Ken Borland

SA chip away at Sri Lankan batting 0

Posted on January 05, 2012 by Ken

South Africa continued to chip away at the Sri Lankan second innings as the tourists reached 138 for four in their follow-on innings at stumps on the third day of the third and final test at Newlands on Thursday.

Sri Lanka are still 203 runs behind, with South Africa needing just six more wickets in two days to win the test and clinch the series 2-1.

After being asked to follow on 341 runs behind, under cloudless skies on a mostly even batting pitch, Sri Lanka lost regular wickets.

Their only partnership of note was the 67-run second-wicket stand between Lahiru Thirimanne and Kumar Sangakkara.

Jacques Kallis, who had scored 224 to provide the foundation of South Africa’s massive first-innings total of 580 for four declared, eventually removed Thirimanne for 30 in an aggressive spell after tea.

The left-handed opener edged a lifter on to his thigh pad, from where the ball ricocheted to short-leg, Hashim Amla clasping a fine reflex catch above his head.

Leg-spinner Imran Tahir then piled on the pressure with an impressive spell around the wicket into the rough outside the left-handed Sangakkara’s off-stump, the former captain eventually edging a back-foot defensive stroke to Kallis at slip.

Sangakkara had held up the South Africans for a little over two hours in scoring 34.

Kallis then took a thrilling catch, diving low in front of first slip, to remove Mahela Jayawardene for 12 off the bowling of Morne Morkel.

Angelo Mathews then went confidently to 28 not out by stumps as he struck three fours off 38 balls. He was partnered by Thilan Samaraweera, on 19 not out, at the close.

Seamer Vernon Philander gave Sri Lanka the most headaches after lunch as Sri Lanka struggled to 42 for one in their follow-on innings at tea.

Philander took three for 46 as he wrapped up the Sri Lankan first innings for 239 and he then claimed the one wicket to fall before tea.

Sri Lanka captain Tillakaratne Dilshan fell for just five when he edged a booming drive at Philander through to wicketkeeper Mark Boucher.

Morkel should have claimed the wicket of fellow opener Thirimanne on 10, but Boucher dropped a simple catch behind the stumps.

South Africa captain Graeme Smith enforced the follow on after Sri Lanka lost their last three wickets for 20 runs in the half-hour after lunch, fast bowler Dale Steyn also finishing with three wickets.

Steyn bowled with great intensity and control before lunch to give South Africa a firm grip on the test. Sticking to a wonderful line just outside off stump and moving the ball away at high pace, he took three for 16 in eight overs on the third morning as Sri Lanka’s ill-equipped batsmen slumped to 219 for seven at lunch.

Rookie wicketkeeper/batsman Dinesh Chandimal was their leading light on Thursday as he was the last man out, for 35.

Sri Lanka had resumed on their overnight score of 149 for two and lost eight wickets for 90 runs.

It was Steyn who started the rot when he removed Sangakkara, who drove lazily to Amla at point, for 35 with the third ball of the day.

Philander, who may have taken more wickets with a bit more fortune, then found the edge of Samaraweera’s bat as the veteran prodded at another fine delivery that nipped away from back-of-a-length outside off stump. Kallis took a low catch at second slip and Samaraweera was out for 11.

Steyn, who did not stray from his exemplary line all morning, then returned half-an-hour before lunch and Jayawardene (30) was not able to resist pushing firmly at a delivery outside off stump, edging another catch to Kallis at second slip.

Mathews did not trouble Steyn for long, making just a single before he dabbed at an away-swinger and wicketkeeper Boucher took a good catch diving forward.

Spinner Tahir then rushed a big-turning leg-break through Thisara Perera’s defences to bowl him for five with what became the last ball before lunch.

Fast bowler Steyn finished with three for 56 in 20 overs, while Tahir took two for 54 in 21 overs.

South Africa won the first match of the series at Centurion by an innings and 81 runs and Sri Lanka triumphed by 208 runs in the second test in Durban.

Tags: chip away Dale Steyn follow-on Newlands second innings South Africa Sri Lanka stumps third day third Test Vernon Philander wickets
Category Cricket, Sport

Dilshan gives Sri Lankan reply promising start 0

Posted on January 04, 2012 by Ken

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.

Tags: 160 AB de Villiers batting heroics career-best double century Jacques Kallis massive total Newlands second day South Africa Sri Lanka third Test Tillakaratne Dilshan
Category Cricket, Sport

Kallis a calming influence alongside me – Petersen 0

Posted on January 03, 2012 by Ken

Alviro Petersen scored a fine century in his comeback test for South Africa against Sri Lanka at Newlands on Tuesday and later praised Jacques Kallis for being a calming influence as he batted alongside him.

Opening batsman Petersen, playing his first test since last January, scored 109, while Kallis ended the day on 159 not out to steer South Africa to a commanding 347 for three at stumps on the first day.

“I have to give Jacques full credit, he was back to as South Africa have known him. We had lots of conversations about the areas to score in, what the bowlers are trying to do and he was just a calming influence. A guy with over 12 000 runs is not just going to stand there with a mouth full of teeth,” Petersen told a news conference after the end of play.

Petersen and Kallis shared a record third-wicket stand of 205, South Africa’s best for any wicket against Sri Lanka, and Petersen said it had been a case of playing the conditions and the match situation correctly after South Africa had slipped to 56 for two.

“We’d lost a couple of wickets and the game was in the balance. But we played the conditions well, we put the bad ball away and once we were set, we just kept building the partnership,” Petersen said.

The 31-year-old said the South Africans had been surprised by how the Sri Lankan attack had bowled at them.

“We were surprised by the lines and lengths of their bowling; we were surprised by the number of short balls they bowled,” Petersen said.

Sri Lanka bowling coach Champaka Ramanayake conceded that his attack had been poor.

“We did not bowl well at all, especially in the first session when we could have kept them to under 80 runs. Our line wasn’t so bad, but the length was either too far up or a bit short.

“If we could have kept them under 300 at stumps, I would have been very happy, but the fifty runs extra was because of bad bowling,” Ramanayake said.

Sri Lanka had won the toss and controversially sent the South Africans in to bat, with Ramanayake admitting that they had misread the pitch.

“We thought that pitch would do something, but it did not do as much as expected. It became a good pitch after the first session, but we did not bowl well – that was the main reason,” Ramanayake said.

The South Africans would have batted first if they had won the toss, Petersen confirmed.

“We were surprised they sent us in, the pitch looked quite dry this morning and we wanted to bat first anyway. We made full use of the conditions and would like to get a big first-innings total. I think the pitch will deteriorate, it’s really dry and this afternoon some balls hit the cracks and they were already loose. It will turn and we want to put scoreboard pressure on the Sri Lankans,” Petersen said.

Tags: Alviro Petersen century Jacques Kallis Newlands South Africa Sri Lanka Test
Category Cricket, Sport

Majestic Kallis puts SA in command 0

Posted on January 03, 2012 by Ken

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.

Tags: Alviro Petersen century commanding decisive Test first day Jacques Kallis Newlands record partnership South Africa Sri Lanka third Test Tillakaratne Dilshan
Category Cricket, Sport

SA chip away at Sri Lankan batting 0

Dilshan gives Sri Lankan reply promising start 0

Kallis a calming influence alongside me – Petersen 0

Majestic Kallis puts SA in command 0

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