run-scorers – Kumar Sangakkara (35*) and Mahela Jayawardene (7*) – were at the crease at stumps after South Africa claimed the wickets of the two opening batsmen.

    Dilshan was quickly into his stride as he blasted 12 fours in his run-a-ball innings, before falling to leg-spinner Imran Tahir.

    Dilshan lofted a drive into the outfield, but the delivery was a googly that took the inside half of the bat, allowing Graeme Smith to run from deep mid-on and take a super diving catch.

    Lahiru Thirimanne had earlier been bowled through the gate, his attempted drive getting nowhere near a Morne Morkel thunderbolt, for 23.
Following Dilshan’s dismissal 11 overs before stumps, Sangakkara and Jayawardene batted with restraint to survive through to the close.
South Africa declared 40 minutes before tea after a memorable day for Kallis, who finished with 224, while De Villiers helped himself to 160 not out off just 205 balls, with 19 fours and two sixes.
Jacques Rudolph was with De Villiers up until the declaration, scoring 51 not out as he helped to add an unbeaten 127 for the fifth wicket off just 123 balls.
De Villiers and Rudolph were plundering runs at will when Smith declared. South Africa are hunting their first series win at home in three seasons, with this series currently tied 1-1.
Rudolph, having dropped down the order from opening to number six, made his first half-century since his return to the team after a five-year absence.
Kallis, who had resumed on 159, had not exceeded 200 in a test despite amassing 10,000 test runs until his 201 not out against India at Centurion in December, 2010. The 36-year-old needed just 65 deliveries on Wednesday to reach his second double century, in 394 minutes and 280 balls, with 29 fours and a six.
Kallis fell on the stroke of lunch when an attempted lofted drive went off the toe of the bat to Angelo Mathews, who took a tumbling catch at deep mid-on to give persevering left-arm spinner Rangana Herath his only wicket.
Sri Lanka were unable to make any other breakthroughs on the second day with De Villiers advancing to his 13th test century.
South Africa attacked the bowling from the outset, with de Villiers scoring 115 runs off 113 deliveries on Wednesday.
Kallis enjoyed some good fortune as two outside edges, on 171 and 183, managed to go through the hands of Jayawardene in the slips, off the bowling of Dhammika Prasad and Mathews respectively.

AB de Villiers fell irritatingly short of a century but put South Africa in a commanding position after the second day of the first test against Sri Lanka at Centurion on Friday.

    De Villiers scored 99 as South Africa, replying to Sri Lanka’s first innings of 180, amassed 389 for nine for a lead of 209 runs.

    The 27-year-old had just driven seamer Thisara Perera straight down the ground for four to go to 99, but much to his ire, he cut the next delivery, which was short and wide, low to backward point, where substitute Dimuth Karunaratne dived forward to take a good catch.

    De Villiers showed great determination and concentration in his 135-ball innings that was studded with fine strokeplay that brought him 12 fours.

    Ashwell Prince and Mark Boucher, both under pressure to keep their places in the team, were also able to rise to the occasion as South Africa’s lower-order more than doubled the score after they were struggling on 173 for five.

    Prince scored 39 before he edged medium-pacer Angelo Mathews to wicketkeeper Kaushal Silva, but the left-hander could consider himself fortunate to have survived two dropped catches. Prince was dropped by Perera, diving forward in the gully, off Dilhara Fernando on 23, and by Silva off left-arm spinner Rangana Herath when he had 26.
    Boucher finished the day on 49 not out, helping himself to six fours in a confident innings that has eased the pressure on the veteran wicketkeeper/batsman.

    Last man Imran Tahir batted with cavalier disdain for the bowlers and stayed with Boucher for the last 38 minutes before stumps, making his highest test score of 24 not out as they put on 39 for the 10th-wicket, extending the lead past 200.

    Sri Lanka’s attack had bowled with perseverance but little penetration as they failed to obtain the same assistance from the pitch that the South African bowlers had.

    Perera was the most succesful bowler with three for 114 in 24 overs.
De Villiers and Prince combined in a sixth-wicket stand of 97 to take South Africa into a handy lead.
The pair rescued the innings against a probing Sri Lankan attack which had reduced South Africa to 173 for five shortly after lunch.
Left-arm paceman Chanaka Welegedara removed Jacques Kallis for 31 in the fourth over after lunch, his first from the Hennops River End. South Africa’s leading run-scorer drove at a delivery that pitched on off stump and was moving further away from him to edge a tumbling catch to Mathews at third slip.
De Villiers took no risks, pushing singles through the off side but punishing any poor deliveries on the leg side.

    Prince was off to a quick, if streaky, start, collecting four fours, all of them to the third man boundary, off 98 balls.

    A top-class spell of seam bowling by Perera had earlier allowed Sri Lanka to restore a semblance of parity as South Africa reached 168 for four at lunch.
South Africa had resumed on 90 for one, but made a poor start to the day when nightwatchman Dale Steyn was run out for a duck in the second over of the morning.
Steyn fended a lifting delivery from Welegedara away on the leg-side and there was confusion between him and Jacques Rudolph, allowing Rangana Herath at mid-wicket to score a direct hit on the stumps.
Rudolph and Hashim Amla (18) added 35 for the third wicket, but the Sri Lankan bowlers kept plugging away and Perera reaped the reward.
Bowling a consistent line and length outside off stump, Perera found the edge of Amla’s bat and Mathews took a fine diving catch at third slip.
Opening batsman Rudolph, battling the pain of a dislocated little finger on his left hand, showed tremendous determination in a 228-minute vigil at the crease, but Perera ended his resistance on 44, nipping away a delivery that found the edge and travelled low to Tharanga Paranavitana at first slip.
Kallis’s 56-ball stay was not without incident.
He ducked into a bouncer from fast bowler Fernando and was struck a disorientating blow on the earpiece of his helmet. Kallis received treatment for seven minutes before resuming his innings on 25 and was lucky as he prodded at the first delivery of Fernando’s next over and edged a catch which diving wicketkeeper Silva should have taken.